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2016 Subaru WRX makes IIHS TSP+ fun

We write about boring, utilitarian compacts being named to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick+ list pretty regularly. Today, we've got yet another fun car to add to the tally – the Subaru WRX. Thanks to the inclusion of the company's impressive EyeSight active safety system, the WRX was able to score a "Superior" rating on IIHS' frontal crash prevention test, which is the highest score possible. Vehicles are required to score at least an "Advanced" rating to earn the TSP+ mark. In addition to the active safety system, TSP+ vehicles must also record "Good" ratings across the four basic crash tests – front, side, rear, and rollover – and a "Good" or "Acceptable" rating the small-overlap crash test. Of course, Subaru is no stranger to IIHS' biggest honor – the Legacy and Outback were named Top Safety Pick + vehicles in April 2014. We're still scouring the Internet for the actual crash test video from IIHS. Once we uncover it, we'll update this post. Until then, scroll down for the official press release from Subaru. 2016 Subaru WRX Awarded IIHS' Highest Standard of Safety "2015 TOP SAFETY PICK (TSP) +" ? "EyeSight" achieved the highest possible rating of "Superior" for front crash prevention. ? Seven models have earned 2015 safety awards from IIHS. Tokyo, September 14, 2015 - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, today announced that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS; a nonprofit organization supported by auto insurers in the US) has awarded the highest standard of safety, 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+) along with the highest possible rating of "Superior" for front crash prevention to the 2016 Subaru WRX (US specs.), equipped with Subaru's EyeSight* driver assist technology. By adopting the EyeSight for 2016 model, WRX earned 6 of 6 points for front crash prevention. Including 2016 Subaru WRX, Subaru has seven models that have earned 2015 safety awards from IIHS - six with TOP SAFETY PICK+ and one with TOP SAFETY PICK. The EyeSight was the first system ever to use only stereo camera technology to detect the objects such as vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Since its Japanese debut in May 2008, features available on this system have been highly praised; they included pre-collision braking control and all-speed range adaptive cruise control tracking function.

Subaru Viziv Tourer Concept brings back the WRX wagon in Geneva

Last month, we ran a dimly-lit teaser image depicting the taillight of the new Subaru Viziv Tourer concept, slated for a Geneva Motor Show reveal. Now the wraps have come off the handsomely bronze concept, and it all looks good for a future WRX wagon design. The second-generation wagon was replaced by a hatchback variant, so there hasn't been a WRX wagon for 10 years now. The Viziv Tourer is a welcome Subaru return to longer roofs in this segment, albeit with slight crossover flavors. A production version is still expected for a 2020 launch. The taillights cut into wide wheel arches, but the sides are slightly less bulging than with the Viziv Performance STI Concept shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year: If you get your ruler out, the Tourer is 20mm narrower. It all looks very production ready, just lacking door handles and side mirrors — and perhaps it could use some slightly bigger headlights. The concept's glasshouse is tinted heavily enough not to reveal anything from the interior. Subaru says the Global Platform underpinning the Viziv and its Tourer sibling includes the combination of Subaru's Symmetrical AWD and a boxer engine, so the core Subaru values are still present. There should be EyeSight advanced driver assists introduced in the production car, but the performance variants are likely to focus on "active enjoyment of driving," as Subaru politely puts it. Related Video: Featured Gallery Subaru Viziv Tourer Concept: Geneva 2018 View 11 Photos Related Gallery Subaru VIZIV Tourer concept View 9 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2018 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Geneva Motor Show Subaru Wagon Concept Cars Future Vehicles Performance 2018 Geneva Motor Show subaru viziv

Toyota updates 86 in Japan with this weird special edition

In their constant drive for perfection, Japanese automakers Toyota and Subaru have both announced some minor updates for their jointly produced sports car specifically for their domestic market. Both the Toyota 86 (known in these parts as the Scion FR-S) and the Subaru BRZ are getting a revised version of the electric power steering system they were designed with in the first place as well as a reworked suspension. The more intriguing news, though, is the strange restyling Toyota is offering on the 86 Style Cb edition. Ditching the aggressively angular front end of the existing model, this special edition gets rounded headlamps and an extended nose to give it a much less severe face. The Toyota 86 Style Cb is also being offered with an optional two-tone paint scheme and gets unique LED turning indicator strips, a special badge on the bulbous snout and revised interior trim. We'll chalk it up to a matter of personal taste, but as far as JDM specials go, this special edition isn't one over which we'll be terribly disappointed if it never makes it to US showrooms. We'll be sure to keep you posted if and when any of the mechanical updates make the trip across the Pacific, though. Related Video: