2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring. 7,855 Miles. Eye Sight System. Navigation New on 2040-cars

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2017 Subaru Impreza makes a stand in the compact segment

If the 2016 Honda Civic was a revelation for the brand as a rebuke of the past couple of generations of their brand-and-butter compact, the 2017 Subaru Impreza appears to be on a parallel trajectory for the lauded all-weather performance brand. Unveiled Tuesday at the 2016 New York Auto Show, the 2017 Impreza brings in an all-new platform that is stiffer, sportier, and a much-needed improvement to stay competitive as the segment tightens up. The car features styling cues that are potentially the most attractive we've seen on a non-WRX model since the turn of the century. The car looks downright European in either sedan or hatchback form, stealing much of the thunder that the Mazda 3 and Civic had brought just a short time ago. Its lines are clean all around, the front and rear are largely without aerodynamic clutter, and much of that style is carried over to the interior that gets a much needed refresh. Gone are the overly utilitarian surfaces and buttons; a clear shift has been made to make the car seem on-par with class leaders like the Civic and Mazda 3, albeit with its own distinctive Subaru style. The dashboard seems just as straightforward as before, but packs the necessary technology to remain competitive in the segment. It seems that Subaru has listened to critiques of the outgoing Impreza, and sought out a way to continue the tradition of making AWD alternatives to the mainstream compacts, but this time without compromises on content. Up and down the four-trim model chain (2.0i, Premium, Sport, Limited), standard equipment is greatly improved. Even the standard 2.0i model will come with the necessary power features that anyone would expect, along with a much-needed 6.5" touchscreen interface that dual-boots with Android Auto and Apple Car Play - something that even the base trim Honda Civic LX does not have, and perhaps, that should put Honda on notice. In the very competitive compact segment, content is king. With standard equipment being on par with or exceeding the headlining Civic and Corolla, the added convenience of AWD is the cherry on top in places with cooler climates. Without major changes to the powertrain (slight power gains for the standard 2.0 H4 and an updated CVT), fuel economy perhaps remains to be the only caveat to the Impreza being a class-leading choice. With the current model rated at 28/37 compared to the Civic's 31/42, a slight improvement wouldn't be much in the grand scheme of things.

Autoblog Podcast #392

Episode #392 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Chris Paukert talk about recent confessions by Autoblog Editors, the unconfirmed rumors that the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat will show up at the Woodward Dream Cruise, and the release of the North American Car and Truck of the Year long list. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #392: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Autoblog editors come clean Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to debut at Woodward Dream Cruise NACTOY long list released In The Autoblog Garage: 2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2015 Subaru Legacy Limited 2015 Audi S8 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Chris Paukert Runtime: 01:48:05 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Editor Confessions - 34:48 Hellcat Charger Unveil - 59:56 NACTOY Long List - 01:09:51 Q&A - 01:25:43 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes

If your TV rats you out, what about your car?

Vizio, the TV manufacturer, recently had to pay a $2.2-million fine to the FTC recently because it was discovered that its sets were collecting data about viewers' watching habits and then using the information for its own benefit. Last year, it was revealed the Samsung smart TVs were busy listening to what was being said, even if the conversations in question had absolutely nothing with switching the channel away from the Matt LeBlanc Top Gear. Nowadays, auto manufacturers seem to be tripping over each other pointing out that they offer Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. And more recent phenomenon are announcements—from companies including Ford and Hyundai—that they are offering Amazon Alexa capabilities. You talk. It listens. In late January, General Motors said it is releasing a next-generation infotainment software development kit (NGI SDK) to software developers to write apps for GM cars. The NGI SDK includes native Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow access to expected things - like oil life and tire pressure and whether lightbulbs are burned out - but unexpected things, as well. Like the presence of passengers in the vehicle. When your TV set is ratting you out, isn't it likely that your car will? In making the announcement of the NGI SDK, GM pointed out that it has the largest connected fleet on the road, some 12-million vehicles. The company also noted: "From 2015 to 2016, GM has seen data usage by customers increase nearly 200 percent. Mobile app use for GM vehicles also hit an all-time high in 2016, with more than 225 million interactions." Is it not plausible that they know more those interactions than simply the number of them? GM's privacy agreement is like most privacy policies, which boils down to: You use it (the device, software, etc.), you potentially give up a portion of your privacy. While on the subject of apps, coincident with this year's CES, Subaru announced that it has added eight cloud-based apps to the STARLINK multimedia system in the 2017 Impreza. Some are familiar, like Yelp. Some are a bit narrow in focus, like eBird, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for birdwatchers. And one ought to give a bit of pause: RightTrack. According to Subaru, "RightTrack Test Drive from Liberty Mutual Insurance monitors driving habits and provides customers with tips on driving safer to help lower their insurance rates and improve their safe driving skills." Or said more simply: You drive. It watches.