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2018 Crosstrek propels Subaru to best-ever April sales

April was a dismal month for most automakers, with sales declines that ranged from 4.7 percent for Ford to a whopping 28 percent for Nissan. So here comes mighty little Subaru, which claimed the month as the best April in its history. The gain is entirely attributable to the Crosstrek, which is all-new for 2018. Sales of the compact, raised crossover climbed almost 70 percent for the month to 12,266. Year to date, Subaru has sold 45,728 Crosstreks, an increase of 66.6 percent. That helped push Subaru's total U.S. sales to 53,170 in April and 202,873 for the first four months of 2018, increases of 1.5 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. It also marks 77 consecutive months of yearly month-over-month growth for Subaru. All other models saw declining sales for April, led by the Impreza, which was down 27.4 percent. "Our customers' interest in the Crosstrek continues to increase every month," Jeff Walters, senior vice president of sales, said in a statement. "We're now looking forward to the start of production later this month of the all-new Subaru Ascent at our plant in Indiana." The 2018 version of the Crosstrek went on sale last August featuring a new 2.0-liter flat-four engine, stiff new chassis, more ground clearance and the EyeSight suite of safety technologies, among other changes. But the Crosstrek has been on a hot streak for a few years now, with sales up 15.1 percent in 2017 and 6.7 percent in 2016. The Crosstrek is Subaru's third top-selling model behind the Forester and Outback. Subaru spokesman Dominick Infante says the company did not see the sales trail-off last year that's typical of a vehicle at the end of its lifecycle with the Crosstrek. "It was essentially a straight line going up, and it was limited by production," he said. The difference, he said, is that Subaru is now able to make more of them. The company last year shifted production of the Impreza to its plant in Lafayette, Ind., to free up capacity to build more Crosstreks at its plant in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, which underwent a major retooling. The Indiana plant now builds the Impreza, Legacy and Outback after the expiration of a contract in 2016 with Toyota to build 100,000 Camry sedans annually. Production of the new three-row Ascent crossover will start in Indiana in May, following a $140 million expansion at the plant, according to Automotive News. The vehicle is due in showrooms in June, Infante said, with sales of 60,000 expected in the first year.

2019 Subaru Ascent crossover revealed | Big and not so bold

Just over a year after Subaru first indicated its intention to build a three-row crossover with the Viziv-7, we now get to see the end product, the 2019 Ascent. Compared with the Viziv-7 and the Ascent concept, the basic shape remains, but all of the rugged, square-shouldered detailing has been toned way down. The body is now full of soft, inoffensive lines that result in it looking more like a blown-up Outback than its own thing. It's not a bad-looking vehicle, but it isn't quite as bold as we hoped. Under the skin is a brand-new engine in the Subaru lineup. It uses a turbocharged and intercooled 2.4-liter flat-four, and the turbo is a twin-scroll unit. It produces 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, and will help the Ascent tug on up to 5,000 pounds of whatever you want to tow. The engine is mated to a CVT that can be shifted manually through eight preset ratios via steering-wheel paddles. Power goes to all four wheels, as is the Subaru way. All Ascents also come with the X-Mode off-road setting and hill descent control, as well as 8.7 inches of ground clearance. In the cabin, Ascents can be had with seating for up to eight people. All models come standard with a second-row bench seat, while Premium trim and higher can be had with second-row captain's chairs at no extra cost. Passengers can take advantage of three-zone automatic climate control, with redundant controls for the second row. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard equipment along with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system that can be optioned up to an 8-inch. As for cargo space, there's 19.6 cubic feet behind the third row, over 40 cubic feet behind the second row, and about 72 cubic feet with both rows folded. Drivers will also be able to take advantage of standard EyeSight with automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control. The 2019 Ascent goes on sale next summer. Subaru has not yet announced pricing. View 16 Photos Related Video:

2015 Subaru WRX: Introduction

"As far as street-legal rally cars go, there's still nothing better than a WRX." I wrote that line following my first drive of the 2015 Subaru WRX late last year - one of the better motoring experiences I had in 2013. Sure, a particularly involving drive route helped, but I don't want to sell the new Subaru short: it's a seriously good car - easily one of the sharpest, best-driving little turbos available today.
When I drove the even hotter 2015 WRX STI in January, it was a similar love-fest. The STI is infused with all of the WRX's greatness, but it's sharper, meaner, and on good roads (and race tracks), the winged wonder is really outstanding. But because of its higher price tag, less forgiving suspension tuning, and only marginal performance increases, I'm convinced that the STI isn't the best WRX for the money. And much as I love it, I just don't think I'd ever buy the STI over its more sedate sister (though I totally understand why others might).
So when it came time to add a new long-term car to the Autoblog fleet, many votes were cast in favor of the WRX. There was a lot of debate about whether or not to get the standard version, or the mightier STI. But at the end of the day, my argument that the basic WRX is the better daily driver - nee, one of the best all-around, all-weather performers money can buy - carried the day.