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2015 Subaru WRX STI goes for the gold [w/video]

If the all-new 2015 Subaru WRX has taken a good thing and made it great, then this should be, well, greater. Meet the range-topping WRX STI, packing more power, a decidedly more aggressive suspension tune, beefier looks, a giant wing and (woo!) gold wheels.
Those spiffy BBS wheels and WRC rally-ready matching WR Blue paint won't necessarily be around forever, though - Subaru is offering this package (along with unique interior trim) on the STI Launch Edition, limited to just 1,000 units. And cool as it may look, there's far more to love about the new STI package.
Power comes from a 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder engine, sending 305 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. (Launch Edition models even get a short-throw shift kit, which will likely be available as a dealer-installed accessory thereafter). Unlike the standard WRX, a do-it-yourself 'box will be the only transmission available. Subaru is employing its new - *ahem* - Multi-Mode Driver Controlled Center Differential version of the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, which, in addition to a standard 41/59 torque split, uses things like torque vectoring, and, when put in manual mode, allows the driver to select one of six center differential locking levels. In other words, the STI should be incredibly sharp on the road - sharper than ever before.

The Subaru Outback is pretty much the entire wagon market

Last year in the United States, Subaru dealers sold a new Outback wagon every 2.94 minutes. Sales were brisker the year before, when dealers sold a new Outback every 2.78 minutes. It cracked the 50,000-units-per-year barrier every year but one starting in 1997, and has shifted more than 100,000 units annually in the United States every year since 2011. From 2013-2015, Kelley Blue Book said the Outback sat on dealer lots for less time than any other car on sale. Here's a starker set of numbers: J.D. Power, as quoted in a CNBC video, put the U.S. station wagon market at 1.4% of the total U.S. car market in 2018. However, the Outback alone was 1.2%, meaning the sales of every other wagon amounted to a minuscule 0.2% of the total car market. Or, as Road & Track put it, "Out of every 20 wagons sold here, 17 are Subaru Outbacks. Damn." Without taking anything away from Subaru, we need to thank Audi again for bringing the RS 6 Avant and A6 Allroad here, even if the best the Ingolstadt brand can do is bleed marketing dollars to scrap it out with every other automaker for, well, scraps.   Related: 2020 Subaru Outback First Drive Review | The big payoff   The CNBC vid doesn't get into how the Outback became the wagon heavyweight save for a mention about it being "part wagon, part crossover" and saying it has "evolved to incorporate more attributes of SUVs and crossovers" like all-wheel drive. That take overlooks the fact that Subaru debuted the jacked-up, bold-faced Legacy Outback at the end of 1994 as a 1995-model-year offering. Subaru designed the Legacy Outback to be a wagon/SUV tweener, well after Subaru was already known for its AWD chops, and before anyone had coined the word "crossover." The Toyota RAV4, now credited as being the first crossover, didn't show until early 1996.

Factory Five's Subaru WRX-based 818 kit now on sale [w/video]

The Subaru WRX has always needed a dash more style, and the do-it-yourself carmakers at Factory Five are looking to accomplish a lot more than that with their new mid-engine, rear-wheel drive 818. The sports car started with a contest in 2011 to create the shape for the company's next vehicle, while sticking within certain limits. A designer named Nouphone Bansasi had his entry chosen, and first cars were completed last year.
The 818 is named after its target weight of 818 kilograms (1,803 pounds), and it's offered in two forms. The S starts at $9,990 and is meant for street use, with two seats and a basic interior. The R model for $10,990 is more track-focused and features a tiny windshield and full roll cage. The company claims that complete cars can be built for around $15,000, after factoring in the donor Subaru. Performance is very brisk, with acceleration to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds, according to Motor Authority.
The kits are meant to be something that even a relative novice could put together. All the builder needs to provide is a 2002-2007 Impreza or WRX. The car donates its turbocharged boxer four-cylinder engine, transmission, axles, brakes, steering and other major components. Factory Five supplies the spaceframe, body, suspension, lights, windshield and some interior trim. It doesn't even need paint, thanks to its gel-coated fiberglass body panels. The company also offers a laundry list of options, including carbon fiber aero components, upgraded suspension parts, improved brakes and more. Kits can be ordered in either left- or right-hand drive.