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Jalopnik and Consumer Reports see who can pull off the best snow drift

The weather throughout much of the United States is pretty awful at the moment with some combination of extremely low temperatures, inches of snow and maybe some ice underneath it all. The folks at Jalopnik and Consumer Reports are making the absolute best out of a difficult situation by heading to CR's snow-covered test track and attempting to make the longest drift in a quartet of very different performance vehicles. Jalopnik brought along a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Wagon, a Subaru WRX STI, a BMW 228i and a 1973 Volkswagen Baja Bug (heck yeah!) for the challenge. Also, the track was perfect for this group, with a mix of packed snow in places and still a few inches of unsullied powder in spots too. Ostensibly the goal was to get the tail to step out through a particular corner, but in reality this was more about having hilarious fun in the snow with fast cars. The result just looks like the best time humanly possible in this weather.

Scion testing updated FR-S

It looks like Toyota is preparing a mid-cycle update for its critically acclaimed GT86, known here in the US as the Scion FR-S or Subaru BRZ. As far as updates go, this one looks to be rather average. Hidden behind the camouflaged front and rear ends, we have new headlights and taillights, which according to our spies looked to be of the LED variety. We wouldn't be shocked to see the GT86 get LED taillights, although fitting the top-of-the-line headlights seems less likely. Supporting that position are the images we have of the actual headlights in action, which don't look quite bright enough to be full LED units. Instead, we'd expect some new form of running light, perhaps with bi-xenon low beams. Aside from the lamps, the front bumper gets a larger, more prominent lower intake, while the rear end sports a redefined bumper that houses larger dual exhaust tips. The size of the spoiler has been increased, too. According to our spies, we should also expect powertrain enhancements – which we can only hope means more power – as well as upgrades to the interior of the GT86. While it's possible that the updates being tested in Germany could be exclusive to the European market, that seems unlikely. We'd expect the same new enhancements to at least find their way to the Scion, if not its Subaru-badged twin. Check out the full battery of spy photos up top. Related Video:

2020 Subaru WRX and WRX STI Series.White sneak in one more special edition

LOS ANGELES — This generation of Subaru WRX and WRX STI is nearly done, and has celebrated with special versions here and back in the home country. But the company isn't finished with limited edition models yet, as proven by the 2020 Subaru WRX and WRX STI Series.White model (their punctuation, not ours). Just like past Series.Whatever models, the Series.White is distinguished on the outside by an exclusive Ceramic White paint scheme. It's accented by black mirror caps, black badging and matte bronze wheels. On the WRX, they're 18-inch wheels from Subaru, and the STI gets 19-inch BBS wheels. The paint color isn't the only perk, as each car comes with a selection of desirable options. The WRX basically gets the Premium trim's Performance Package, plus a few goodies. That means it gets Recaro seats, Brembo four-piston front calipers and two-piston rear calipers, LED adaptive headlights, and the sunroof is deleted. It also gets a special Bilstein suspension setup that hasn't been offered on the WRX before. The WRX STI gets a Bilstein suspension, too, as well as Brembo six-piston front calipers and two-piston rear calipers, Recaro seats, stiffer steering rack mounts and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Neither model gets any extra power, though. Subaru will only build 500 examples of each model, a total of 1,000 cars. The WRX Series.White has a price of $34,895, and the WRX STI costs $43,595. These special Subarus go on sale next year.