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2018 Subaru Crosstrek First Drive | Tall in stature, short on power

When the first-generation Subaru XV Crosstrek launched a few years ago, I was skeptical that more ground clearance and fender flares is all it would take to get more buyers. But sell it has. According to Subaru representatives, it's the company's third-best-selling line, and is second in the country for compact and subcompact crossover sales (first is the Jeep Renegade). Most Crosstrek sales are in America - 60 percent of them. So if lifting an Impreza can yield such impressive sales results, it's no surprise that Subaru kept the formula the same for the new Crosstrek. The end product is served well by all the improvements to the new-generation Impreza, while equally hampered by its issues. One of the few ways the Crosstrek is distinct from the Impreza is on the outside. Though the main body is the same, the front and rear bumpers are a little chunkier, and the front grille is different. It also features the tried-and-true addition of black plastic fender flares to signal its crossover and dirt road intentions. Every Crosstrek comes standard with roof rails and alloy wheels with a machined finish and black-painted accents. Those wheels are available in either 17- or 18-inch varieties. The body sits atop a raised suspension that brings ground clearance up to an impressive 8.7 inches over the Impreza's 5.1 inches. That also matches the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk for clearance. The Crosstrek's fresh bod is propelled by the same 2.0-liter flat-four as the Impreza, which, at 152 horsepower, makes four more ponies than the old engine. Torque remains the same at 145 pound-feet. The engine, which Subaru says is 80 percent new, is much less coarse and clattery than its predecessor, letting more of the pleasant boxer engine's rumbling noises through. You'll likely hear those noises plenty, because you'll need to work the car hard to get anywhere. Just as we found in the Impreza, what power the engine makes is all high in the rev band. And even when you're in the meat of it, it still takes an agonizingly long time to get up to speed. There were a number of overtaking episodes on two-lane roads during the test drive, and each was a nerve-wracking experience. Even with the foot to the floor, the Crosstrek took the tortoise's approach to forward momentum, and I was constantly fearful of a hare coming up the other lane. Brutally slow acceleration isn't particularly out of the ordinary in the subcompact and compact crossover class.

Junkyard Gem: 1987 Subaru GL-10 4WD station wagon

Living in Colorado and spending a great deal of time in Denver-area wrecking yards, I see Subaru wagons everywhere. Lots of Subaru wagons. Today's Junkyard Gem, however, is the first GL-10 wagon I've found in such an establishment. I can't find a definitive description of what Subaru buyers in 1987 got with their GL-10 (at the time, the Subaru Leone was sold in the United States as just "The Subaru" with a confusing babel of trim-level codes tacked on). These badges look cool, anyway. This cassette deck would have been considered serious stuff at the time, what with auto-reverse and automatic detection of the prestigious metal tapes that cost twice as much as ordinary cassettes. This car has air conditioning as well, a very rare feature on this generation of Leone. These cars were available with automatic transmissions, but nearly all of the 1980s Leones I find have three pedals. Four-wheel-drive (real four-wheel-drive, including a low-range setting with manual drive selection) was a heavily-hyped Subaru option, not standard equipment, at the time. Under the hood is the boxer-four engine layout we've been seeing in U.S.-market Subarus since all the way back in 1971. This one displaces 1.8 liters and was rated at 90 horsepower. This car's archrival, the Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon, packed a mere 62 horses; prices for ordinary Tercel 4WD and Subaru GL 4WD wagons were similar, but the GL-10 package no doubt pushed the price up well above Tercel levels. These cars weren't anywhere near as reliable as the Tercel 4WD (which, though sluggish, was nearly — but not entirely — impossible to kill) or the Honda Wagovan 4WD, but this one made it to a respectable odometer figure before being retired. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The GL-10 could be had with turbocharging and digital instrumentation, but this wagon has neither. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. All new Leone! Featured Gallery Junked 1987 Subaru GL-10 View 18 Photos Auto News Subaru Automotive History Wagon

Subaru builds 3 millionth car in America

Subaru announced August 1 that its Indiana factory completed the 3 millionth American-built Subaru, a Lapis Blue Pearl Outback. The company reached the milestone July 28. Subaru has been building cars at its factory in Lafayette, IN, since 1989. The factory opened as a joint venture with Isuzu, but Subaru eventually took full ownership. Subaru first built North American Legacy sedans and wagons at the factory, followed by the Outback, Baja, and Tribeca. Subaru plans to upgrade the Indiana facility to handle increased demand. The company will double capacity from 218,000 units to 436,000 by March 2019. Subaru will add Impreza production toward the end of the year, and begin production of a three-row crossover in 2018. Related Video: