2014 Subaru Brz Limited on 2040-cars

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Why I chose a Subaru WRX over a BRZ

It was early 2012, and I was ready to get a new car. Not just any car, but the car I had dreamed about for no less than a decade: the Subaru Impreza WRX. There was something about this car that always appealed to me, even before the WRX was sold stateside; originally it was the Impreza 2.5RS that caught my eye. What was so special about the WRX? Well, I loved the idea of having a small car with all-wheel drive and good power, all in a relatively affordable package. It was one car that could do it all. Oh, and that fresh rally blue paint and signature boxer rumble were easy on the eyes and ears. It was a long time coming. I was just about ready to place an order with my Subaru dealer. But wait. What's this? A new kid on the block. Subaru was releasing its long-time-coming, rear-wheel-drive sports car: the BRZ. I was enticed early on when it was announced that Toyota and Subaru would jointly develop a lightweight sports car, and my interest was piqued once I saw the beautiful FT-86 concept. Now I kind of had a tough choice. I still wanted the WRX, but also liked the idea of having a proper sports car with a low center of gravity and low weight. Very different cars, I know, but both offered the fun I craved. I didn't get to drive a BRZ, but I did sit in one and enjoyed the low seating position and crisp feel of the shifter. I could tell it was one car that would feel connected to the road, a true driver's car. After some deliberation and research, I ended up ordering the WRX, my original goal. Why? For one thing, the BRZ was so new that I couldn't get invoice pricing. Plus, with the winters here in Chicago, I really wanted AWD; I was pretty much tired of FWD, and didn't want to risk driving RWD in snowy/icy conditions. Further, the WRX provided usable back seats and plenty of cargo space in the hatchback version (which is the one I chose). To top it off, I loved the power I'd get with the WRX, even though it wouldn't handle quite like the low-slung BRZ. Long story short, it came down to what I mentioned earlier: one car that could do it all. The WRX is a jack of all trades. It offers a nice blend of performance and practicality. Do I have any regrets? Not at all. If my financial situation allowed for it, I would love to have an AWD daily driver and a RWD sports car for occasional use (either a BRZ, MX-5, or S2000), but since I could only afford one vehicle, the WRX was the right choice for me. I liked it so much, in fact, that I upgraded to a 2016 WRX.

Subarus, straits, a shipwreck, and the end of the world

We've got one more short video glimpse at our Patagonia adventure before the big, final feature video goes live early next month. This time, it's a view of the end of our journey – and the end of the world. Crossing the Straits of Magellan took about two hours on our car ferry, and we saw penguins, orcas, and dolphins, which made the journey way more interesting. From there, we drove through Chile and crossed back into Argentina, stopped by the Desdemona – a 30-year-old shipwreck – and finally spent the night in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world (Antarctica only has bases, not cities). The next morning, our caravan ventured to Tierra del Fuego National Park, and we stood, as a group, at the end of the world – the farthest south any of us will probably venture for the rest of our lives. Have a look at our final, short video above. And again, stay tuned for the full experience film, which we'll bring you (along with hundreds of epic photos) early next month. Auto News Subaru Videos Original Video chile autoblog in patagonia

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.