2004 Subaru Forester X Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Subaru BRZ First Drive

When the Subaru BRZ debuted in 2012, it was heralded as a return to the traditional Japanese sport coupe formula – a compact, lightweight, rear-wheel-drive runabout that hearkened back to greats like the original Toyota Celica, Mazda's RX-3, and the Nissan 240SX. Japan is covered in mountains, and that's where its enthusiasts honed their hooning. Cars that emphasize handling, not horsepower, make the most sense there. Now, five years on, Subaru is using the model's first facelift to further differentiate it from its Toyota cousin. The BRZ is Subaru's ultimate vision of a sophisticated driver's car, more string-backed gloves than flat-brimmed hat. To prove the point, Subaru invited us to drive the refreshed 2017 specimen, along with 2016 models for comparison, at Japan's legendary Fuji Speedway. The BRZ's revised styling makes the distinction painfully clear right off the bat. It now sports a squarer jawline, with a chin described by senior designer Yuki Kumono as aircraft-inspired. LED DRLs are embedded in the new headlamps, moved up from the space they once shared with fog lights. A side note for Subaru fans: The C-shaped DRLs are called "hawkeyes" internally, which is sure to cause confusion among Subarists who have already given that name to the 2006–07 Impreza WRX and STI. Freshened taillights and a reshaped spoiler update the badonk, and the Subie has new fender inserts. Styling is of course a subjective matter, but anyone who says the sea-creature maw of the post-Scion 2017 Toyota 86 is better looking is clearly wrong. Ultimately, though, the question on everybody's minds is, "Does the BRZ have any more danged power?" The answer to that is yes, technically, but only on certain cars. The 2.0-liter boxer four makes five more horsepower and five more pound-feet of torque only on manual-transmission cars. That brings the totals to 205 hp and 156 lb-ft. Cries for a turbocharger have gone stubbornly unanswered. In typical Japanese fashion, it's not the numbers that matter. Subaru has focused instead on the overall driving feel, that elusive metric that can't be expressed on a spec sheet or through the frothing internet comments of armchair racers. Subaru's engineers, some of whom are trained as the company's expert test drivers, have toiled away at a host of improvements for the base Premium trim, the upper Limited grade, and a new Performance Package that's available on top of the latter.

Subaru beefs up new Exiga Crossover 7 in Japan

While we wait for Subaru to roll out a replacement for the troubled Tribeca crossover here in North America, in other markets the Japanese automaker continues to introduce other wagons of varying heights and capacities. Like the Levorg wagon offered in Japan and soon to be introduced in Europe, or the new Exiga Crossover 7 announced for the company's domestic market. We first caught a glimpse of the Exiga in concept form way back at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and the seven-seat wagon entered production the following year. What sets this version apart is its higher stance, transforming it into a pseudo-crossover in similar fashion to how the Outback transformed the Legacy or the XV Crosstrek builds upon the Impreza. It's based on the same platform as well, and retains the existing Exiga's seven-seat cabin, with three rows of seating that fold down to make the interior volume adaptable to whatever needs might arise. The crossover version also rides higher on 17-inch wheels, with reinforced lower bodywork, a larger front grille and roof rails to give it a more rugged look. Power comes in the form of a 2.5-liter boxer four, mated to a continuously variable transmission and driving 171 horsepower to all four wheels in typical Subaru style. Fuji Heavy figures it will sell around 600 of these every month in Japan, but it looks unlikely to export it to other markets - least of all our own. Jacked up and ruggedized though it may be, our sources at Subaru tell us this vehicle is too small to have anything to do with the Tribeca replacement we've been waiting for and which promises to be a fair bit larger to suit American tastes. (Google-translated) Subaru new "CROSSOVER 7 (crossover Seven)" released April 16, 2015 Fuji Heavy Industries, the crossover model "CROSSOVER 7" of the new genre of "urban SUV x multiplayer car" (official name: "EXIGA CROSSOVER 7") the will be released today. CROSSOVER 7, the interior and exterior that incorporates elements of fashion and authentic SUV, all-weather AWD performance of Subaru unique, combines the 7-seater of packaging full of airy, is the new crossover model. You can also use in a variety of applications, and new proposal as "7-seater SUV" to achieve an active lifestyle.

Subaru teasing STI surprise for NYC show?

Subaru is no stranger to the Special Edition car, least of all where its vaunted WRX and STI are concerned. From Spec C to Prodrive to 22B, more than a handful of STI's around the world have been released as limited-run editions, often with stirring results. So, while we were more than a little bit surprised to see that big-wing crop up on the Subaru Twitter page today, we can't say as though its not true to the brand's history.
However, while most of the interesting WRX STI variants have been offered to Europe and Japan only, whatever is wearing that carbon-fiber-lipped wing is set to debut at the New York Auto Show this week.
We don't have a clue as to the precise nature of the car in front of that wing, save to say that it's likely based on the STI. We can guess, however that the extra vertical supports and the use of carbon fiber indicate a higher-performance version than currently exists. Anything from a racing application to some new goodies for the aftermarket are in the realm of possibility.