2002 Subaru Impreza Wrx Wagon Rally Blue Mods 70k Miles on 2040-cars

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2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid gets top IIHS safety rating

The IIHS has finally evaluated the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, the plug-in version of the subcompact crossover, and it performs just as well as its fully gas-powered twin. Its high marks earned it the organization's highest award of Top Safety Pick +. In every crash test, the Crosstrek earned the highest "Good" rating for protection, including both driver and passenger small overlap collisions. Forward collision prevention also earned top marks, stopping the vehicle before a crash at speeds up to 25 mph. This is one area where the Hybrid improves on the standard model, not for better results, but for the fact that the forward collision prevention system is standard on all Hybrid variants. It's an option on base and Premium non-hybrid Crosstreks. The headlights are a similar situation. The Hybrid's standard headlights also received the "Good" rating like top-trim Crosstreks. Where the non-hybrid Crosstreks trip up is that the base and Premium trims have headlights that have the worst "Poor" rating. Parity resumes with LATCH child seat anchor accessibility, which gets a "Good+" rating for having easily reachable anchors and having extras for seating flexibility.

2020 Subaru WRX and WRX STI Series.White sneak in one more special edition

LOS ANGELES — This generation of Subaru WRX and WRX STI is nearly done, and has celebrated with special versions here and back in the home country. But the company isn't finished with limited edition models yet, as proven by the 2020 Subaru WRX and WRX STI Series.White model (their punctuation, not ours). Just like past Series.Whatever models, the Series.White is distinguished on the outside by an exclusive Ceramic White paint scheme. It's accented by black mirror caps, black badging and matte bronze wheels. On the WRX, they're 18-inch wheels from Subaru, and the STI gets 19-inch BBS wheels. The paint color isn't the only perk, as each car comes with a selection of desirable options. The WRX basically gets the Premium trim's Performance Package, plus a few goodies. That means it gets Recaro seats, Brembo four-piston front calipers and two-piston rear calipers, LED adaptive headlights, and the sunroof is deleted. It also gets a special Bilstein suspension setup that hasn't been offered on the WRX before. The WRX STI gets a Bilstein suspension, too, as well as Brembo six-piston front calipers and two-piston rear calipers, Recaro seats, stiffer steering rack mounts and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Neither model gets any extra power, though. Subaru will only build 500 examples of each model, a total of 1,000 cars. The WRX Series.White has a price of $34,895, and the WRX STI costs $43,595. These special Subarus go on sale next year.

Pontiac Aztek enjoys rebirth thanks to Millennials

Apparently, Millennials – those between 18 and 34 – aren't afraid to look different on the road, and they like performance, too. A new study by Edmunds is discovering some surprising vehicle choices by this group. Among them, the long-derided Pontiac Aztek is getting a new day in the sun with 25.5 percent its buyers coming from this generation in the first half of 2015. For comparison, Millennials represent an average of 16.8 percent of used car purchases. The Aztek is slowly shaking its reputation as a styling abomination, which seems tied to its appearance on Breaking Bad. The show premiered in 2008, and the Pontiac has been on this list for four of the past five years, according to Edmunds. It even led the pack in 2010. A recent Retro Review from MotorWeek also showed that the crossover wasn't always so hated. While it's still a shock to see the Aztek on any popularity list, the awkward-looking crossover only ranks sixth among Millennials. The vehicle with the biggest portion of buyers from the generation is the Dodge Magnum with 27.6 percent. According to Edmunds, the bluntly styled wagon is especially popular in Detroit and Chicago. The Chrysler Pacifica comes in a close second at 27.3 percent. When it comes to used cars, value and utility appear to trump just about anything else for many Millennial buyers," Edmunds analyst Jeremy Acevedo said in the report. Young buyers aren't afraid of sporty rides, either. The Subaru WRX has 26.4 percent Millennial buyers to rank third place on the list, and the Volkswagen R32 takes fifth at 25.7 percent. Just a few points lower in seventh place is the Nissan GT-R at 25.4 percent, and the final performance machine in 10th place is the Lexus IS-F with 24.7 percent. Related Video: