Subaru
LA 2010: Subaru Impreza Design Concept
Subaru debuted its new “Confidence In Motion” design language at the LA Auto Show today. The new concept is an indication of the automakers future brand strategy. The four-door coupe follows Subaru tradition, offering the automaker’s trademark Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and a 2.0-liter Boxer-four engine based off of the 2011 Forester’s 2.5-liter engine. Power goes to the wheels through a continuously variable transmission.
Just Friends: Pastrana And Subaru Call It Quits
It was announced today that Subaru and lead driver of almost five seasons, Travis Pastrana, have decided to go their separate ways. Thus ends a relationship that has brought countless victories to the Subaru Rally Team including earning four consecutive Rally America National Championship titles from 2006 until 2009 while commanding the Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
List: Ten Cars We Are Looking Forward To In Los Angeles
With the LA Auto Show rapidly approaching, a few manufacturers have dropped us some tantalizing crumbs in the past couple weeks about what we can expect. From hybrids and well kept secrets to a few caged beasts, here is a glimpse into what we are looking forward to when the show kicks off on November 17.
Spy Shots: Subaru FT-86 Spotted, Possibly STI Version
Our spy photographer caught what appears to be the Subaru version of the FT-86, a car developed in partnership with Toyota. He even goes so far as to suggest this may be an STI version.
Quick Drive: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan
This Subaru left me in a bit of an odd place. I have very little experience with the WRX (or its big brother, the STI), but a ton of experience in Mitsubishi’s Lancer Ralliart and Evo. After a few days behind the wheel, I was truly impressed with the value that the WRX represented, especially compared to the more expensive Ralliart.
Flip This Car Extra: The Short List
Here’s the part where I really, really like my job, because in the end, we’re all just a crazy bunch of gearheads looking to satisfy our automotive cravings, and I’m now asking for your help. The only thing better than shopping for a car is bringing all your car-loving friends along to shop with you, and since this series began, it has become very clear just how passionate Winding Road readers are regarding this little adventure.
List: Ten Things To Look Forward To In Gran Turismo 5
With its last installment released over five years ago, to say that Gran Turismo 5 has been long awaited is a bit of an under statement. The original Gran Turismo was one of the first console-based games to bring production car racing to the home, and helped create legends out of cars like the Nissan Skyline GT-R, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Subaru Impreza WRX.
Driven: 2011 Subaru Outback 3.6R
Coming right on the heels of our drive of the Legacy GT, we found it fascinating to experience the transformation of the Legacy’s driving dynamics through seemingly modest changes. In short, by raising the car about 3.5 inches, retuning the suspension and switching from a manual/turbo four to an automatic/normally aspirated six, this feels like a completely different car. Those of you with a penchant for saying “because car X uses the same platform as car Y, we know Z” should drive these cars back to back. If you were honest, you’d drop the platform bigotry in a flash.
Quick Drive: 2011 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Limited
More so than other Japanese or domestic sedans priced in the low-to-mid $30K range, the Subaru Legacy 2.5GT is consistently fun to drive, and it is easy to understand why. Start with a 265-horsepower turbo four that produces big, dirty bags full of torque down low and a nice rush of power on top, add a six-speed manual with really well chosen gear ratios, couple the whole works to a full-time all-wheel-drive system, and what have you got? You’ve got a platform that is responsive and communicative, that provides good grip and acceleration in the dry, and that adds a measure of security in inclement weather or on sketch road surfaces. And what’s not to like about that?
Winding Road Issue 61 Is Now Available!
In this issue of Winding Road, we get behind the wheel of newest iteration of Subaru’s performance flagship, the 2011 WRX STI.
List: Top 25 Power-Dense Powerplants
Power density may not be in the lexicon of the average gearhead, but this idea is arguably as important as power-to-weight ratios and zero-to-sixty times. Power density, also known as specific engine output, is the amount of power produced by each liter the engine displaces. It is expressed in terms of horsepower per liter (hp/L). Automakers, especially those of performance vehicles, strive to hit the magical 100 horsepower-per-liter mark, which is where the recognized range of serious sports cars start.
I Want To Go Racing: Getting Started
Racing is something that people tend to think is expensive or only for professionals. Well, truth be told, it’s not. For interested beginners, all that’s really needed is the entrance fee to your local motorsports venue in your pocket and your daily driver. You don’t need any kind of racing experience for many events and you don’t need a sports car (although having one can make events so much more fun).
Driven: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
In the gorgeous heights of Aspen, Colorado, we listened as the Subaru folks dished the details on the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX and WRX STI. Our introduction to the updated WRX and STI covered a lot of the improvements to the vehicles, both dynamic and aesthetic, many of which will not seem unfamiliar to you if you’ve been following headlines and auto show coverage.
STI Tunes Subaru Legacy For Japanese Market
Check out this piece of forbidden fruit. The Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT tS, for the Japanese market, is tuned up by STI.
Video: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Versus The Nürburgring
Right in time for your lunch break, we now present a Subaru Impreza WRX STI (sedan!!) tearing around the Nürburgring at the hands of four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Mäkinen. You can thank us later.
List: Top Ten Best Power-To-Weight Ratios Under $40,000
Here, we offer the top ten new cars with the best power-to-weight ratio available for less than $40,000.
First Look: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Sedan
This is no April Fools joke, Subaru has taken the wraps off of the 2011 Impreza WRX STI. The flagship Scooby returns to its classic sedan form, complete with the monster rear wing.
First Look: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX Wide-Body
When it bowed in 2008, the level of praise for the new Subaru Impreza WRX was hardly what the automaker had hoped for. The WRX was almost universally panned for its bland looks and soft suspension. Subaru remedied this with the 2009 model WRX. It featured a bump in power along with a more aggressive suspension setup, fixing two of the primary complaints about the 2008 WRX. Now with some help from big brother STi, the WRX has finally got some new(ish) clothes to go with the extra muscle.
Raced: Subaru AWD Put To The Test, Rally-Style
Subaru invited us out to Utah for an in-depth, hands-on session with two of the company’s all-wheel-drive systems. Not being the kind to turn down the chance to drive the Impreza WRX and Impreza WRX STi on a de facto rally stage, we politely accepted.
Rally America Sno-Drift 2010—24 Years of Opposite-Lock Excitement
Just a few hours north of the Winding Road garage, a somewhat unorthodox racing event has been occurring since 1973. Unorthodox, that is, for racing enthusiast in the United States. Rally racing is a huge deal in just about every other part of the world, though it never really caught on in the States until a YouTube Gymkhana hero and a former motocrosser with a penchant for backflipping just about everything got involved. Going into 2010, more than a few eyes are now watching the Rally America series with keen interest, and Winding Road will be there for the kickoff event of the season—Sno-Drift 2010.
Video: Travis Pastrana’s Ridiculous Jump For The New Year
In case you missed it, Travis Pastrana jumped a Subaru 269 feet onto a barge to celebrate the new year. Then, to celebrate his world record jump, he did a backflip into the harbor.
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