2012 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Best sport sedans for 2022 and 2023

SUVs dominate the car industry at every size and price level, but some people still prefer the looks, and more importantly, the performance and comfort, of the traditional sedan. With a lower ride height, lighter weight and generally smaller size, they often are much more fun to drive, and can even be more comfortable. Sport sedans of course lean harder on the performance side of things, and are among the best options for sheer speed and fun, thanks to those inherent characteristics. We've rounded up the ones in the segment that do the sporty dance better than any others in 2024 to give you a handy guide when you're shopping for one of your own. You'll find a wide array of cars here including gas, electric and hybrid powertrains. They'll have manual and automatic transmissions and drive the front, rear or all four wheels. Technically a few hatchbacks have slipped in, but they're close enough in look and feel that we wanted to include them. And excluding them means you might miss out on some of the best-driving options available. You wouldn't want that, would you? Alfa Romeo Giulia Why it stands out: Punchy four-cylinder; astounding power from Quadrifoglio; light and nimble character; awesome shift paddlesCould be better: Clunky infotainment; sub-par switchgear Read our Alfa Romeo Giulia review We start this list with one of the most predictable inclusions: the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Yes, it's a stereotype that the Italian sport sedan is fun to drive, but the fact is, well, it is. The Giulia comes standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful four-cylinders in the segment. It's paired with a snappy and smooth eight-speed transmission and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.  The engine is lively and torquey, if a little short of revs, and the chassis feels super-light. The steering is eager and the car jumps into corners. We also highly recommend getting a version with the enormous and superb aluminum paddle shifters that make clicking through gears much more entertaining. And on the topic of the interior, it's attractive, but the various switches and knobs feels a little cheap, and the infotainment system is clunky. Of course there's also the incredible Giulia Quadrifoglio at the high end. It gets a Ferrari-derived twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 making 505 hp, and it's rear-wheel drive only.

2015 Subaru Legacy to start at $21,695*

Subaru unveiled the 2015 Legacy at this year's Chicago Auto Show, and while the company was happy to tell us all about its new platform and features, it kept pricing a secret until now. The new all-wheel drive sedan arrives at dealers this summer with a starting price of $22,490, which includes its $795 destination charge, a $400 increase over last year's model with the CVT.
The Legacy takes advantage of a slightly larger, new platform, which Subaru claims is quieter. The 2.5-liter boxer-four-cylinder and 3.6-liter flat-six engines are carried over from the previous generation, but they see slight boosts in fuel economy. All models also now come standard with a CVT, and, of course, Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.
The range starts with the basic 2.5i trim at $22,490 that comes standard with more airbags than before and a 6.2-inch infotainment system with Bluetooth and iPod integration. The $24,290 2.5i Premium trim really improves things with standard dual-zone climate control, power driver's seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 7-inch infotainment system and more. For $27,290, the 2.5i Limited adds a leather interior, 18-inch wheels, a Harmon/Kardon stereo, heated rear seats, fog lights, wood grain trim and more. A top-spec Legacy 3.6R Limited goes for $30,390 and comes with standard HID low beams.

Subaru launches production of Ascent crossover in Indiana

Subaru began production Monday of the new Ascent, its much-anticipated three-row crossover, at its plant in Lafayette, Ind. It's set to arrive at dealers in June as a 2019 model and will start at $32,970, including shipping. The Ascent joins the Impreza, Legacy and Outback as vehicles built at the plant. It'll compete with three-row utility vehicles like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Chevrolet Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas. (Read our comparison of the Ascent to the former two here.) Subaru built around 364,000 vehicles at the Indiana plant last year and expects the Ascent to nudge that up to around 400,000 vehicles a year. The automaker spent $140 million and added 1,200 jobs at Lafayette to support the Ascent. The company in late 2016 shifted production of the Impreza sedan and hatchback to the factory, its lone manufacturing site outside of Japan, to free up room at its plant in Gunma Prefecture for the hot-selling Crosstrek, which has been singlehandedly lifting Subaru's U.S. sales lately. A Subaru spokesman told Autoblog recently that the company hopes to sell 60,000 Ascents in the first year and had already booked more than 4,000 sold orders on the vehicle from customers who hadn't seen or driven it. The Ascent will come in either seven- or eight-seat configurations, is offered in all-wheel-drive and is based on a modified version of the same Subaru Global Platform that underpins the Impreza. It's powered by an all-new 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder that makes 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. It fills a slot formerly occupied by the Tribeca, Subaru's last three-row vehicle, which was discontinued in 2014. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.