06 Impreza Wrx Limited, 5 Speed Manual, 2.5l Turbo, Awd, Leather, Moonroof, 50k on 2040-cars

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Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Gymkhana 11 will be hosted by Travis Pastrana

Amidst the chaos and tragedy that has proliferated in 2020, American action sports legend Travis Pastrana has had a year of growth. In March, Subaru announced his return as a full-time rally driver, and this week, he announced that he will be the first person to host Gymkhana other than Ken Block. Pastrana has been assigned Gymkhana 11, and he'll be using a tuned Subaru WRX STI as his trusty steed. Block, Pastrana, and both of their families have participated in a fun challenge recently. In early May, Block set the stage at the Hoonigan Racing Division shop in Park City, Utah, with a makeshift Gymkhana GRiD-style course (Gymkhana GRiD was scheduled to return in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic). He used a Can-Am Maverick X3, and his kids and wife filmed him ripping through the course. At the end of the video, he called on Pastrana to attempt a superior answer.   And Pastrana delivered. Using a hot dog suit, a Can-Am Maverick X3, a kids kart, a Subaru WRX STI, and a Harley-Davidson with a sidecar, the Pastranas executed their own course with dirt track jumps, wheelies, burnouts and two-wheel driving. The competition wouldn't be complete without judging, so that was left up to the viewers. In online voting, audiences preferred Pastrana's performance more than Block's video at a 288 votes to 140 votes, as of this writing.  It seems the challenge was a lead-up to this week's announcement posted to Pastrana's Instagram: Got some awesome news today! @kblock43 passed the torch to me for Gymkhana 11. I have some big shoes to fill but more than excited to give it a go. Kens guidelines for me are pretty simple. Keep the essence of Gymkhana with -epic vehicle -unattainable location -precision driving with close proximity to catastrophe. The @vermont.sportscar team has already started work on building the baddest #subaru of all time. Need to find a location that I can make this car fly and drive it like I stole it. #gameon #nopressure @subarumotorsportsusa are you guys ready for this!!! @yokohamatire I’m going to need a lot of tires ?? @hooniganracing @redbull @dirtfishrally Vermont SportsCar is the technical partner to Subaru of America and has been the hub for Subaru Motorsports USA since 2005, so there's no question Pastrana's WRX will be monumental. As part of the event, there is also a competition to win a chance to be at the filming of Gymkhana 11 and hang with Pastrana. All proceeds go to a good cause.

2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA First Drive Review | A taste of Japan

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Last year, Subaru set a record for the fastest sedan lap at the 'Ring in a race-spec STI Type RA, which completed nearly 13 miles in less than seven minutes. The new 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA is inspired by that record-breaker (and those before it), and it will finally come to the United States as a special edition limited to just 500 units. We traveled out to the California desert to test it on mountain roads, as well as a recently built private race track at the Thermal Club. Record Setting Pedigree Subaru built its first "Record Attempt" (that's what the RA stands for) vehicle in 1988, a Subaru Legacy that drove more than 62,000 miles over 18 days at an FIA track in Phoenix. Since then, Subaru has introduced a number of WRX/STI Type RA models, with several attempts to set record laps at the Nurburgring. While Japanese customers got the opportunity to buy consumer versions of the Type RA, fans in the United States never did. Until now. The nameplate finally comes to the rest of us, improving upon an already potent, all-wheel-drive performance sedan for the everyman. The STI already offers 305 horsepower, a forgiving torque vectoring system, and that big, beautiful wing to set it apart. The Type RA takes this even further, providing more refined performance from a familiar package. The cars are currently being built, and will arrive in dealerships soon. Special Equipment Compared to the standard STI, the Type RA is about 68 pounds lighter thanks to a carbon roof and rear wing, BBS 19-inch forged aluminum alloy wheels, the deletion of the rear armrest and swapping of the spare for a tire repair kit. The lighter roof also helps to lower the center of gravity by a fraction of an inch. Other exterior changes include signature STI Cherry Blossom Red highlights on the grille and rear bumper, a front spoiler, black mirrors and Type RA badging. It only comes in three paint colors: WR Blue Pearl, Crystal Black Silica and Crystal White Pearl. Inside, it gets an ultrasuede steering wheel, short-throw shifter, red push-button ignition and a serialized plate to indicate its rarity. Under the hood, the Type RA benefits from strengthened pistons and sodium-filled exhaust valves that better withstand high temperatures, which is important as the number of laps ticks higher on track day. It gets revised ECU tuning, and lower-restriction air intake and exhaust. Finally, it has a 4.5 percent lower third gear ratio.