1998 Subaru Legacy Gt Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Scion rules out roadster, turbo versions of FR-S

Ever since Toyota and Subaru released the sports car alternatively known as the GT86, 86, BRZ and Scion FR-S a couple of years ago, rumors have circulated that even more exciting variants could be in store. But at least as far as Scion is concerned, those rumors are apparently nothing more than wishful thinking. Speaking with WardsAuto at the LA Auto Show last week, Scion chief Doug Murtha said that the prospect of an FR-S roadster has been taken off the table entirely. Apparently Scion lobbied parent company Toyota to produce just such a model, but after failing to find other markets interested enough in the model to put it into production, corporate HQ said no. "I think we were pretty aggressive on our (submitted plan), but we looked at what we would have conceivably lost on the product and said, 'We're not going to even push it further,'" Murtha said, going on to note, "Nobody was more disappointed than we were." Murtha further shot down the idea of a turbo version of the FR-S, dismissing it as a prospect the blogosphere (that's us) wanted to happen but "that's not something that's coming." Either variant might have helped Scion and Toyota boost sales of the model (which are predictably dropping after their first two years on the market), but the investment also might not have paid off their development, tooling and marketing costs. Of course, Murtha can only speak for Toyota, but we'd be surprised to see Subaru go it alone on either model, as costs would be that much more prohibitive without a partner. Bummer.

Subaru gives Aussies BRZ Sports Pack

Well, it might not be exactly the Subaru BRZ STI that we've all been waiting for, but Australian market shoppers are now going to have the option of adding some STI flavor to their coupe, with this new BRZ S.
Critically, the Sports Pack upgrades included in the S specification do not involve forced induction of any kind for the BRZ's 2.0-liter flat-four mill. Instead, the BRZ S will offer a novel flexible strut tower brace and a coilover suspension to aid its already impressive handling prowess. Visually, the car gets a new aero kit with lowered skirts and a new front and rear splitter, as well as some mean-looking, 17-inch black wheels. Inside, a new gearlever and a STI-branded starter button will call out the S model.
The S package can be ordered on a new BRZ and fitted at the dealer, or added to an existing customer car. When ordered new, the BRZ S adds $7,995 Australian - about $7,275 US including installation - to the price of the six-speed manual car, or $7,195 Australian ($6,547 US) for the six-speed automatic transmission model. That's a pretty fat wedge of cash, but it's worth bearing in mind that Australians generally pay significantly more for new cars than we do here in the States. For instance, the BRZ starts at $37,150 Australian, nearly $34k US. Even accounting for regional equipment differences, that's a lot more than the BRZ's $26,265 as-delivered base MSRP here in America.

Days 3-5: Our 4 favorite Patagonia timelapse videos | Subarus in South America

Sorry for the break in daily updates, Autoblog In Patagonia fans. McGraw and I spent the last two nights at a hotel so remote, it doesn't even technically have an address – just coordinates. We barely had wifi access and couldn't even get a cell signal most of the time, but now we're back with another quick update about our adventures in South America. Since our last writing, we hopped in a Subaru Forester and checked out the massive Perito Moreno glacier, crossed the border into Chile and spent all of Thursday inside the Torres del Paine national park. We drove Outbacks and Crosstreks on some truly epic dirt roads up and down mountains, and even took a break to do a little fishing (we can't work all the time). Friday, our journey took us even more south to Punta Arenas, Chile, and on Saturday we'll cross the Straits of Magellan and head back into Argentina, to fulfill our quest of driving to the southernmost drivable point in the world (outside of Antarctica). Since we've had lots of time on our hands, we decided to take some timelapse videos of the epic scenery here in Chile, and that's what we're bringing you this time around, in the video above. We'll have another update soon. In the meantime, check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds to see what we've posted on our very spotty cell coverage. We can't wait to show you everything we experienced when the big, final story comes out later this month. Auto News Subaru Videos patagonia autoblog in patagonia