Subaru Legacy, Nissan Rogue – Affordable All-wheel Drive
All-wheel drive can come in a handy if you're looking for the most traction or flexibility in where you can take your vehicle – such as in snowy climes or to off-road locations.
Nothing is free, of course, and all-wheel drive technology also adds weight and complexity to a vehicle, and any time you add something to a basic vehicle you can assume the price is going to go up as well. Fortunately, all-wheel drive doesn't have to break the bank, as witnessed by the two vehicles under discussion in this column: the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Legacy. more...
Entry Level Subaru Still "Impreza-ive"
The 2010 Subaru Impreza sports a few upgrades and enhancements designed to make it more attractive to its base of loyal customers – and others – while remaining true to its "rally-bred" roots.
And why not? The Impreza 2.5i I drove may not be the most refined vehicle on Earth, but it still has a lot going for it. Chief among these is Subaru's famous symmetrical all-wheel drive system coupled with the "boxer" engine that sits low up front, pistons moving horizontally toward each other (hence the "boxer" moniker), helping give the car a very, well, down to earth center of gravity. Both features come in very handy in climates that experience stuff like snow and ice. more...
Subaru Forester Remains Tree-mendous for 2010
The Subaru Forester is a nice blend of wagon and SUV, a vehicle that's comfortable and attractive and which does its job well.
Now in its third generation, the Forester received a major makeover for 2009, and the minor tweaking it receives for '10 should help it remain competitive in a rather crowded market niche. more...
Subaru Impreza WRX Turbocharged Fun
Subaru's hot little WRX is back, with new clothes but the same impertinent attitude, and fans will probably be pleased.
For 2009, the Impreza has been given a new body (sedan or 5 door hatch) that I happen to like quite a bit. The old Impreza looked okay, but the new one is more modern in appearance, with a bold new front grille and aerodynamically-sculpted profile. The WRX version comes with a ground-effects body kit, a functional hood scoop, and a rear spoiler sSubaru says was derived straight from rally competition. more....
Subaru's Enduring Legacy a Strong Statement
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary describes Legacy as, among other things, "anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor".
Considering that, Legacy might seem an odd name for a car Subaru undoubtedly wants to be thought of as up to date, especially since the test unit I drove for a week and a bit included the company's PZEV technology, an eco-friendly move that's decidedly modern in its "greenness". more....
2009 Subaru Forester - a Clear Cut Choice
The '09 Forester looks quite a bit bigger than the retired lumberjack whose job has just been outsourced to it. Actually, it's only about three inches longer and less than two inches wider, which makes Forester Nouveau just a tad smaller than the Toyota Rav4 and a bit longer, but narrower, than the Honda CR-V. And that feels about right. Forester feels more like a car to drive than those other two fine competitors, though, and that's okay. more...
2008 Subaru Tribeca Gets Rhinoplasty, Refinement
The new schnoz is the first thing you'll notice about the 2008 Tribeca (assuming you approach it from the front!). Gone is the weird, supposedly aviation-inspired triple grille, replaced by one that looks decidedly Chrysler Pacifia-ish. It's a little bland compared to the older grille (proving that you just can't please some people), but it works.
There are new headlamps, taillights, rear spoiler and liftgate this year, too, as well as a redesigned rear quarter and rear quarter windows. The taillights look a tad larger than the more B9 ones from last year's model, and the headlamps are more horizontal than the previous triangular-ish ones. Other than the grille and maybe the more squarish rear quarter windows, the differences are subtle but effective and make the Tribeca a little nicer on the eyes. Not that it was an ogre before…. more...
Subaru
Creates a “B9” SUV
Subaru has jumped into the so-called SUV market with both
feet, offering a terrific new vehicle that’s at least
as nice to drive as any other SUV I’ve tried.
Subaru has been marketing its Forester as an SUV for several
years now, but I’ve always found it more of a tall
wagon than an honest to goodness SUV. And that’s fine!
I’ve always liked the Forester, and prefer it to most
SUV’s; along with the old Mazda
Protégé 5 it has been one of my favorite
such wagons, though the Subaru has had the advantage of the
company’s traditional all wheel drive.
But Subaru is trumpeting the B9 Tribeca as the real SUV
deal, though they’re calling it a “Crossover
Utility Vehicle”. And it does look a little like a
cross between an SUV and a minivan, without the minivan’s
traditional sliding side doors. It drives like a cross between
a minivan and an SUV, too, and while that may sound like
the B9 Tribeca has a split personality, it drives very nicely
regardless of what you want to want to call it. more...
