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Subaru debuts tougher-looking Outback for Australia [w/poll]

If you're going to name a car after a specific location or region, you'd better make sure it's taken seriously in the place it's named for. You're not likely to see a Chevrolet Monte Carlo in Monaco, and the Alfa Romeo Montreal was never even officially offered in North America, but the Subaru Outback is another story.
Subaru apparently takes the Australian market, whose wilderness its jacked-up Legacy wagon is named for, very seriously. So it is apparently rolling out a revised version of the current Outback in Australia itself. The updated Outback, which arrives less than a year before the all-new model is expected to bow, answers Aussie customer feedback with a more rugged look. It's got new roof rails, body cladding, wheel arches, mud flaps, underbody protection plates and blacked-out headlight surrounds and grille trim.
The Motor Report reports that the AUD $2,500 worth of extra equipment - around $2,300 USD - comes with just an AUD $500 ($468) price hike. As far as we can tell, though, there are no plans to bring this latest look to our shores - Subaru has already detailed North America's Outback for the 2014 model year, and these changes aren't mentioned. Should this look be offered in our market? Vote in the poll below and then have your say in Comments.

Subaru WRX STI S209 confirmed for Detroit Auto Show

Subaru teased us a week ago with the possibility that the STI S209 might come to America, and now the automaker has confirmed its debut at the Detroit Auto Show this January. Check out the S209 grille badge in the teaser photo above. The red trim around the edge is a nice accent to go along with the "S." Unfortunately, we don't have any further details on the new variant right now, so we'll have to wait a few more weeks to see what the STI folks have been up to. We hope the S209 will offer even more performance than the limited-edition Type RA. In the past, S20(X) series models packed more power, upgraded suspension and improved aero compared to the standard WRX STI. In the U.S., the current car's EJ25 turbo flat-four engine has been making roughly the same amount of power for a long time now, but in Japan, the S208 from last year made do with a newer 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making more power than our 2.5-liter. It's hard to believe that Subaru will try and certify a new engine for U.S. use, so a further refined STI engine is probably coming our way. We'll find out what Subaru has in store for us on January 14 in Detroit. Until then, feel free to speculate to your heart's content. Related video:

'Baby Driver' is a car chase movie set to music

The Fate of the Furious is certainly the 6,000-pound SUV in the garage of automotive movies, but that doesn't mean gearheads are starved for options. The upcoming film Baby Driver looks to be a winner for car guys, featuring exciting chases with cars including a "hawk-eye" Impreza WRX, a Dodge Challenger, and a 1980s Chevy Caprice. The movie is written and directed by Edgar Wright, whom you may know as the man behind movies such as Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. And based on the two trailers released so far, seen above and below, it's about a young man by the name of Baby, who is a getaway driver for criminals. He's apparently the best in the business, and the secret to his success is the music he listens to while he's driving. He also wants out, but his boss, played by Kevin Spacey, has no intention of letting him go. Spacey is one of a number of major stars in the film, including Jamie Foxx and John Hamm. The driving action shown in the trailers definitely looks entertaining. The WRX is seen doing an array of drifts and J-turns. There is some driving precision on display here that wouldn't be out of place in a Gymkhana video. And it looks like Wright's attention to detail in his shots and transitions, as well as some solid comedy relief, are all going to be present. The film comes out this August. Related Video: News Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment / YouTube via Road & TrackImage Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment / YouTube TV/Movies Chevrolet Dodge Subaru Videos baby driver