2009 Subaru Forester 2.5 X on 2040-cars

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Porsche, Jaguar continue dominance in 2015 JD Power APEAL study

The top of JD Power's 2015 APEAL Study has not changed much in the last year. Porsche remains No. 1 with Jaguar nipping at its heels, although both premium brands saw their overall score fall compared to 2014. For those that need a refresher, the APEAL Study looks at how "gratifying" a vehicle is to own and drive, rating cars and brands on a 1,000-point scale. The industry average for 2015 has increased from 794 to 798, while the total number of automakers that finished above the curve increased from 16 to 20. While Porsche and Jaguar finished at the top, their scores dropped eight and seven points, respectively, to 874 and 855. The top "non-premium" brand was Mini, which scored an impressive 825, up from 795. If the BMW-owned British marque is still a bit too premium for your tastes, last year's non-premium winner, Hyundai, did climb five points and is this year's runner up. At the opposite end of the scale, Smart sits at the very bottom of the rankings, with a score of 683 (it didn't appear on the 2014 rankings). Fiat also dropped, from fourth worst in 2014 to second worst in 2015, despite the 500 being named most appealing city car. Subaru made an impressive climb, from third worst to seventh, falling just 10 points shy of the industry average and two points south of the non-premium average. In the individual vehicle segments, eight brands earned multiple awards, with Ford, Chevrolet, and Porsche earning three apiece. Surprise segment victories included the new Ford Expedition, which beat out Chevy's popular Suburban. The Infiniti QX80 bested the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Range Rover for best large luxury SUV, and the Dodge Challenger beat its muscle car rivals from Ford and Chevy. Most of the victories, though, were quite predictable. The Mazda6 and CX-5 took wins for the midsize sedan and compact SUV categories respectively, while the Volkswagen Golf captured the compact car win. The Ford F-150 won the large pickup category, while the Porsche Cayman was named most appealing compact premium sporty car. Check out the official release on the 2015 APEAL Study, available below, from JD Power. 2015 U.S. APEAL Study Results The latest safety-related technologies are among the drivers of customer satisfaction with new vehicles, according to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S.

2013 Subaru WRX STI Special Edition

Despite my best efforts to convince myself otherwise, I think I'm finally getting too old for this car. I remember the days when I would go ga-ga over the winged Subaru WRX STI sedan, my inner boy racer caring only about its turbo thrills and not taking into account things like price, packaging or interior quality/comfort. Even now, as someone who generally appreciates offbeat color choices, I'm having a hard time getting behind the Tangerine Orange paint of this Special Edition tester, a unique version of the STI sedan limited to just 100 cars. (West Coast Editor Michael Harley recently spent time in the Special Edition WRX sedan, which will see a production run of 200 units.)
To give it The Full Halloween, this limited-edition Subie comes with black accents on its mirrors and fender badges, not to mention black alloy wheels and special graphics on the rocker panels. Special Edition cars also come standard with foglights, and there are orange accents found throughout the interior. All in, this flashier Subaru will set you back $34,795 plus $700 for destination, or $500 more than the standard version.
No, $35,000 isn't chump change, and many will argue that there are far better vehicles to be had at that exact same price point. And while my aging brain is beginning to think more toward that side of the rational thought spectrum, there's still a lot about this car that makes my more youthful self endlessly happy.

2017 Subaru BRZ gets more power, optional Performance Pack

Most of the recent action with Toyobaru sports cars has centered around the Toyota side, which saw the Scion FR-S replaced by the updated and rebranded 2017 Toyota 86 for our market. Now, Subaru's version of the rear-drive coupe is getting a similar set of updates. It gets to keep its name, though. Like its Toyota-badged twin, the BRZ sees some engine updates – changes to the shared 2.0-liter, flat-four's internals are aimed at reducing friction. A new aluminum intake and a redesigned exhaust bump output up from 200 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque to 205 ponies and 156 lb-ft on manual-transmission models. To go along with that, the manual's final-drive ratio has been changed from 4.1:1 to 4.3:1, so there should be an improvement in acceleration. (Incidentally, this must have been Toyota meant when it said the 86 gets different manual gear ratios for 2017.) It's not the turbocharged engine some have been craving, but we can all agree that a little extra output is better than none. Those paying for the automatic transmission are left out, though. The Subaru has also gotten a small set of suspension updates. There are new springs and dampers, a larger rear sway bar, and some adjustments to structural braces to increase rigidity, so nothing too dramatic. Subaru has reprogrammed the stability-control system to allow drivers more freedom, which has led to a showy rebranding of the Sport mode to a new Track setting. A new option is the Performance Package, which includes Brembo brakes with upsized rotors fore and aft, new Sachs-branded shocks, and black 17-inch wheels. The Performance Pack is only available on Limited models with a manual transmission, further strengthening the argument against the auto. The Performance Pack also helps differentiate the Subie from its Toyota pal, as those items aren't available on the 86. There are some subtle aesthetic changes too, similar to those on the 86. (Noticing a pattern?) Subaru restyled the front and rear fascias, and added LED lamps at all four corners. Limited models come with a new 4.2-inch LCD display that sits to the right of the tachometer; in addition to mechanical info like oil temp, water temp, and battery voltage, it can show a G meter, a steering-angle indicator, gas/brake meters, and a stopwatch. The 2017 BRZ Premium and Limited will hit dealers in September. You'll have to wait until winter of 2017 to get your hands on a car equipped with the Performance Pack.