2004 Subaru Outback Base Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Subaru STI display celebrates the division's high-performance history in New York

Subaru Tecnica International is really getting to celebrate itself at the 2015 New York Auto Show. Not only is the Japanese brand's performance division showing off a turbocharged take on the BRZ in the Big Apple, it also set up a small exhibit commemorating four past achievements. The oldest car of the group is a 1996 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA wearing full rally garb. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder kicks out 270 horsepower, but this specific one isn't a competitor. Instead, Subaru used the vehicle to promote the launch of the 1998 Impreza 2.5RS. STI also has one of the most coveted Subarus ever on display, a 1999 Impreza 22B STI. These limited two-door models were made to celebrate the company's World Rally Championship victories. Each one was plucked off the assembly line and fitted with a curvaceous, wider body and adjustable rear wing. Power was provided by a 2.2-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder with 280 horsepower. The final two members of this mini museum are a bit more modern. The 2004 WRX STI should be familiar to performance fans in the US with its 300-horsepower boosted 2.5-liter four-cylinder and six-speed manual. There's also the 2015 WRX STI that blitzed the Isle of Man last year to set a new lap record of 19 minutes and 26 seconds around the island course. With STI planning a US expansion over the coming years, this is a fantastic reminder of the division's past. Hopefully, it can keep living up to these high standards. Related Video:

Prototype Subaru Impreza 22B emerges from obscurity

Ask a gearhead what they think is the greatest Subaru built and the answer is probably something related to rally Imprezas – unless you're talking to a more quirky sort who'd throw out the SVX, XT or the bed-mounted jump seats of a Brat. But in any case, the 1990s rally Subarus are great, their road-going versions are brilliant and the rarest of all is the bulging 22B, which commands strong money due to its very limited availability. The Impreza 22B, reportedly named so for its 2.2-liter turbo boxer, but which also refers to the hexadecimal value of 555, Subaru's rally sponsor, was a widebody special with a bigger engine and more STI magic than other WRX variants. Officially it had 280 horsepower, but almost every Japanese performance car was advertised with that amount at the time – true figures take a dyno run or a dedicated mind to uncover. In addition to the modified body, the suspension was 22B-specific, as was the aero. The 2,800-pound 22B took just 5 seconds to hit 60 mph, a strong feat for 1998, and on the right road with the right kind of driver it is likely to be unparalleled for its era. As rare as any 22B is, there are also Subaru-built prototype cars that weren't part of the initial 400-car Japanese production run or the official 16-unit UK-bound batch, or the five Australian market cars. Some sources say there were 424 22Bs made, some mention a different number, and the prototypes are understandably the most coveted, least obtainable ones. Which brings us to this car currently for sale, which just so happens to be one of three known "000/400" series prototypes with just 55 kilometers (34 miles) on the digital odometer. Is this an actual wheeled unicorn? Contempo Concept, the Hong Kong-based dealer that also stocked the Miata Roadster Coupe we featured, has provided precious little information about this particular car, other than some very good sales photos that show the 22B in mint condition, complete with the 000/400 prototype plaque. There's no mention of the price – this Subaru is likely to have entered the "If you must ask, you cannot afford it" class of cars. It's not immediately obvious whether its prototype status would make it difficult, if impossible to register on the road, and/or if the low odometer reading is due to the car being more of a display item in the legal sense. 22B values have risen sharply during the past decades, and the prototypes will be the most expensive.

Consumer Reports sneaks in early review of 2015 Subaru Outback

Subaru is taking a bit of a measured risk with its new generation of Legacy and Outback. While they ride on a slightly larger platform than before, with a revised front-end design, neither of them looks to be a radical departure from models they replace. Instead of focusing on exterior styling, the Japanese brand is trying to make the vehicles better to own with more sound deadening, improved fuel economy and more available tech. Pricing for the 2015 Outback isn't available yet, but with the 2015 Legacy pricing as a guide, it's likely a few hundred dollars more than the current model.
We just had our first stab at the new Legacy, which is slated to go on sale this summer, but Consumer Reports managed to snag an early look at the 2015 Outback in a sort of mini-review to get an idea of how the new model shakes out. Like many, we'd wager, CR isn't completely sold on the new styling, but seems otherwise moderately impressed by the upgrades. The improvements to the interior and infotainment system are especially well received by them. Naturally, though, CR notes that not everything is perfect with the high-riding wagon.
Scroll down to watch CR's preview of the new Outback and see what it thinks of this practical family hauler.