2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Wagon 4-door 2.5l 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

2020 Toyota Highlander vs other 3-row crossovers: There can only be one!

We've done quite a few spec comparison posts involving three-row family crossovers, and when included, the Toyota Highlander has always been the runt of the group. While the rest increasingly seemed to be benchmarking each other toward greater girth, the Highlander was the outlier.  That changes a bit for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, but only a bit. It's now larger and more competitive, specifically in regards to the amount of cargo space aft of the third-row seat. As you can see below, this aligns the Highlander most closely to its long-time competitor the 2020 Honda Pilot. However, let's see how it stacks up to others in the segment, which is heavily populated now, so for the sake of space, we've selected the newest entries: Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Subaru Ascent and Ford Explorer. The order in which they are presented is random.  Performance and fuel economy The 2020 Highlander is more than 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor, but has the same 295-horsepower V6 engine that was already one of the strongest in the segment. We'd say that would give it a leg up, but the Pilot and Explorer have proven to be sprinters, delivering 0-60 times in the low-6 range by some publications' stopwatches (or VBoxes, whatever). We don't expect the Highlander to beat them, but it may dip into the 6's. The heavy, less-powerful Subaru Ascent is most likely to take up the rear. It's fuel economy of 23 mpg combined also matches the Highlander and Explorer for segment-best. Remember, however, that the Explorer's turbocharged inline-four engine is likely more susceptible to differences in driving style (read: a heavy foot).  Of course, if you're really interested in fuel economy, the Highlander and Explorer are the only vehicles in the segment to offer hybrid versions. The Ford Explorer Hybrid puts a greater emphasis on performance, however, resulting in lower estimates of 25 mpg combined (AWD) and 28 mpg combined (FWD). By contrast, the new 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is estimated to return 36 mpg combined.  Passenger and cargo space According to Highlander chief engineer Yoshikazu Saeki, he had a choice of two directions with the new Highlander. He could have indeed made it bigger, matching these very competitors, especially in terms of third-row and cargo space. Or, he could have maintained a smaller-than-average size. He obviously chose the latter. First, it was the size customers had come to expect. Would they be put off by something bigger?

Subaru looks back on record-setting WRX STI from 2011 Isle of Man

In what we can only presume/hope is a precursor to the launch of the next-gen WRX STI, Subaru has released three videos now giving us a look back at the history of the STI-badged WRX models. In this third video, Dominick Infante, national manager of product communications at Subaru of America, got ahold of the automaker's 2011 WRX STI that broke records for the Isle of Man TT Challenge a couple of years ago.
In 2011, rally driver Mark Higgins piloted this car to a lap speed record of 115 miles per hour and a lap time record of 19:56.7 around the 37.8-mile course. The race-prepped STI, which Infante refers to as an "STI on steroids," features a beefed-up suspension, a wonderful-sounding open exhaust and the removal of the speed limiter to go with full roll cage and racing seats and harnesses.
Scroll down to see - and hear - new driving footage of this 2011 WRX STI with Infante behind the wheel as well as some race footage from 2011 - including a near-disaster Higgins averted at 150 mph. Also, be sure to check out the previous videos from Subaru for the 1998 Impreza 22B STI and a 2004 WRX STI.