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Subaru BRZ has higher manual take-rate than 86, and other Subaru manual facts

Automakers are continuing to give us a peek at the popularity, or lack thereof, of the manual transmission. Our latest information comes from Subaru, which kindly shared its manual transmission take-rate numbers for 2018. One of the most interesting tidbits was that 78% of Subaru BRZs sold had a manual. What makes that so curious is its stark contrast to its twin, the Toyota 86, where only 33% of those sold in 2018 had a manual. On top of that, the BRZ has a stronger manual take-rate than the enthusiast darling Mazda Miata; the soft top had 76% of buyers going for a stick, and the RF had 52%. If we had to speculate, it seems the Subaru BRZ is attracting the hardcore sports car fans. Although the BRZ manual sales are strong, it isn't the model that sells the most. The Subaru WRX tops it with 90% of buyers picking the manual over the CVT option. We of course suspect that plenty of regular WRX buyers are opting for the manual, though the number is likely partly boosted by the fact the STI version is only available with a manual. Things aren't quite as rosy with Subaru's more mainstream offerings, but that's to be expected. The Impreza follows the BRZ with 8% of Imprezas selling with a manual. The Crosstrek comes in second-to-last at 6%, and the Forester comes in last at 3%. And the Forester has now dropped the manual transmission. One final interesting note to Subaru's manual take rate. Subaru told us it sold over 47,000 manual-equipped cars. That's roughly 2,000 more than Honda sold in the same year. And with Subaru's total sales numbers being less than Honda, that means the percentage of total sales that were manual is larger at 7% versus 2.6% for Honda.

Autoblog Podcast #372

Episode #372 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Chris Paukert are joined by Peter Leung of RichlandF1 to talk Formula One, the impending demise of Bertone, and Honda spinning Acura off into its own division. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #372: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Bertone goes bust Mercedes F1 Power Unit Honda spinning off Acura In the Autoblog Garage: 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited 2015 Subaru WRX STI 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Paukert Guest: Peter Leung Runtime: 01:37:41 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Formula 1 - 26:39 Bertone - 50:42 Acura - 01:02:19 Q&A - 01:14:38 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Design/Style Marketing/Advertising Motorsports Podcasts Acura Honda Jeep Land Rover Subaru

2019 Subaru WRX starts at $28,080, STI finally gets a bump in power

The Subaru WRX and STI were refreshed for 2018 with updated styling and some new options. America also got the limited-edition WRX STI Type RA, a tribute to the car that made a Nurburgring lap record attempt. Not much has changed for 2019, though we get a new special edition and a new and much needed infotainment system. Also, the STI finally gets a boost in power! The tried and true EJ now cranks out 310 horses. Rejoice? Pricing has gone up a bit for 2019, though it's still competitive with the rest of the segment. A base manual-equipped WRX now starts at $28,080, up $225 over the 2018 model. For comparison, a new 2018 Volkswagen GTI starts at $27,265. Stepping up to a WRX Premium will set you back $30,380 or $32,280 if you want a WRX with a CVT. A WRX Limited starts at $32,680 or $34,580 with the CVT. Premium and Limited models with the CVT get standard Subaru EyeSight, though that doesn't actually include a whole lot. The only features are auto vehicle hold, an electronic parking brake and an EyeSight status indicator. There is a new WRX Premium Series.Gray model. The special edition is limited to just 750 units and starts at $32,585. It comes standard with the Performance Package, Ultrasuede-trimmed Recaro seats, a power driver's seat, Jurid front brake pads, a moonroof delete, LED headlights, LED fog lights and keyless entry with push-button start. The updated WRX STI starts at $37,480 and is only available with a manual transmission. Updates include a retuned ECU, stronger pistons and a shorter third gear ratio, helping improve acceleration. Torque vectoring and a controllable center differential are still standard. The WRX STI Limited will run you $42,280 and offers a low-profile spoiler option for those that don't want the iconic rear wing. There's also a WRX STI Series.Gray model. For $39,965, you get a base STI with Recaro seats, a power driver's seat and keyless entry with push-button start. Individual options include the $2,050 Performance Package (red Brembo calipers, Recaro seats and a moonroof delete) and the $2,100 navigation system with blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert. Related Video: News Source: Subaru Subaru Performance Sedan subaru sti