2008 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti Wagon - Bbs Navigation Short Throw Shifter Spt on 2040-cars

Auto blog

IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed its annual list of Top Safety Picks, an award that highlights automobiles it says offer "superior crash protection." A new and still more significant award, the Top Safety Pick+ honor, is given to those vehicles that earn good ratings for occupant protection in four out of five areas of measure. And while some 117 vehicles were given the TSP seal of approval for 2013, just 13 passed muster for TSP+.
To be fair, IIHS only evaluated 29 vehicles with its new testing procedures for TSP+ (we'd expect that the number of qualified cars will rise substantially for 2014). Luxury and Near Luxury midsize cars were the first groups evaluated, followed by midsizers in the Moderately Priced Cars category - unsurprisingly, it's only midsize cars that you'll find among the class this year.
Only two luxury sedans made the list of 13 for 2013: the Acura TL and Volvo S60. The other 11 cars on the list included entries from domestic, Japanese and German car makers: Dodge Avenger, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Kia Optima (but not its close kin, the Hyundai Sonata, strangely), Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Suzuki Kizashi and the Volkswagen Passat all made the grade.

Subaru WRX STI S209 is the most expensive production Subaru ever

We asked for it, and now we have it: The ultimate WRX STI. It’s called the STI S209, and we drove the extra-special Subaru just a few short weeks ago. Now we have a price, and itÂ’s officially the most expensive new Subaru ever. All 209 examples of the S209 will sell for $64,880. WeÂ’ll give you a second to process that, but a second most likely isnÂ’t long enough. Every one of the 209 cars will be headed to the U.S. starting in November this year — STIÂ’s shop is only able to produce 2-3 cars per day, so itÂ’ll be a slow trickle of cars being shipped over here. Previous to the S209, the Type RA was the top dog in the American WRX lineup. It cost $49,855, and offered a nice bump in performance over a regular STI. This S209 finally gives us the significant increase in power weÂ’ve been asking for all these years, but it also represents a massive effort at making the best-handling STI ever. Aftermarket modifications could get you partway there, but there will be no true equivalent to the S209 coming from somebodyÂ’s garage. We fully expect itÂ’ll be Subaru WRX STI enthusiasts who spring for the few available cars, as the $64,880 price will likely be a major roadblock for all but the true believers. At that price thereÂ’s a huge variety of other cars to choose from, many of them more desirable than an ultra-rare Subaru to some folks. Dealer markups could take this car to even greater heights, especially if a dealer finds some Subaru fanatics with money to burn. If the 341-horsepower S209 sounds like something you need to park in your garage, we suggest you get over to the nearest bank and Subaru dealer as soon as possible.

4 automakers agree to $553M settlement of Takata airbag claims

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four automakers agreed to a $553 million settlement to address class-action economic loss claims covering owners of nearly 16 million vehicles with potentially defective Takata airbag inflators, according to court documents filed on Thursday. Toyota's share of the settlement costs is $278.5 million, followed by BMW at $131 million, Mazda at $76 million and Subaru at $68 million. According to a press release from Plaintiffs' Committee for Takata Airbag Product Liability Litigation, the funds for the settlement are aimed at getting more cars with faulty airbags fixed. At the time of writing, Toyota had the greatest recall completion percentage of 31.89 percent followed by Subaru with 31.37 percent. Mazda has completed repairs on 18.16 percent of affected cars, and BMW brings up the rear with 16.48 percent completion. Some settlement funds will go to an outreach campaign to increase awareness, while other funds will be used to reimburse people for any costs accrued to get their cars fixed. These costs can include rental cars, child care, lost wages, or any other reasonable costs associated with bringing in a vehicle for repairs. Furthermore, a customer support program will be funded with settlement money to handle any additional repairs or adjustments that could become necessary in the 75,000 miles following the airbag replacement. Lawsuits against Honda, Ford and Nissan have not been settled, lawyers said. Takata inflators, which can explode with excessive force and unleash metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks, are blamed for at least 16 deaths and more than 180 injuries worldwide. The safety defect has prompted recalls worldwide of about 100 million inflators by more than a dozen major automakers. Reporting by David Shepardson, additional details by Autoblog's Joel StocksdaleRelated Video: Government/Legal BMW Mazda Subaru Toyota