Subaru

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2024 Subaru Impreza does value right

The redesigned 2024 Subaru Impreza, a five-door hatchback, confirms the manufacturer’s long-standing reputation for versatility and reasonable pricing. It’s a little car that can and has a lot new, including a debuting top-line RS trim. Now 30 years old, the Subaru Impreza is available in Base, Sport and RS trim levels. The first two offerings are equipped with 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engines with 152 horsepower. The RS features a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with 182 horsepower. All models are powered by a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and the carmaker’s signature all-wheel-drive system. Subaru’s knack for value is evident with the Impreza’s long automotive grocery list of standard equipment. The RS builds on the Base model. It includes 16-inch steel wheels, adaptive LED

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2024 Subaru BRZ tS unveiled as best of the best

If you own one of Subaru’s driver-focused BRZ’s, you know it packs a lot into a small and affordable package. The carmaker recently unveiled the 2024 Subaru BRZ tS at Subiefest in California featuring upgrades that instantly elevate it to the top of the sub-$50,000 sports car crop.  The lightweight tS takes an often top-rated and highly sought-after car and improves it via a top-level trim that sits above the Premium and Limited specifications. Unlike the previous generation, the 2024 Subaru BRZ tS is not production limited to 500 units. tS stands for “Tuned by Subaru Tecnica International (STI),” Subaru’s performance division. “More” is the keyword surrounding the 2024 Subaru BRZ tS. New wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires

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2024 Subaru Crosstrek: rugged, versatile, value-priced

Many of the country’s most popular vehicles had lousy sales numbers in recent years because of supply chain difficulties. The lingering issue didn’t affect Subaru as much as other carmakers’ double-digit drops. Subaru‘s sales were about four percent lower in 2022 than the year prior. But the Crosstrek, the carmaker’s subcompact sport utility vehicle, had its best year in 2022. It had more than 155,000 sales, about 35,000 more than in 2020. Introduced in 2012, the Crosstrek is now the manufacturer’s best-selling vehicle. It offers an appealing combination of versatility and value. Subaru‘s signature is its symmetrical all-wheel drive. Since its first heyday in the United States, individuals and national alpine skiing and cycling teams have formed sponsorship relationships with

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2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness does off-road right

Subaru first capitalized on the usefulness of its symmetrical all-wheel-drive system a few decades ago. In a television commercial, the men’s Olympic ski teams from Italy and France were featured pushing their team cars stuck in the snow. The U.S. team men’s drives through the drifts in a wagon with ease and without stopping. The Subaru then passes the Swedish women’s team, also stuck. In about a second, the Subaru driver stops, backs up the car and the women’s team gets in. A man in a passenger seat wearing a cowboy hat says, “Howdy, ma’am!” Subaru Outback: New Rugged Trim Level However outdated the commercial is today, it worked. And Subaru has kept at it. It caters its wagons and

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#241, Subaru, Maserati, cheapest, priciest insurance rates

Buying car insurance may be the least enjoyable component of automobile ownership. It’s a huge industry ripe with misinformation, high-profit margins and small print. CarInsurance.com, self-defined as “a one-stop online destination for car insurance information,” does its part to give consumers the basics and the details. Owned and operated by QuinStreet, Inc., a “pioneer in delivering online marketplace solutions to match searchers with brands in digital media” the website offers a good launching point for those seeking car insurance. It recently published a list of the cheapest and most expensive 2022 vehicles to insure. The site’s editors looked at the insurance rates for more than 3,000 vehicles to determine how much policyholders pay. Laura Longero, executive editor for CarInsurance.com, is

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2022 Subaru WRX worth its long wait makeover

Thirty years after its automotive mentor, the Impreza, was unveiled for the World Rally Championship, the Subaru WRX debuted in its second generation. It’s been a long time coming. The first stand-alone WRX (World Rally eXperimental) arrived in 2014. Eight years later, the sport compact’s full makeover is welcomed and much-needed. It’s available in base, Premium, Limited and GT trims. The turbocharged WRX is among a stellar list of punchy sedans, a front-engine, all-wheel drive sedan with a desire to capitalize on its aggressive four-cylinder engine. They all make driving enjoyable. In the Subaru, shifting gears, darting around town and negotiating highway and mountain roads with zippy confidence makes it further desirable. It’s the consumer version of the original rally

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2022 Subaru WRX

The 2022 Subaru WRX, the third generation of the compact sports sedan, features improved performance and the most advanced features in the car’s nearly 20-year history. Powered by a new 2.4-liter, turbocharged 271-horsepower engine, the WRX has either a six-speed manual transmission or new automatic transmission. New also are a high-definition tablet-style 11.6-inch multimedia system and the latest generation driver-assist technology. The WRX adds a new top-of-the-line GT trim with a new automatic transmission, the Subaru Performance Transmission, as standard. The new WRX GT offers a first-ever for WRX, new electronically controlled dampers that can tailor the dynamic performance to the driver’s preferences with Comfort, Normal, and Sport settings. The Drive Mode Select also offers additional options to configure steering

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#129, A Subaru Impreza, a sudden crash, a family heals

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:46 — 35.4MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More Ron Richman, an attorney in San Francisco, recently received a phone call from the eldest of his two sons, Sam, a lawyer in Los Angeles. The father immediately heard something in his son’s voice that wasn’t right. His instincts were accurate. The younger Richman, 29, had been driving his 2014 Subaru Impreza hatchback with a friend as a passenger on Santa Monica Blvd. at 30-35 miles per hour. He was hit from behind by a car witnesses estimated was traveling about 80 mph. The Subaru Impreza then hit a bus. Sam Richman suffered a concussion, bruised lungs and kidneys, deep bruises from his

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2019 Subaru Ascent arrives with SUV street cred

