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Subaru unveils catchily named WRX STI tS Type RA in Japan

We feel safe in saying it's time for Subaru to step away from the keyboard for a spell. The company just unveiled this new WRX STI tS Type RA in Japan, and while the car features all sorts of tricks to help it stand out from the rest of the WRX rabble, it also boasts a name that looks like the product of a good old fashioned QWERTY Hulk smash. Nomenclature aside, this WRX STI features a revised suspension with tweaked springs and dampers as well as a faster steering ratio, Brembo brakes and a front strut tower brace.
JDM buyers can pick between the ever-sexy (if loud) Tangerine Orange Pearl paint seen here, Satin White Pearl or Blue Mica. There's also available NBR Challenge Package, complete with a set of Recaro front seats, a few carbon fiber aero bits and 18-inch BBS forged wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE070 rubber. How's that for delicious?
Subaru is only planning to crank out 300 WRX STI tS Type RA units, two-thirds of which will carry the NBR goodies.

Junkyard Gem: 1987 Subaru GL-10 4WD station wagon

Living in Colorado and spending a great deal of time in Denver-area wrecking yards, I see Subaru wagons everywhere. Lots of Subaru wagons. Today's Junkyard Gem, however, is the first GL-10 wagon I've found in such an establishment. I can't find a definitive description of what Subaru buyers in 1987 got with their GL-10 (at the time, the Subaru Leone was sold in the United States as just "The Subaru" with a confusing babel of trim-level codes tacked on). These badges look cool, anyway. This cassette deck would have been considered serious stuff at the time, what with auto-reverse and automatic detection of the prestigious metal tapes that cost twice as much as ordinary cassettes. This car has air conditioning as well, a very rare feature on this generation of Leone. These cars were available with automatic transmissions, but nearly all of the 1980s Leones I find have three pedals. Four-wheel-drive (real four-wheel-drive, including a low-range setting with manual drive selection) was a heavily-hyped Subaru option, not standard equipment, at the time. Under the hood is the boxer-four engine layout we've been seeing in U.S.-market Subarus since all the way back in 1971. This one displaces 1.8 liters and was rated at 90 horsepower. This car's archrival, the Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon, packed a mere 62 horses; prices for ordinary Tercel 4WD and Subaru GL 4WD wagons were similar, but the GL-10 package no doubt pushed the price up well above Tercel levels. These cars weren't anywhere near as reliable as the Tercel 4WD (which, though sluggish, was nearly — but not entirely — impossible to kill) or the Honda Wagovan 4WD, but this one made it to a respectable odometer figure before being retired. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The GL-10 could be had with turbocharging and digital instrumentation, but this wagon has neither. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. All new Leone! Featured Gallery Junked 1987 Subaru GL-10 View 18 Photos Auto News Subaru Automotive History Wagon

10 of 18 midsize SUVs earn 'good' IIHS side impact safety rating

It's not terribly surprising that midsize SUVs earned better safety ratings than small SUVs in the latest side-impact tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Just how much better they scored, on the other hand, certainly raises an eyebrow. Ten out of 18 midsize SUVs earned the highest rating of 'good' in the stringent new test, altered for vehicles starting with the 2020 model year with a heavier barrier (4,200 pounds) that moves at a higher speed (37 miles per hour) and is fitted with a hard honeycomb frontal structure. By way of contrast, just one out of of 20 small SUVs earned a 'good' score.  SUVs that receiving 'good' scores were the Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln Aviator, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and Volkswagen ID.4. For EV fans, it's worth noting the ID.4 was the only electric vehicle included in the test. The Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse scraped away with 'acceptable' ratings while the Honda Passport, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Wrangler 4-door, Kia Telluride and Nissan Murano were deemed merely 'marginal' in the tough new test. Only two models — the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen ID.4 — earned a "Good" rating in every test category.  Interestingly, the Jeep Wrangler would have scored a 'good' rating if it were equipped with side airbags for the rear seating positions. It would likely be an engineering challenge to equip its removable top and/or doors with airbags, but the lack of that safety feature allowed the head of the rear passenger dummy to hit the vertical support of the top. Otherwise, the Wrangler scored good ratings across the board. The new Ford Bronco, which makes more allowances for side-impact safety, has not yet been tested.  The popular Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride SUVs stand out in the test with 'poor' ratings for driver pelvis injuries. The Nissan Murano, a vehicle last redesigned for the 2015 model year, was the only vehicle tested that received a 'poor' rating for its structure and safety cage. Videos of the tests of 12 of these 18 SUVs can be found on the IIHS' YouTube page. Related video: Green Buick Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jeep Kia Mazda Nissan Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Safety Crossover SUV IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety