2022 Subaru Outback Touring Xt on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1980 Subaru 4WD Hatchback

Living in Colorado, where they might as well issue you a Subaru at the state line, I see plenty of worn-out Pleiades-badged cars in the local wrecking yards. Most of them fall into the 15-to-25-year-old age group, but I'll spot the occasional Malaise Era Subaru, from the era when the Leone was sold in North America as, simply, "the Subaru." Here's a 1980 base-level hatchback with the four-wheel-drive option, spotted in a yard just outside of Denver last month. In 1980, the US-market Subaru could be had in three trim levels (STD, DL, and GL), and as a coupe, sedan, hatchback, or wagon (the pickup version was known as the BRAT). This STD hatch is the cheapest possible Subaru available in 1980 with four-wheel-drive, and I'm just disappointed that they didn't put STD badges on the base-level cars. The driver had to choose between front- and four-wheel-drive by hand, using this lever. If you left the car in 4WD for long periods on dry pavement, you'd wear out the tires and/or break something. By 1997, all US-market Subarus had full-time all-wheel-drive, with no driver decisions about driven wheels needed. Subaru offered an automatic transmission and a five-speed-manual for these cars, but just about all buyers of late-1970s/early-1980s Subarus went with the cheaper four-on-the-floor manual. When you see a junkyard car with the keys still present, you can assume that the car ended up here after being totaled by an insurance company or traded in on a new car. A battered 39-year-old Subaru won't get much interest at the sort of auction these cars go to, and so the junkyard ends up being the next stop. The owner's manual was still in the glovebox, and of course I took at home and scanned a few pages (look in the gallery, above, for those scans). The folks at Subaru PR were interested in this book for their archives (they don't have one), so I'll make sure it gets to them soon. Rodent bedding and poop fill the engine compartment, and the employees of this yard marked the car as a hantavirus biohazard. I'd wear a mask if I needed to pull the engine from this car, because hantavirus is a real problem in Colorado and has a scary 35% mortality rate. Speaking of the engine, you're looking at 67 mighty horsepower here. With the car scaling in at about 2,200 pounds empty, drivers needed patience on uphill freeway onramps (actually, they needed patience when driving anywhere). By the standards of Japanese cars of this era, the rust problem doesn't look too bad.

Subaru broke its own Isle of Man record with a 550-hp WRX STI

Well, they did it. Subaru of America, Prodrive, and driver Mark Higgins set out to break their own record on the Isle of Man's Snaefell Mountain Course, and the attempt was a success. Higgins covered the 37-mile course in the 2016 WRX STI Time Attack car in 17 minutes, 35 seconds. That's an average speed of 128.73 mph. Average. In a car. Higgins set the previous record, 19:26 at 116.47 mph, in a more-stock STI. He and Subaru of America have been bringing cars to the site of the motorcycle race for years now, setting automotive records as all along, but this one is going to be pretty tough to top. Subaru Prodrive Isle of Man View 4 Photos It comes pretty close to the overall lap record for the course, which was set over the weekend by Michael Dunlop. The rider set a 16-minute, 58.254-second lap in the RST Superbike TT, averaging about 133 mph. The fact the Subaru comes so close to the best bike time is pretty amazing. This year's Isle of Man TT weekend was marked by the deaths of two riders. Fatalities are a regular occurrence at the historic race around the island, but it continues to be held year after year with hundreds of participants. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Subaru WRX STI Time Attack Isle of Man View 22 Photos Motorsports Subaru

A closer look at the 2015 Subaru Legacy

The Subaru Legacy might not have been the hottest debut at the recent Chicago Auto Show, but for the Japanese automaker, it's hugely important. Much as we'd love to focus on Subaru's more engaging WRX, STI and BRZ models, the truth is, its the mainstream Forester, Outback and Legacy that make up the vast majority of the brand's sales, not to mention the Impreza and XV Crosstrek.
This new Legacy looks to gain a lot more traction in the mainstream market than its predecessor, with handsome, if familiar, styling, standard all-wheel drive, and more efficient powertrains. Under the hood, customers can choose between a 2.5-liter boxer-four, or a more powerful six-cylinder engine. Subaru says that the four-cylinder setup actually boasts class-leading fuel economy for all-wheel-drive vehicles in the Legacy's class.
West coast editor Michael Harley stopped by the Subaru stand for a closer look at the 2015 Legacy. Check it out in the video below.