The sport utility vehicle market apparently hasn’t reached its saturation point — at least Subaru doesn’t think so. Welcome the Ascent, the largest car the Japanese manufacturer has ever made. Five years after Tribeca was discontinued, the 2019 Subaru Ascent is the manufacturer’s second and bigger three-row SUV. Subaru is hopeful its new people mover will fare better than its predecessor. When the Tribeca departed, it was among the country’s worst-selling vehicles. Key Takeaways Ascent is the largest vehicle Subaru has ever made: A three-row SUV with seating for up to eight replaces the discontinued Tribeca and surpasses the Outback in size. 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter four delivers ~7-second 0-60: The CVT and standard symmetrical all-wheel drive deliver strong daily performance

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2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid worthy despite issues

Subaru, well-respected for its symmetrical all-wheel drive, sturdiness and belief in human and animal safety in its vehicles, now has additional versatility. The 2019 Subaru Crosstrek plug-in hybrid is the manufacturer’s debut in the segment. The Crosstrek Hybrid is offered in 2.0i, 2.0i Premium and 2.0i Limited trims, all powered by 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engines producing 148 horsepower and featuring all-wheel drive. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the two 2.0i and 2.0i premiums. A continuously variable transmission is offered on the Limited trim, my test vehicle. Read Now: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek The top-line Crossback Hybrid is equipped with features from the lower trims but includes upgrades. Highlights range from an advanced driver-assistance system to rear cross traffic warning and

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Episode #51, Colorado conversion man marries VW, Subaru

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:36 — 29.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreVendors at the yearly Outdoor Retailer Show do an impressive job of attracting customers. But none of the companies had a better presentation than Helinox. It used a 1976 restored VW van. Helinox, which makes efficient compact lawnchairs, cots, umbrellas and other outdoor equipment used a VW restored by John Buschmann in his business called Urabus. The name is Subaru spelled in reverse, and Buschman is adapt using Subaru engines in vintage VWs. Buschmann is our guest on Episode 51 of the Weekly Driver Podcast. Buschmann joins us from his shop Englewood, Colorado. He discusses his long interest in Volkswagen and why Subaru engines

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2015 Subaru BRZ: handsome, fun, not so fast

Now in its third year, the 2015 Subaru BRZ, a four-seat compact coupe, has a few updates and the new limited “Series.Blue” edition. The BRZ acronym name means: “B” for boxer engine. “R” for rear-wheel drive. And “Z” for zenith. It remains the Japanese manufacturer’s only model without the brand’s well-received symmetrical all-wheel drive system. Beyond the new trim, updates for 2015 Subaru BRZ include a retuned suspension, new exhaust tips, a “shark fin” antenna and a higher quality interior. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Like all of the carmaker’s models, the 2015 Subaru BRZ has vast list of standard features. The Premium comes standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, summer tires, a limited-slip rear differential, automatic bi-xenon headlights, LED running

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2015 Subaru Outback: Safe, rugged, versatile

Now in its sixth generation, the newly designed 2015 Subaru Outback further blurs the segment distinction between wagon and crossover sport utility vehicle. By any category name, the Subaru Outback is alone in the auto industry. No other car looks similar and there are no direct competitors to the family-oriented, all-wheel drive vehicle and its special consideration to those who travel with their pets. The Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70 also offer all-wheel drive, turbo-charged power and superior interiors to the Outback, but both have substantially higher starting prices. The 2015 top-line Outback 3.6R Limited begins at $32,995, while the Volvo XC70 has a starting MSRP of $37,825 and the Audi All-Road begins at $42,400. The Weekly Driver Test Drive

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2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek gets debut hybrid trim

Subaru, the manufacturer of all-wheel drive vehicles that define versatility, has long been a favorite among mountain dwellers and those who live where inclement weather is a daily routine. The carmaker’s rugged reputation expanded this year with the debut of the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid. The five-passenger crossover is Subaru‘s first full hybrid, and its unveiling occurs one year after the gas-only Crosstrek joined the Subaru lineup. Read Now: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive The new Hybrid, one of four available trims, starts with the standard features of 2.0 Premium and 2.0i Limited editions. The Premium model’s list is substantial and geared toward to the car’s functional ideals: 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, heated mirrors, a windshield

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PREVIEW: 2015 Subaru BRZ adds Limited Edition

The performance-packed, low-profile designed 2015 Subaru BRZ line will include a limited edition and will have a starting price of $25,695, Subaru of America has announced. The 2015 BRZ has a sports car design: low vehicle weight, ultra-low center of gravity and precision steering, and it’s powered by a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter BOXER engine. New for 2015 is the introduction of the BRZ Series.Blue limited to 1,000 cars for the continental United States. It will offer a combination of STI-branded functional aerodynamic body design, black-painted STI-branded 17-inch wheels and unique interior trim creates. The BRZ Series.Blue will arrived Subaru dealerships in July. Subaru will offer 500 painted WR Blue Pearl and 500 in Crystal White Pearl exclusively with a 6-speed manual

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2015 Subaru Outback

Subaru has introduced new 2015 Outback, the fifth generation of the world’s first sports utility wagon, and it’s has the roomiest interior, most capable chassis and highest fuel-efficiency in the model’s 20-year history. The 2015 Subaru Outback, which debuted at the New York International Auto Show, offers improved on-road agility, off-pavement control, ride comfort, interior refinement and safety technology. The 2015 Outback arrives in Subaru dealerships in summer 2014. The 175-horsepower 4-cylinder Outback 2.5i model is available in Standard, Premium and Limited trim lines, accompanied by the top-of-line 6-cylinder 3.6R Limited with 256 horsepower. All trim lines add more standard amenities, conveniences and new infotainment systems. The original Outback established a template for many competitive crossover models that followed, and

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