1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon 4-door 2.5l Very Clean on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Let's all take a moment to smile at this tiny Subaru van

The news is really depressing. You're stuck at home, hopefully working but possibly not. The kids home from school just ... won't ... calm ... down.  We need something to make us smile, so allow me to present a tiny morsel of happiness that is this 1993 Subaru Sambar Dias van currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer. One might call this a mini van if a minivan wasn't already a thing (and in no way mini any more), but the actual term is a "Kei-class van," referring the Japanese Kei class of vehicles that are teeny-tiny and capped at an engine displacement of 660cc. Some fun stuff: this Sambar Dias has beautifully maintained cloth upholstery with oh-so-Japanese lace covers for the headrests and upper seat backs. There are also rear captain's chairs, so really, the 1993 Subaru Sambar Dias is exactly like a 2020 Subaru Ascent Touring. It rides on 12-inch wheels, meaning you can use a Chicago deep-dish pizza as a spare tire in a pinch, and there are side wind deflectors because of a reason. There's a cassette deck and crank windows, but as the Sambar is roughly eight inches wide, it should be pretty easy to just reach over from one side to the other and roll'em down. Which is good news since, as a right-hand-drive car, that would otherwise be a pain in the lace-covered neck at drive thrus or parking garages. A 1993 Sambar would be from the nameplate's fifth generation, which perfectly spanned the 1990s. The "Dias" bit refers to the wagon version you see here as opposed to the commercial trucks and vans. There was also a Dias Classic, which is in a whole other league of wackadoo cuteness. Unlike any literal minivan in 1993, the Sambar Dias came with dual sliding rear doors -- Chrysler wouldn't introduce their dual-slider option until 1996. That rear-mounted 660cc engine produced 54 horsepower and is paired here with a five-speed manual transmission. There was an all-wheel-drive version, but that was apparently exclusively paired with the automatic.  There's actually one of these buddles of van joy in my neighborhood here in Portland, which like the entire Pacific Northwest, is a hotbed for oddball Japanese vans from the 1990s and earlier. The trend apparently started up in British Columbia where vans like the Mitsubishi Delica and Toyota Hiace started to be imported after the Canadian 15-year waiting period rather than the American requirement of 25.

Subaru gives Aussies BRZ Sports Pack

Well, it might not be exactly the Subaru BRZ STI that we've all been waiting for, but Australian market shoppers are now going to have the option of adding some STI flavor to their coupe, with this new BRZ S.
Critically, the Sports Pack upgrades included in the S specification do not involve forced induction of any kind for the BRZ's 2.0-liter flat-four mill. Instead, the BRZ S will offer a novel flexible strut tower brace and a coilover suspension to aid its already impressive handling prowess. Visually, the car gets a new aero kit with lowered skirts and a new front and rear splitter, as well as some mean-looking, 17-inch black wheels. Inside, a new gearlever and a STI-branded starter button will call out the S model.
The S package can be ordered on a new BRZ and fitted at the dealer, or added to an existing customer car. When ordered new, the BRZ S adds $7,995 Australian - about $7,275 US including installation - to the price of the six-speed manual car, or $7,195 Australian ($6,547 US) for the six-speed automatic transmission model. That's a pretty fat wedge of cash, but it's worth bearing in mind that Australians generally pay significantly more for new cars than we do here in the States. For instance, the BRZ starts at $37,150 Australian, nearly $34k US. Even accounting for regional equipment differences, that's a lot more than the BRZ's $26,265 as-delivered base MSRP here in America.

2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid First Drive Review | Finally, a Subie with a plug - updated

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Subarus are pretty good to drive — capable, comfortable, generally affordable, interesting — and with one exception, they all offer all-wheel drive. And they're a relatively green company. The active, outdoorsy and often socially conscious drivers appreciate things like Subaru's commitment to diverting waste from landfills. But there's a fact that's been nagging many of us who love to hug dogs, trees and the occasional Subaru: there's no electric option. Subaru, an automaker small enough to get by with an efficient fleet of conventional gas vehicles, has been able to do without building a compliance car. Still, an increasing number of Americans want to be able to plug in their vehicles. For loyal Subaru fans, brand love and eco-consciousness have increasingly difficult to reconcile. That changes now, and not because of any specific regulation, but because Subaru sees the demand. By the end of this year, Subaru will be selling its first plug-in vehicle, the 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid. While Subaru has sold a Crosstrek that was a conventional hybrid before, the new 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid is Subaru's first plug-in hybrid. Sales of the previous hybrid weren't great, though, since it was expensive. Customers didn't choose to pay a premium for a few mere extra miles per gallon. Subaru hopes the extra fuel efficiency of the plug-in will increase the appeal. Even so, like Chrysler did with the Pacifica Hybrid, Subaru opted not to put "plug-in" in the name for 2019. Despite an arguable opportunity missed to set the record straight with a new and more descriptive name, there's no mistaking this thing is a PHEV. There are "Plug-In Hybrid" badges on both front fenders and the tailgate, and the door covering the SAE charging receptacle – at the rear of the driver's side, on the opposite side of the gas fuel door – is stamped with the words "PLUG-IN" writ large. While this thing looks every bit a Subaru, even if you pop the hood to take a look at the 2.0-liter boxer engine up front, the 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid borrows its PHEV technology from Toyota – more fruit of the partnership that bore the Scion FR-S and the BRZ. It has the same 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack as the Prius Prime, but in the bigger, heavier Subaru it's only good for a modest 17 miles of all-electric range. If that figure is a little disappointing to you, you're not alone. We had hoped to see at least 20 miles of EV range in this thing.