2005 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti on 2040-cars

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Are we about to see a real SUV revival?

Now that the marketplace has been oversaturated with cute-utes, crossovers, and CUV coupes, are we about to see a resurgence of real, honest-to-God SUVs? Ummm... maybe. The stars seem to be aligning in that direction, at least that's the sense I'm getting. We know an all-new Jeep Wrangler is only a few auto shows away; and that Jeep is about to introduce a new Grand Cherokee Trailhawk for 2017, in the same rugged spirit of the successful Cherokee and Renegade Trailhawks. Ford has hinted at a neo-Bronco, after showing the concept above in 2014 to wet the mouths of all those Duck Dynasty-types out there. And, and... wait for it... I recently learned that Subaru sent a questionnaire out to some Forester owners asking if they might be interested in an off-road package if it were offered. The items listed were pretty hardcore, serious stuff, such as: integrated tow/recovery hooks, additional ground clearance, more rugged wheels, skid plates, altimeter, front-view off-road camera, improved approach and departure angles, advanced differentials, Inclinometer, full-size spare tire, upgraded off-road suspension components, more aggressive tires, off-road driving mode (engine, transmission, throttle, and steering settings), more rugged styling, low-range gearing, and a more advanced traction management system. Folks that's not my wish list (well, actually it is), but those are words from Subaru, asking if that's what customers would like to see. Need proof? Go to the SubaruForester.org website. It's in a discussion there. So... no promises or guarantees here, and feel free to call me a rumormonger if you like; but the next few years could prove very interesting for those who actually do go off road. If this pans out, remember, you read it here first. Related Video: Image Credit: Ford Ford Jeep Subaru Crossover SUV Off-Road Vehicles open road

Colorado bear locks itself inside of, destroys Subaru

A Colorado woman got a rude awakening this week when she discovered a black bear locked inside her car. According to 9NEWS, on the morning of July 12, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a bear trapped in a car on Cold Springs Gulch Road. When they arrived on the scene, deputies Tillman and McLaughlin discovered a medium-sized black bear locked inside a white, 2005 Subaru Outback. There was no damage apparent to the car's exterior, but the bear had absolutely destroyed the interior. "He looked like a dog inside the car just jumping back and forth from front to back," said Deputy Tillman. "He just demolished it." The car's owner, Annie Bruecker, told the deputies that she'd left the car parked in her driveway Monday night with the doors unlocked. On Tuesday morning, she woke up to her mother yelling about a bear in her car. "She screamed from downstairs," said Breucker. "She said, 'Annie, there's a bear in your car.' and I thought that she meant that it broke a window, and I was like, 'okay, that's life.' But, no, she actually meant that it was in my car." Deputies Tillman and McLaughlin deliberated for a while, trying to figure out how to extract the agitated bear from the Subaru. Eventually, they settled on manually opening the rear hatch. Deputy McLaughlin carefully opened the hatch while Deputy Tillman stood by with a shotgun ready, just in case. Thankfully, the bear had had enough of civilization and promptly bolted back into the forest. After they released the bear, the deputies warned campers at a nearby campground that the bear might be lurking about and that they should be cautious. "Bears are unpredictable," said Deputy Tillman. "And they're starting to realize how to do a lot of human activity." Recent Video: News Source: 9NEWS Humor Weird Car News Subaru colorado bear outback

Subaru nixes plans for US-built XV Crosstrek

Subaru is on a sales tear, with numbers up 21 percent through the end of November compared to last year. It's been investing in its Indiana factory, and having ended its contract to build the Toyota Camry there, the 400,000-unit capacity was once seen as more than Subaru needs. At some point Subaru had plans to build the XV Crosstrek here in the US, but Reuters reports that the company has changed its mind and will build the little crossover Scooby in Japan, in the same Gunma Prefecture factory where the Impreza, BRZ and Levorg are built. The report cites "the relatively high sales price," the weakening yen versus the dollar and capacity constraints at the Indiana facility. For a planned production run of 65,000 Crosstrek units annually, the new math – especially the yen valuation, which has declined against the dollar to a rate not seen since 2007 – makes Japanese production a viable option. Subaru isn't the only manufacturer taking its toys back home, either: the Reuters report says Toyota is considering shifting some Camry production back to Nippon, while Nissan plans to do the same with the Rogue. Our guess is that if Subaru sales continue the trend they've been on for years, the assembly decision will give them more local flexibility here for addressing it. Featured Gallery 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid: First Drive View 53 Photos News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Copyright 2014 AOL Plants/Manufacturing Subaru Crossover subaru xv crosstrek