2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Special Appearance. Brilliant Brown. Fully Loaded. Awd! on 2040-cars

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Here's why the most-ticketed cars story is junk

A recent study from Insurance.com found that owners of the Subaru WRX were the most likely people in the US to be ticketed for traffic infractions, with 33.6 percent of them receiving a citation in the last three years. Coming in a close second and third were drivers of the Pontiac GTO at 32.7 percent and the Scion FR-S at 32.6 percent. At first glance, this report looks like just a mildly interesting anecdote to tell your friends during a lull in conversation, but there seems to be a serious problem with the methodology here that might be blowing these numbers way out of proportion. Insurance.com explains that it based the study on 557,238 drivers who requested online insurance quotes from its service from January 1, 2013 to July 2014. To make it onto the list, a vehicle needed over 50 quotes, and in the end that left 526 models. However, these facts are almost useless because the list isn't based on percentages from the whole pool. The study's ranking comes from owners of specific vehicles, and these numbers aren't mentioned anywhere in the company's press release. All we know about the sample size for each model is that it's higher than 50. Assuming that amount for the WRX means it would only take about 17 people with tickets using the site to put the sporty car in first place. These unknown model sample sizes might explain some of the extremely odd entries on the list. For example, the long-discontinued Mercury Topaz is in seventh place with 28.8 percent of its drivers receiving tickets. The GTO and Toyota Supra are also in the top ten and out of production. Just a few people searching for these vehicles could be the reason for these strange results. Obviously automotive studies have their place, but this one just appears to have gotten confused along the way. Scroll down to read the report to see what we mean. Ticket magnets: The cars with the most violations September 30, 2014 (Foster City, CA) – One in three drivers of the Subaru WRX has a recent traffic violation, according to a study by Insurance.com, the car insurance comparison-shopping website, putting the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive sport-compact atop its ranking of cars that get the most tickets. The most-ticketed brand overall was Scion, with 27.5 percent of all owners reporting a traffic violation. Insurance.com looked at data from 526 models and more than 557,000 recent customers.

Subaru Crosstrek Baja Racer is a glorious blue and gold liveried masterpiece

Subaru just revealed its new Baja racer, and it's the coolest one yet. The Crosstrek Desert Racer is now sporting Subaru's traditional blue and gold livery that we all know and love from the many years it was plastered on Impreza-based rally cars. It's hard not to be nostalgic on this one, and we just had to share it. This Crosstrek, which bears about zero resemblance to an actual Crosstrek, is being run in the grueling Baja 500 off-road race through the Baja California Peninsula. Crawford Performance and Grabowski Brothers Racing are running the show, hoping to improve on their second-place finish from last year. The vehicle has a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated flat-four engine built to produce 300 horsepower. It's great to see Subaru continue to expand the blue and gold livery theme to more motorsports efforts. At the 2019 Detroit Auto Show we got to see the same livery on an STI rally car destined for competition. Now this beast of a Baja racer looks ready to strike fear into the hearts of its opponents just the same. The vehicle itself is rather insect-like in nature with the suspension and lights sticking out everywhere. There's still no word on whether the team will try for the big Baja 1000, or just stick to the 500 for 2019. Regardless, it looks supremely capable, and must be an absolute hoot to drive.

Subaru reveals coupe-like 2015 Legacy Concept ahead of LA show

Subaru has pulled the covers off its 2015 Legacy Concept before the car's debut at the LA Auto Show next week. The sedan trades in its relatively staid styling for a more aggressive, coupe-like design that almost makes us forget about the rear doors from some angles. Overall, the Legacy looks beefier than your average Subaru, similar to the Ford Taurus.
The concept's character line stretches all the way back to a small trunk, which helps the car achieve its coupe-like appearance. But the front end makes the biggest impression, with "hawk-eye" headlamps and a gaping hexagonal grille with three horizontal slats. The taillights have a shape similar to the headlamps to "enhance the solidity of the overall design," Subaru says.
Custom paint called Ocean Silver Metallic adorns the concept, which sports 21-inch wheels under bulging wheel arches that Subaru says hints at the standard all-wheel-drive system (the BRZ is the only two-wheel-drive Subie).