2007 Subaru B9 Limited Tribeca - 7 Passenger W/nav on 2040-cars

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Porsche, Jaguar continue dominance in 2015 JD Power APEAL study

The top of JD Power's 2015 APEAL Study has not changed much in the last year. Porsche remains No. 1 with Jaguar nipping at its heels, although both premium brands saw their overall score fall compared to 2014. For those that need a refresher, the APEAL Study looks at how "gratifying" a vehicle is to own and drive, rating cars and brands on a 1,000-point scale. The industry average for 2015 has increased from 794 to 798, while the total number of automakers that finished above the curve increased from 16 to 20. While Porsche and Jaguar finished at the top, their scores dropped eight and seven points, respectively, to 874 and 855. The top "non-premium" brand was Mini, which scored an impressive 825, up from 795. If the BMW-owned British marque is still a bit too premium for your tastes, last year's non-premium winner, Hyundai, did climb five points and is this year's runner up. At the opposite end of the scale, Smart sits at the very bottom of the rankings, with a score of 683 (it didn't appear on the 2014 rankings). Fiat also dropped, from fourth worst in 2014 to second worst in 2015, despite the 500 being named most appealing city car. Subaru made an impressive climb, from third worst to seventh, falling just 10 points shy of the industry average and two points south of the non-premium average. In the individual vehicle segments, eight brands earned multiple awards, with Ford, Chevrolet, and Porsche earning three apiece. Surprise segment victories included the new Ford Expedition, which beat out Chevy's popular Suburban. The Infiniti QX80 bested the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Range Rover for best large luxury SUV, and the Dodge Challenger beat its muscle car rivals from Ford and Chevy. Most of the victories, though, were quite predictable. The Mazda6 and CX-5 took wins for the midsize sedan and compact SUV categories respectively, while the Volkswagen Golf captured the compact car win. The Ford F-150 won the large pickup category, while the Porsche Cayman was named most appealing compact premium sporty car. Check out the official release on the 2015 APEAL Study, available below, from JD Power. 2015 U.S. APEAL Study Results The latest safety-related technologies are among the drivers of customer satisfaction with new vehicles, according to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S.

Subaru plans commemorative 50th-anniversary editions of each vehicle in 2018

Subaru will release limited-edition commemorative models of each of its vehicles next year as a way to mark its 50th anniversary in the U.S. on Feb. 15, the company said. Each edition will get a new, common color based on a high-level trim and special badging, with more details to come at the Chicago Auto Show in February. The company famous for its all-wheel-drive vehicles, boxer engines and being popular among the granola set teased plans for its anniversary celebration year back in February, saying it would also make a special donation of "50 cars for 50 years" to benefit an as-yet unnamed national charity. Subaru of America was founded on Feb. 15, 1968 in a small rental unit in Balboa Park, Calif. by American businessmen Malcolm Bricklin and Harvey Lamm as a way to sell Subaru dealer franchises. Soon after, the company relocated to Bala Cynwyd, Pa., and it has remained in the Delaware River valley ever since. It was acquired by Fuji Heavy Industries in 1990. The parent company, now known as Subaru Corp., launched in 1953 and under the core Subaru-named auto business in 1958. Its first vehicle on the U.S. market arrived in 1968 as the 360, a clear competitor to the Volkswagen Beetle that was $300 cheaper and 1,000 pounds lighter. Its sales suffered after Consumer Reports rated it as "unacceptable." Its FF-1 arrived in the U.S. in 1970 and represented the first Japanese car to feature front-wheel-drive and to have a horizontally opposed boxer engine. The company's first all-wheel-drive station wagon came to the U.S. in 1975. Subaru plans to reveal its new three-row Ascent crossover next week at the L.A. Auto Show. Last month it unveiled special JDM model versions of the BRZ and WRX STI at the Tokyo Motor Show. In October the company announced it would cease production of industrial products after 60 years in order to focus on making automobiles. Subaru of America is developing a new headquarters complex in Camden, N.J., which it expects to open early next year.Related Video: Featured Gallery Subaru 50 years of cars View 22 Photos Image Credit: Subaru Subaru Hatchback SUV Wagon Sedan station wagon subaru ascent

2015 Subaru WRX: Accident, wheels and tires

I'm sure this thing is going to be a total hoot in the snow. I am not a morning person. At all. Thankfully, the Autoblog team knows this – I rarely get bothered before 8:30 AM unless it's seriously important. So when associate multimedia producer Chris McGraw started blowing up my phone at 6:45 AM on a Thursday, I knew it wasn't going to be good. "I got rear-ended in the WRX," McGraw informed me, a shaken-up tone emanating from the other end of the line. Poor guy was on his way to the gym, for his pre-office morning workout, and an older gentleman in a Chevrolet S-10 struck the back of the Subie while trudging through a traffic jam on I-696 just northeast of Detroit. Everyone was fine, and McGraw says that the dude's pickup was in significantly worse shape than our dear Subaru. But the WRX was still pretty banged up, and later that day, it was delivered to the body shop for what turned out to be a lengthy repair process. What you're looking at is $4,620.83 worth of damage. What you're looking at is $4,620.83 worth of damage, but thanks to Autoblog parent company AOL's fleet insurance policy, we were only on the hook for our $1,000 deductible. Nearly all of the rear body panels had to be replaced, as did the bumper and taillight assembly, and after several weeks of being put under the knife at Suburban Collision in Troy, MI, our Subaru has mercifully emerged good as new. The day after the 'Rex came home, I dropped it off at our trusty Subaru dealer – Hodges, in Ferndale, MI – for some routine maintenance, including finally getting its broken fuel door repaired. The whole pull-the-door-open-with-your-fingernails thing had become increasingly annoying, and I'm happy to report that everything now works as it should. And since it was part of a technical service bulletin, no money changed hands for this service. If there are any 2015 WRX owners in the greater Autoblog commentariat, I'd love to know if your cars have experienced the same issue. While at the dealer, I also signed the WRX up for one very special, very important update: the fitment of winter tires and – yes! – gold wheels. I have a strong personal belief that WR-Blue Subarus should come standard with gold wheels from the factory (like the Launch Edition STI), but since the Japanese automaker doesn't even offer these rollers on anything but the aforementioned, limited-edition STI, I took matters into my own hands.