TechnoFile's Automotive Section

TechnoFILE's
Automotive Section

SUBARU

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...