One of Subaru’s "legacies" is its self proclaimed “world’s
first sport utility wagon,” the Outback. Basically a
beefed up version of the Legacy, the Outback is newly redesigned
for 2005, a freshening that keeps what made earlier versions
popular, but ups the styling and technology ante to reflect
the current state of the art better.
I’d never driven a Legacy or an Outback before this
review, though I’ve driven most other Subarus from the
past couple of years, so I was extremely interested to try
this top-of-the-line 3.0R VDC model. I like Subarus, especially
the Forester, but on the whole am of the opinion that they
don’t come off quite as refined in their feel and appointments
as some of the Japanese competition I’ve driven.
This obviously doesn’t matter to Subaru owners, who
find many other things to love including their four wheel
drive stability and all around driving prowess (as well as
a good “fun to drive” quotient). more...
In theory, if you take a nice vehicle and add a turbocharger
to it you’ll up the driving fun ante.
In practice, at least as far as the Subaru Forester is concerned,
this is exactly what happened. Yippee!
The Forester is Subaru’s SUV, though the company likes
to say it has the functionality of an SUV with the driving
experience of a sports car. And that isn’t a bad description,
because it really does balance both tasks – though
that also makes it come off as not quite master of either.
It’s close enough for me, though. Not only is the
Forester, especially this Forester, my favorite Subaru, it’s
one of my wife’s favorite cars of all the vehicles
we get to review – probably the one she’d run
out and buy first if the Lotto Gods were to smile upon our
family. more...
Subaru's Little Pickup Serves Lifestyle Warriors
Subaru thinks it has the answer for people with lifestyle
toys to haul but who don’t want to own an honest-to-goodness
pickup truck to haul them.
It’s the Baja, a version of the company’s Outback
from which Subaru’s engineers have sliced the rear end,
replacing the station wagon's bum with a small pickup bed.
The result is an odd kind of hybrid vehicle – not in
the gas/electric power plant hybrid vein but in its blend
of comfortable car and utility hauler.
Subaru has the courage to march to its own drum, and you
can’t fault a company for showing gumption. That said,
the Baja’s unique appearance led me to muse that the “AWD” badge
on its rear was a new kind of phonetic spelling for “odd.” more...
Forester, simply “Treemendous” -
Subaru SUV a Nice Ride
If a tree falls on a Forester and no one’s around to
see it, does it still leave a dent?
Undoubtedly - and I apologize for the lengths to which I’ll
go to make a bad joke.
Fortunately, Subaru’s Forester SUV is no joke; rather,
it’s a very nice vehicle to drive and is nimble enough
that it may be able to avoid said tree, as well as other
road hazards such as snow and the like.
In fact, the Forester is my favorite Subaru to date. I’ve
driven a few other models all, unfortunately - including
this Forester - shackled with automatic transmissions, and
despite my leanings toward sporty offerings the Forester
left me really impressed. more...
Subaru's entry level Impreza may be the most affordable
in the company's Impreza line, but that doesn't mean it's
stripped bare.
The Impreza 2.5 line ranges from the TS of this review to
the pocket rocket WRX. The TS doesn't feel particularly entry
level, however, and its performance is more than adequate
for reasonably spirited every day driving and its features
are comparable to other cars in its class.
Available in sedan and "Sport Wagon" configuration (I drove
the wagon), the TS is powered by Subaru's 2.5 liter "flat
four" engine. This is the only engine available, but that's
okay; it puts out 165 horsepower @ 5600 rpm and 166 lb-ft
of torque @ 4000 rpm, buzzily winding up to its just-past
6000 rpm redline when you wind it out. more...
Subaru's Road Rocket Cries for a Manual - Slushbox, Turbo
Lags
Subaru's Impreza WRX is being hailed by many as a legitimate
road rocket. Inspired by the marque's championship rally
vehicles, the 2002 WRX' secret weapon is a turbocharged,
two liter four cylinder power plant that cranks out 227 hp
and 217 foot pounds of torque.
The result is supposed to be a Really Fast Car - and with
its five-speed manual transmission it probably is. Unfortunately,
the Subaru Impreza WRX Sport Wagon I drove was hamstrung
by the optional four-speed automatic transmission and, off
the line, that and a case of turbo lag has turned this projectile
into a bit of a brick.
To be fair, once you get the revs up past 3000 or so, the
afterburner kicks in and you're sent hustling with remarkable
abandon. Until then, however, one is tempted to get out and
push.
That's a shame, because there's plenty to like about this
car, especially if you view yourself as any kind of enthusiast. more...
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