2005 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti on 2040-cars

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Subaru previews rally-ready WRX STI for Global RallyCross

Subaru's long and distinguished history in the world of rallying is about to get another chapter, as it's set to field a team in the Global RallyCross Championship. The car? The all-new WRX STI.
Yes, Subaru will be fielding a GRC challenger, with drivers Bucky Lasek and Sverre Isachsen at the helm. This particular car was teased earlier this week, and is a preview of the eventual GRC model which will launch this fall. The race-ready STI boasts a custom widebody kit with a carbon-fiber rear wing. The roof scoop and the mirrors are also made of carbon fiber, while the wheels are provided by Method. As with all GRC contenders this year, the WRX STI is shod in Yokohama spec rubber. It's not clear what sort of engine sits under the scooped hood, although we imagine we'll find out before the season kicks off in a few months.
Perhaps even more exciting is word that Subaru will also prepare a version of the WRX STI for stage rallies, with Travis Pastrana and David Higgins fielding the new car in the Rally America Championship. That car should arrive later this year.

We drive a Subaru to one of the world's largest glaciers

Now that we're back from Patagonia, senior video producer Chris McGraw is emptying out his camera memory and putting together a number of short clips showing the various places we visited along the journey. (Yes, we wanted to upload these last week, but had little to no wifi connectivity along the way.) In this latest video, we bring you the sights from our trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina, and a look at the roads leading into Chile. Our chariot for what was actually Day 3 of the trip was a Subaru Forester, which had no problem tackling the rough dirt and gravel roads through Patagonia, and was an excellent cruiser for the twisty paved roads leading into the Andes mountain range. The Perito Moreno Glacier is massive – roughly three times the size of Manhattan – and is one of only a few glaciers in Patagonia that's still growing. It is truly an awesome sight – one that's hard to describe, because when you see it, you just sort of stand there, mouth agape, fascinated. We've got a few more clips in the works, including our full Patagonia feature video. Stay tuned, and enjoy the view.

Jalopnik and Consumer Reports see who can pull off the best snow drift

The weather throughout much of the United States is pretty awful at the moment with some combination of extremely low temperatures, inches of snow and maybe some ice underneath it all. The folks at Jalopnik and Consumer Reports are making the absolute best out of a difficult situation by heading to CR's snow-covered test track and attempting to make the longest drift in a quartet of very different performance vehicles. Jalopnik brought along a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Wagon, a Subaru WRX STI, a BMW 228i and a 1973 Volkswagen Baja Bug (heck yeah!) for the challenge. Also, the track was perfect for this group, with a mix of packed snow in places and still a few inches of unsullied powder in spots too. Ostensibly the goal was to get the tail to step out through a particular corner, but in reality this was more about having hilarious fun in the snow with fast cars. The result just looks like the best time humanly possible in this weather.