2004 Subaru Forester 2.5x on 2040-cars

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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.

Subaru Viziv GT gears up for Vision Gran Turismo action [w/video]

Ever wonder what it would look like if Subaru made a big brother to the BRZ, maybe to take on the Nissan GT-R or Japan's Super GT series? (Well, the BRZ already competes in the GT300 class, but we're talking about the GT500 major leagues here.) Wonder no more, car fans, because it'd probably look something like this. Only it's not a road car, and it's not a racecar. It's the latest addition to the growing roster of Vision Gran Turismo concepts for GT6.
Borrowing on the design theme put forth by the Viziv concept that debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and the Viziv 2 concept showcased the following year, the Viziv GT Vision Gran Turismo is envisioned as a racing machine. Its hypothetical hybrid powertrain pairs a 2.0-liter boxer four, turbocharged and direct-injected, to a trio of high-output electric motors to deliver a claimed 591 horsepower and 593 pound-feet of torque.
Carbon fiber construction helps offset the weight of the motors and batteries to keep the hybrid racing shooting brake down to a theoretical 3,000 pounds, with competition-spec aero to keep it glued to the track. Gamers will be able to download it directly in the game as part of the latest update, but you can scope it out right here in the image gallery above and the video and press release below.

Subaru BRZ gets updates, limited-edition Series.Blue model for 2015

The popular complaint about the Subaru BRZ is that its 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter-boxer engine is underpowered compared to other, modern sports coupes. Subaru isn't doing anything to address that for the 2015 model year BRZ, but the company does have some aesthetic upgrades ready for its rear-wheel-drive two-door and a limited-edition version with a more aggressive body.
The big news for the 2015 BRZ is the Series.Blue Special Edition (pictured above) that is limited to 1,000 units for the US with 500 of them in the brand's famous WR Blue Pearl and the other 500 in Crystal White Pearl. Mechanically, the special models are unchanged with the 2.0-liter boxer engine and a six-speed manual, but they wear an exclusive, black, STI-branded body kit that includes a new lower-lip front spoiler, rear spoiler, side sills and underbody panels. Subaru claims the whole setup increases front downforce and decreases the car's coefficient of drag from 0.28 to 0.27. To match the new kit, the limited-edition cars feature black, 17-inch wheels from STI with contrasting red brake calipers hiding behind them. The interior sees nearly as many changes as the outside with black and blue leather sport seats with blue stitching, and a similar motif for the steering wheel, shift boot, parking brake and kneepads. The illuminated engine start button gets an STI logo, as well. The Series.Blue arrives at dealers in July for $30,285, after the $795 destination charge.
The rest of the BRZ lineup isn't left out and has some minor upgrades of its own, with revised damper settings, stainless steel exhaust tips, a body-color shark fin antenna and a simulated carbon fiber dashboard panel - similar to the upgrades found on the 2015 Scion FR-S. Two new colors are available - Ice Silver Metallic and Crystal White Pearl. Prices are up $100 across the board for 2015. After destination, the Premium trim is $26,490; the Limited is $28,490; the Limited with an automatic transmission is $29,590. The 2015 models hit dealers this summer. Scroll down to read the full announcement.