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2015 Subaru WRX STI goes for the gold [w/video]

If the all-new 2015 Subaru WRX has taken a good thing and made it great, then this should be, well, greater. Meet the range-topping WRX STI, packing more power, a decidedly more aggressive suspension tune, beefier looks, a giant wing and (woo!) gold wheels.
Those spiffy BBS wheels and WRC rally-ready matching WR Blue paint won't necessarily be around forever, though - Subaru is offering this package (along with unique interior trim) on the STI Launch Edition, limited to just 1,000 units. And cool as it may look, there's far more to love about the new STI package.
Power comes from a 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder engine, sending 305 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. (Launch Edition models even get a short-throw shift kit, which will likely be available as a dealer-installed accessory thereafter). Unlike the standard WRX, a do-it-yourself 'box will be the only transmission available. Subaru is employing its new - *ahem* - Multi-Mode Driver Controlled Center Differential version of the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, which, in addition to a standard 41/59 torque split, uses things like torque vectoring, and, when put in manual mode, allows the driver to select one of six center differential locking levels. In other words, the STI should be incredibly sharp on the road - sharper than ever before.

Toyota 86 most likely to get more power through more displacement? [w/poll]

The Sydney Morning Herald has spoken to Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer of the Toyota 86 (our version of it, the Scion FR-S, is pictured above), and they've been promised that more power is on the way. We've heard a lot of speculation about a more powerful Toyobaru since before the standard model was even launched. The only question now is how the power will be delivered, and among the engine concepts we've already heard about - turbo, supercharger, twin-charged, hybrid - is a new one: more displacement.
Tada said that an engine with more displacement than the current coupe's 2.0 liters is being tested alongside a turbocharged and a hybrid-assisted motor. The SMH cites "inside sources" as saying the displacement option is the one likely to get the go-ahead, and suggests increased bore and stroke will see the engine grow to 2.5 liters, horsepower to about 250 - a 50-hp increase over the present car.
While that's apparently the betting man's solution for the long-awaited increase in gumption, what happens with the next generation could be more wide open than we suspected. According to the report, Tada "hinted that [a successor] could be a radically different car, potentially dropping the boxer engine altogether." He said once they've sorted out the concept for the second generation car, then they'll sort out an engine. That's where a turbo option could come to market, perhaps the turbocharged four-cylinder Toyota is developing for the Lexus NX crossover or a hybrid system that uses a capacitor.

Successor to the Toyota 86 is on the way

Until now, Toyota and Subaru have been mum on the prospect of a follow up to the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ. Although both cars received mild refreshes and even milder power bumps, they're both essentially the same cars that hit the market nearly five years ago. It appears a successor is indeed on the way, as Autocar confirms that Toyota is developing a next-gen 86. Karl Schlicht, executive vice-president at Toyota Motor Europe, said that the 86 will live on past the current generation. "The car serves a big purpose," Schlicht said. "We are not getting out of that business. Sporty cars go through their phases. It's our intention to continue with that car." Toyota seems to be back in the sports car business, as the company has partnered with BMW on a new Supra. Like the current Toyota 86, it seems likely that the successor will be co-developed with Subaru. Schlicht says that to get the low center of gravity and the handling characteristics that come along with it, a horizontally opposed engine is a necessity. He admits that there is no firm confirmation of a commitment from Subaru. While no Schlicht gave no details about the new car, he did nix any possibility of a convertible variant. "We wouldn't do it on the current model," he said. "That doesn't mean dealers wouldn't like one, but there are so many other priorities that I don't think we've got spare capacity for that." Related Video: