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Autoblog's ultimate holiday rides

Over the hills and through the woods, it's the time of year when many of us visit family and friends for the holidays. But getting there can be a chore. It's cold and snowy across much of the United States, and even if the climate is favorable, the drive to grandmother's house often is not. Think back to holiday road trips of yore: They probably included crying babies, antsy children, hungover adults and frequent bathrooms stops all around. Now, we're all at different life stages here at Autoblog, and the perfect car for one staffer might be as useful as a team of Budweiser Clydesdales to another. Some of us bounce from family event to family event with children and a labrador in tow, while others prefer a quieter, simpler holiday. But whatever the endeavor, we all need wheels. With that in mind, here is the unofficial Autoblog list of the ultimate cars in which to tackle the holiday season. 2015 Ferrari FF To borrow a chestnut from Top Gear presenter James May, "As you'd expect, I've done this properly." That oddly voluptuous ruby bolide in the photo above? It's a 2015 Ferrari FF – all 652 all-wheel-driven horsepower of it. What makes a Ferrari the ideal for holiday time in PaukertLand? My Midwestern winter breaks are wonderful, but they're typically frenetic and slushy, involving a lot of schlepping from house to house and even city to city, not to mention inevitable last-minute runs for forgotten presents and dinner ingredients. Needless to say, a powerful V12 is a welcome ally for such duties. And this one isn't just a friend when the road is clear. The FF has been gifted Ferrari's novel 4RM AWD system, and despite sitting lower to the ground than, say, an SUV, it's a pretty effective tool for real winter driving, especially when outfitted with a set of snow tires. Unlike other Ferraris, it's also a rather practical thing, with legitimate seating for four adults and 15.9 cubic feet of cargo space – that's precisely as much room as a Mercedes E-Class – and you can fold the rear chairs and cram 28.2 cubes-worth of holiday cheer in the back. Okay, so it's far from cheap and fuel economy isn't that great, but who cares? Just drop a paddle-shifted gear or two, bury the throttle and Repeat The Sounding Joy. Ain't the holidays grand? – Chris Paukert Executive Editor 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe My Mom gives out more presents than any other human being I've ever encountered.

New-gen 2020 Subaru Outback carries on its rugged legacy

The Outback is Subaru's best-selling vehicle, and for good reason. It's capable, it's versatile, it wears inoffensive looks, and it offers plenty of modern tech in a relatively affordable package. So when it came time to rework the model and introduce a new generation, Subaru took the less-is-more approach to the aesthetic redesign, which only has subtle tweaks. The major changes come inside the cabin and beneath the sheetmetal by introducing a more premium interior, and an all-new XT trim with a torquey new 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine. Similar to the approach used to update the 2020 Legacy, Subaru refined the Outback at every level. That started with the car's bones and the Subaru Global Platform. Subaru says the 2020 Outback is 70 percent stiffer in torsional and front-suspension rigidity and 100 percent stiffer in front lateral flex and rear subframe rigidity. The improved structure is also said to be 40 percent more absorbent in front and side crashes. More exciting is the introduction of multiple XT trims, which come standard with a 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine. Like the Legacy, the Outback is getting rid of the 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine in favor of the model's first turbocharged offering since 2009. It makes 260 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 277 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm, four more horsepower and 30 more lb-ft than the six-cylinder. Subaru notes the 2.4-liter engine offers a 3,500-pound towing capacity, which is an 800-pound improvement and the Outback's highest tow rating ever. It is estimated to get 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, compared to the 3.6's 20 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. All Outbacks come standard with permanent symmetrical all-wheel drive and a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) that offer an "eight-speed" manual mode and paddle shifters. Base-model Outbacks continue to use a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated boxer engine, which Subaru says has 90 percent new parts. Its specs increase to 182 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 176 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm from 175 horsepower and 174 lb-ft in the previous model. With the slight increases in power comes a lighter and more agile suspension. Up front the Outback will have MacPherson struts with an internal rebound spring and a new 0.9-inch hollow stabilizer bar. In the back, a double wishbone setup with coil springs and a 0.75-inch hollow stabilizer bar. Overall, the Outback maintains its impressive 8.7 inches of ground clearance.

Subaru testing a BRZ with STI badging and a big wing

Pretty much since the introduction of the Subaru BRZ and its identical Toyota- (or Scion-) badged twin, enthusiasts have been pining for a more powerful version, preferably with an STI badge and all the performance tweaks that come with it. So far though, Subaru has only shown a turbocharged concept that's now a couple of years old, as well as a Japan-only BRZ tS by STI, which only had suspension and handling upgrades. But now, spy photos show Subaru is working on another STI-badged BRZ, and it's testing in the US. Our spy photographer caught this prototype near Subaru's office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it's wearing Michigan manufacturer plates. And, although Subaru taped over it, we can still clearly make out the STI badges on front and back. Despite the STI badges, we don't see any evidence that this BRZ has any kind of power adder like a turbocharger or supercharger. The front vents appear to be the same size as the current model, and there's no hood scoop to feed a possible top-mounted intercooler. The exhaust also looks roughly the same as the naturally aspirated BRZ. There are some other upgrades, though. Most noticeable is the huge rear wing, which has similar stanchions to the BRZ tS. In addition to the wing, the body is accented with the STI lip spoiler, side skirts, and rear bumper extensions available on the current BRZ. Behind the multi-spoke wheels are Brembo brakes at each corner. Based on these photos, we'd say this STI-badged BRZ is probably a track package/trim that improves the car's already excellent handling. We of course hope that there may be some horsepower upgrades under the hood. But a lack of visual changes for forced induction, and Subaru's history of reluctance regarding more powerful BRZs, has us erring on the slow side. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.