2006 Subaru Legacy Gt Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1980 Subaru 4WD Hatchback

Living in Colorado, where they might as well issue you a Subaru at the state line, I see plenty of worn-out Pleiades-badged cars in the local wrecking yards. Most of them fall into the 15-to-25-year-old age group, but I'll spot the occasional Malaise Era Subaru, from the era when the Leone was sold in North America as, simply, "the Subaru." Here's a 1980 base-level hatchback with the four-wheel-drive option, spotted in a yard just outside of Denver last month. In 1980, the US-market Subaru could be had in three trim levels (STD, DL, and GL), and as a coupe, sedan, hatchback, or wagon (the pickup version was known as the BRAT). This STD hatch is the cheapest possible Subaru available in 1980 with four-wheel-drive, and I'm just disappointed that they didn't put STD badges on the base-level cars. The driver had to choose between front- and four-wheel-drive by hand, using this lever. If you left the car in 4WD for long periods on dry pavement, you'd wear out the tires and/or break something. By 1997, all US-market Subarus had full-time all-wheel-drive, with no driver decisions about driven wheels needed. Subaru offered an automatic transmission and a five-speed-manual for these cars, but just about all buyers of late-1970s/early-1980s Subarus went with the cheaper four-on-the-floor manual. When you see a junkyard car with the keys still present, you can assume that the car ended up here after being totaled by an insurance company or traded in on a new car. A battered 39-year-old Subaru won't get much interest at the sort of auction these cars go to, and so the junkyard ends up being the next stop. The owner's manual was still in the glovebox, and of course I took at home and scanned a few pages (look in the gallery, above, for those scans). The folks at Subaru PR were interested in this book for their archives (they don't have one), so I'll make sure it gets to them soon. Rodent bedding and poop fill the engine compartment, and the employees of this yard marked the car as a hantavirus biohazard. I'd wear a mask if I needed to pull the engine from this car, because hantavirus is a real problem in Colorado and has a scary 35% mortality rate. Speaking of the engine, you're looking at 67 mighty horsepower here. With the car scaling in at about 2,200 pounds empty, drivers needed patience on uphill freeway onramps (actually, they needed patience when driving anywhere). By the standards of Japanese cars of this era, the rust problem doesn't look too bad.

2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Drivers' Notes Review | A great, green Subaru with a price

When we had the opportunity to try the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid on the rocky, dusty trails above Santa Monica, it had us excited to try it on our crumbling Michigan roads. Luckily, the arrival of Subaru's first plug-in vehicle to the Autoblog office coincided with a powerful snowstorm followed by subzero temperatures, and then some serious freezing rain to cap off our week with it. Perfect Subaru weather. The new Crosstrek Hybrid may share a nameplate with the discontinued conventional hybrid, but this one features a plug-in hybrid powertrain borrowing technology from Toyota. It features two electric motors — one to propel the vehicle, the other acting as a starter/generator. Together with its 2.0-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine, this PHEV gets a combined 148 horsepower, and is actually a full second quicker from 0-60 than the ICE-only Crosstrek. With an 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, it offers a modest 17 miles of all-electric driving, but an overall range of 480 miles. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: This is a solid execution of the modern hybrid. The price is reasonable. The range (17 miles of EV travel) is usable. Go where you need to go. Charge up. You're good. It's attractive, inside and out. I love the Lagoon Blue Pearl paint. The cabin is comfortable and laid out nicely, and the blue stitching and pleasing leather elements dress things up. As expected, the Crosstrek is solid in the snow and ice. I had no trouble navigating the messy roads when much of the rest of the world was snowed in. The infotainment is smart. It's part of a $2,500 option that also adds the moonroof and heated steering wheel. It's worth it. I already like the Crosstrek. If it were my money, I'd go for hybrid variant. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: A night and a morning in the Crosstrek Hybrid on Michigan roads only confirms what I decided when I drove it in California two months ago: I dig this car. It's quiet, it's economical, it's capable, it's good-looking. There are only two downsides that I see. First is the cargo area behind the rear seats. It's pretty small. The battery pack raises the load floor a few inches above the bumper height. That doesn't seem like a lot, but when you realize how high it already is, taking out those few extra inches means it's not only harder to fit large items back there, it's harder to load and unload them at that height. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Subaru XV concept: Just more wishful thinking?

Subaru has long been criticized as being rather weak-kneed when it comes to styling. That's not entirely true. In recent years they have displayed some really attractive-to-stunning concepts. The last-generation Impreza concept was very attractive, as was the most recent Legacy concept. The WRX concept shown a couple of years ago was a visual knockout, and the same can be said for the most recent Impreza concepts—as well as this new XV (Crosstrek) concept. The problem has been much of the visual excitement of those concepts got lost in the translation from concept to production. So we know that Subaru has great design talent; the concepts have proven that. The problem, as I see it, is those in a position to approve design for production don't seem to understand design. Now I'm sure it's a lot more complicated than just that. It involves marketing folks, engineers, as well as those suits that call the shots at FHI. Many of those in decision-making positions just don't seem to get it. However I do have to say that each succeeding generation of Subaru has got better looking. So slowly (very slowly) they are making progress. The problem is, the competition has gotten better too — much better. Hyundai, Kia, Honda and Mazda have been hitting it out of the park when it comes to styling; all the while Subaru has been hitting solid singles along with a few walks. That said I do have a good feeling about this new XV concept. It really does look close to being production-ready. The proportions are right, there is nothing outrageous or impractical here. There are even small non-roll-down (visually distracting, but absolutely necessary) side windows, which I rarely if ever see on concepts. The proof will be in the pudding when the new Impreza debuts at the New York Auto Show later this month. Fingers crossed.