2011 Subaru Outback 2.5i on 2040-cars

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Subaru boxers offer a different type of flat-four thrum

If there's one number you'd associate with the Subaru Impreza, surely it'd be Four. Four generations, four doors, four-wheel drive, four cylinders in a boxer configuration. But in this Japanese market promo clip, Subaru has brought in another kind of boxer: the beat boxer.
Bringing in performers Kouteisennin and Time Machine, along with beat boxers Tatsuya and Rinka, the three-minute video clip below reinterprets the spirit of the Impreza through a mix of interpretive dance and human-generated beats that's rather hard to describe and needs to be seen - and heard. So pump up the volume and click on down below to see this clever and funky video for yourself.

2018 Hyundai Kona vs other small crossovers: How they compare on paper

The 2018 Hyundai Kona is the hottest new thing in the hottest new segment: subcompact crossovers. Or B-segment SUVs. Or whatever you might want to call this hodge-podge collection of vehicles of vaguely similar specs. Each is pretty much just a raised hatchback in some form (or literally in the case of one entry), skewing the increasingly vague line between car and SUV. If there was ever a segment that deserved the term "crossover" for more reasons than just its car-based unibody architecture, this would be it. Now, for this specs and photos comparison, we lined up the new 2018 Kona with an appropriate variety from that hodge-podge. Most are those that people are actually cross-shopping the Kona against — the Honda HR-V, Toyota C-HR and Subaru Crosstrek — while the Kia Soul and Jeep Renegade line up well in other regards. There are certainly others we could've included, but we're frankly a little pressed for spreadsheet space, and if you really want to know how a Chevrolet Trax, Fiat 500X or Ford EcoSport would've stacked up, you can always use our Compare Cars feature. (You can also check out our Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross comparison that includes a few larger choices) Performance, fuel economy and drivetrains Immediately you can see how all over the map this segment is. True, all but the Jeep come with a standard naturally aspirated four-cylinder and fairly comparable horsepower. Torque differs, but not wildly so. Then things get nuts. Some are automatic only, the Toyota is CVT only, the Honda and Subaru come with a manual standard and offer a CVT as an option. The Renegade's base engine is manual-only ... in 2018. Of course, then things flip-flop with the Renegade's upgrade being naturally aspirated and the Hyundai and Kia offering turbocharged mills. The Korean corporate cousins also come with automated manuals, whereas the Renegade has a box with nine gears selected by a lethargic monkey. Then there's the drivetrain. The C-HR is front-drive only, which pretty much cements the Soul's place in a segment it arguably created despite not offering all-wheel drive. That's the only way to get the Crosstrek, while the Honda and Hyundai offer a typical option of a part-time system. In Jeep fashion, the Renegade's "four-wheel drive" systems differ by trim level.

Subaru Levorg, also known as the WRX's wagon cousin, revealed in production form

Last year, Subaru gave us our first look at the new Levorg station wagon in "prototype" form, which over the past few years has shared most of its body and interior with the Subaru WRX. Now we finally get to see the production version, and it looks basically identical to the regular and STI Sport concepts. That's not a bad thing. It builds on the old Levorg and WRX with sharper, crisper lines. There's more visual detail in the headlights and angled wheel arches. And it retains classic cues such as the big hood scoop. It can be made more aggressive looking with a variety of front and rear spoilers, diffusers and side skirts, too. While the exterior isn't huge news thanks to past concepts, the interior and engine specs are. The interior in particular gives us our first look at what we'll probably see in the next WRX. Not surprisingly, the focal point is the huge vertical touchscreen that looks lifted straight out of the Legacy and Outback. In fact, the whole dash is very similar to that of the bigger Subarus, though the height of the dash is a bit shorter and the air vents a bit thinner. The Levorg also has a fancy screen for its instrument panel, and it will be interesting to see if that carries over to a future WRX. We also finally have complete specs on the Levorg's engine, which we're sure won't be in the next WRX. It's a turbocharged 1.8-liter flat-four. Its engine name is CB18, marking it as a new engine not shared with any current Subaru. It makes 175 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque and is paired with a CVT. While you can already get a WRX with a CVT, there's no way Subaru would offer the WRX with an engine that's down about 100 horses to the old model. When we do finally see the new WRX and STI, they will likely be similar to this Levorg, though with possibly some body tweaks to make it a little more aggressive. They will also probably adopt a sedan design instead of the wagon shape. Under the hood will likely be iterations of the turbocharged FA-series flat-four. The current WRX already has a 2.0-liter version of this engine, which makes 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The next model could use a carryover or upgraded version of this engine. As for the STI, reports suggest it will get a 2.4-liter variant and could make as much as 400 horsepower. Related Video: