2001 Subaru Outback Legacy H4 5speed Standard on 2040-cars

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Subaru XV concept: Just more wishful thinking?

Subaru has long been criticized as being rather weak-kneed when it comes to styling. That's not entirely true. In recent years they have displayed some really attractive-to-stunning concepts. The last-generation Impreza concept was very attractive, as was the most recent Legacy concept. The WRX concept shown a couple of years ago was a visual knockout, and the same can be said for the most recent Impreza concepts—as well as this new XV (Crosstrek) concept. The problem has been much of the visual excitement of those concepts got lost in the translation from concept to production. So we know that Subaru has great design talent; the concepts have proven that. The problem, as I see it, is those in a position to approve design for production don't seem to understand design. Now I'm sure it's a lot more complicated than just that. It involves marketing folks, engineers, as well as those suits that call the shots at FHI. Many of those in decision-making positions just don't seem to get it. However I do have to say that each succeeding generation of Subaru has got better looking. So slowly (very slowly) they are making progress. The problem is, the competition has gotten better too — much better. Hyundai, Kia, Honda and Mazda have been hitting it out of the park when it comes to styling; all the while Subaru has been hitting solid singles along with a few walks. That said I do have a good feeling about this new XV concept. It really does look close to being production-ready. The proportions are right, there is nothing outrageous or impractical here. There are even small non-roll-down (visually distracting, but absolutely necessary) side windows, which I rarely if ever see on concepts. The proof will be in the pudding when the new Impreza debuts at the New York Auto Show later this month. Fingers crossed.

This Subaru BRZ has a snowmobile engine and gets 104 mpg

A hybrid powertrain didn't win the Honda CR-Z numerous fans, but it might be the magic ingredient in making the Subaru BRZ more potent. This is the "Car of the Future" as envisioned by Mississippi State University's Center of Advanced Vehicular Systems – the result of a two-year project, which married a front-mounted 850 cc snowmobile engine with two electric motors powering the rear wheels. The battery pack accounts for 12.7 kWh, which enables the car to go 50 miles on just electric juice. The two-liter boxer engine is no more, but what the car loses in cubic inches it gains in MPG. According to MSU engineers, the re-engineered car gets 104 mpg equivalent, and it only weighs 2,904 lbs: about 60 lbs more than an unmodified Sportshift BRZ. It clocks a 0-60 mph run at around 5.7 seconds, too, which beats a stock automatic BRZ by a second. The electric brain of the car improves the range by calculating optimizing algorithms, based on earlier driving. The guys from MSU's Bagley College of Engineering call this Predictive Engine Control. The most likable thing about this project might be that it's still clothed in a sports car body. Future-proof car designs are often focused on mobility instead of the driver, and choosing a BRZ as the basis shows how there's still room for petrolheads in the future.

Subaru plans biggest-ever global recall over brake lights

TOKYO — Subaru Corp plans to recall around 2.3 million vehicles globally over a brake light problem, in what would be the automaker's biggest-ever recall as it grapples with a series of quality-related issues following rapid expansion. Japan's sixth-largest automaker told Reuters on Friday that it was recalling nearly 2 million of its popular Impreza and Forester models in the United States, its biggest market, and other countries, along with around 300,000 units in Japan to fix a fault with the brake light switch which can lead to ignition problems. Vehicles affected were produced from 2008 through 2017. If all of the identified vehicles are recalled, it would be the automaker's biggest in terms of affected units, excluding the ongoing Takata airbag recall. Since late 2017, Subaru has been reeling from a host of problems ranging from faulty components to inspection re-dos which, coupled with weakening sales in the United States, has forced the automaker to slash its full-year profit outlook to its weakest in six years. Quality-related issues have cast a pall on the automaker which enjoyed years of rapid growth in the United States, where it won over affluent and liberal-minded consumers with advertisements featuring slogans championing love and inclusion. Such branding boosted the image of the relatively tiny automaker, prompting it to ramp up production in the United States, which accounts for around 60 percent of its global sales volume. But in January, Subaru halted production at its sole car factory in Japan for nearly two weeks, holding up roughly 60 percent of its global output after it found a defect in a power steering component. Late last year, it announced a global recall of its signature boxer engines over an issue with its valve springs, while it has launched a series of domestic recalls for re-inspections after it admitted to cheating on testing processes. Related Video: