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Some 2019 Subaru Ascent owners will get brand-new cars due to recall [UPDATE]

UPDATE: After inspection, it turns out that the issue of missing welds on Subaru Ascent models built between July 13 and July 21, 2018, was much smaller than initially thought. A Subaru spokesperson informs us that "none of the customer vehicles included in the recall were affected." According to Subaru, 293 brand-new 2019 Ascent crossovers built between July 13 and July 21, 2018, are missing a series of spot welds on the B-pillar. These welds add strength to the shell of the car right where the rear doors attach, which makes them extremely important to the overall structure of the vehicle. The issue was caused by improper programming of the robots that add these welds as the vehicle rolls down the assembly line. What makes this recall particularly interesting is that 9 of these 293 affected Ascent models are already in the driveways of paying customers, and those owners are going to get brand-new replacement vehicles. The other 284 affected Ascents are either sitting on dealer lots or in transit. All 293 models without the proper B-pillar welds will be destroyed and replaced. If you're the owner of a 2019 Ascent that may be affected by this recall, you can contact your local dealer with your VIN number, or check online to find out if your vehicle is one of the 293 with missing welds. And since it's a very real safety issue, we'd recommend you check your VIN immediately, because the missing welds cannot be identified just by a visual inspection. Related Video:

2021 Toyota Camry AWD vs. midsize all-wheel-drive sedans | How they compare on paper

Just as crossovers have become the dominant body style in the car market, the all-wheel drive they frequently feature has become more popular. In fact, all-wheel drive is so popular that automakers are increasingly putting it in traditional cars. The latest car to add driven wheels is the 2021 Toyota Camry. It will offer all-wheel drive on most of its trim levels, though only with the four-cylinder engine. It isn't alone in this market, though. So we've compiled the Camry's specifications, along with those of a couple of its competitors for comparison. For the purposes of this analysis, we're sticking with the AWD veteran 2020 Subaru Legacy equipped with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine and the relative newcomer 2020 Nissan Altima. Both are similar in pricing and power to Camry. We've skipped the turbocharged Legacy and the turbocharged Ford Fusion with all-wheel drive as both have higher base prices and significantly more power. We'll take a look at these three sedans engine output, fuel economy, pricing and space. Below is a chart with all the raw numbers, and below that is more in-depth discussion of the cars. Performance and Fuel Economy These sedans are very closely matched, but one area where a clear winner emerges is in output. The Camry has a solid 21 horsepower and roughly 10 pound-feet of torque over the Subaru and Nissan. This, despite all of the engines having the same displacement. That power should make it quicker than the approximately 50-pound-heavier Subaru, though the Nissan Altima may stay with it thanks to its curb weight being about 100 pounds less than the Toyota. Also worth noting is that only the Toyota offers a traditional automatic transmission, whereas the Subaru and Nissan rely on CVTs. Subaru and Nissan have both dramatically improved their CVTs to the point they're quite unobtrusive, but if you strongly prefer the feel of softly shifting gears, the Toyota is your choice. In our experience, all three of these sedans are pleasant to drive with suspension and handling clearly tuned in favor of comfort over quickness. Fuel economy is close to a dead heat. Toyota hasn't announced official fuel economy numbers for the all-wheel-drive model, but we can estimate that, as with most all-wheel-drive variants, mileage will be slightly lower than normal models. We're betting it will only about 1 mpg worse than front-drive variants. That puts it in the same 29 to 30 mpg overall range as the Subaru and Nissan.

Subaru of Indiana produces its 4 millionth Subaru, but that's not all

Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA), the only Subaru plant outside Japan, just celebrated building its 4 millionth Subaru. On Monday, April 22, at 10:51 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, a silver 2019 Outback rolled off the line to mark the milestone. The facility was the product of a joint venture between Subaru and Isuzu, producing about 67,000 cars per year. Devoted solely to Subarus since 2016, yearly output by the more than 5,700 factory associates hovers around 370,000 cars. Those with a head for arcane minutiae might recall that in 2013 Subaru announced having produced the 4 millionth vehicle at the plant. An Outback also celebrated that milestone, that time a 2014 model in Dark Indigo Blue. Subaru answered our question about the previous highlight by explaining, "in the past, the plant produced Isuzu vehicles (and at one point, even the Honda Passport and Toyota Camry)." The 2013 vehicle tally counted everything rolling out the doors. This week's marker counts just the Subarus. The facility also builds the Ascent, Impreza, and Legacy for the North American market. Things are going so well for the Japanese carmaker that we were also told, "While this week we're celebrating our 4 millionth Subaru vehicle (since beginning production in 1989), in early September we expect to produce our 6 millionth overall vehicle." Seems those seven sisters of the Pleiades, Subaru's constellation logo, are shining at full strength.