2009 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti on 2040-cars

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2020 Subaru Outback and Legacy pricing announced

Pricing for the 2020 Subaru Legacy sedan and Outback crossover are now available. Both models were completely redesigned for the model year, but base prices have barely gone up. The 2020 Subaru Legacy starts at $23,645, just $215 more than the old model. The 2020 Subaru Outback now starts at $27,655, which is $335 more than the 2019 Outback. Price differences vary depending on trims, but for the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder models, the prices have only gone up a few hundred dollars. You can see the breakdown of Legacy prices below, and the Outback prices below the next paragraph.   As for the turbocharged models, the price increase is quite a bit more compared with equivalent 3.6R 6-cylinder examples from 2019. The cheapest turbocharged Legacy is $35,095, which is $2,665 more than its flat-six predecessor. With the Outback, you can technically get a turbo model for less than the cheapest 2019 six-cylinder model. It starts at $35,905, whereas the entry-level 6-cylinder Outback for 2019 started at $35,970. But keeping trims matched up, the same trim turbo model is $38,755, an increase of $2,785. Regardless of Legacy or Outback trim, buyers will get more power and torque. The base 2.5-liter inline-4 makes 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, up from 175 and 174, respectively. The turbo engine makes 260 horsepower versus 256 from the old 6-cylinder, and 277 pound-feet of torque instead of 247. Both vehicles are completely redesigned boasting lighter, stiffer chassis and a much nicer interior with a massive center touchscreen available. Be sure to check out our first look articles on the Outback and Legacy for additional details on the new cars. Update: The Legacy pricing chart has been changed to correct a mistake 2020 Subaru Legacy View 15 Photos

Subaru uses a mime and a toy car to explain why it loves the boxer engine

I will freely admit to struggling with why Subaru continues to stubbornly employ a boxer engine design while so few other automakers do the same. After all, with twice the number of cylinder heads and cams as a traditional inline four-cylinder engine, a boxer four is more complex, more expensive to manufacture and more cumbersome to service with few tangible benefits. Until recently, the company's engines struggled to meet the fuel economy numbers of its competitors while offering no real boon in horsepower or torque. Subaru seems to recognize I'm not the only one scratching my head.
In order to help us non-believers understand what's what, the company has employed a pair of mimes, a toy car and a few clay engines to demonstrate the folly of every other automaker on the planet. Subaru says the boxer offers up a lower center of gravity than either an inline four-cylinder engine or a V6, which I will gladly concede. The company also says the design offers up smoother operation.
I'll offer just two counterpoints here. First, an engine with a low center of gravity is excellent, but when vehicles like the Forester, XV Crosstrek and Outback boast more ground clearance than most mainstream SUVs, that argument flies out the window. Second, anyone who's spent any amount of time behind the wheel of a vehicle equipped with an inline four and then proceeded to move into one propelled by a boxer can tell you the latter has all of the idling manners of a small tractor. Check out the video below to see for yourself.

Subaru BRZ tS makes its brief video debut

Ever since Subaru released the BRZ, fans have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the STI version. But despite the recent release of the tS package, the brand faithful will have to wait a little longer, because the tS stops short of the full STI treatment. But at least it looks the part.
Though the BRZ tS doesn't encompass any major engine mods to speak of, it does benefit from a number of enhancements: a new driveshaft, aero kit, Brembo brakes, Recaro buckets and more. Which may be more than enough for some, but to tip the scales of disappointment, Subaru will only make 500 such examples, and they'll only be available in Japan. So chances are you won't be getting your hands on one, but at least you can admire it from this brief video clip below. It's not much to go on, but that seems about par for the proverbial course.