2009 Subaru Legacy Gt Limited 2.5t on 2040-cars

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Subaru readying special-edition BRZ

Another week coming to a close brings another rumor of a potential hotted-up version of the Subaru everyone wants to turbocharge, the BRZ.
A fresh rumor out of the Car and Driver offices makes the claim that a new, special-edition BRZ model will be offered up within the next few months. Word is that the new model will not get similar upgrades to the recent BRZ tS (seen above) for the Japanese market, meaning we're likely in for a cosmetic update instead of a functional one.
The looks of the tS could still be in the cards, however, meaning swapped-out lip spoiler, wheels and even STI badging might be on the way.

Subaru will reveal the Ascent 3-row crossover at the L.A. Auto Show

After about a year of concepts and spy photos, we finally know when we'll see the Subaru Ascent, the company's upcoming three-row crossover. Subaru announced on Twitter that the Ascent will make its debut on November 28 at this year's L.A. Auto Show. The announcement came with a teaser image, shown above, revealing the badge, rear taillight, and part of the bumper. We can tell that the Ascent will have a pretty upright hatch, and the rear bumper looks suitably "tough" with a brushed aluminum sill and black plastic cladding. View 17 Photos But really, we know quite a bit about what the crossover will look like, since we've seen two concepts, the Viziv-7 and Ascent Concept. Each was a progressively more conservative imagining of what the production model would be like. The basics involved a generally boxy shape with chiseled, exaggerated fenders, much like every other production Subaru. The Ascent Concept also previewed a possible powertrain for the vehicle, a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-4. View 9 Photos We've also had a good look at the production version in some recent spy shots showing a nearly production-ready Ascent wrapped in just vinyl camouflage. Some of the more extreme lines have been further toned down compared with the concepts. But the theme of it being a bigger, boxier Subaru stuck around. In fact, it looks very much like a puffed up Outback, with which the Ascent will share a factory in Lafayette, Ind. Related Video:

Subaru Forester, Legacy and Outback earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ ratings

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced its more rigorous standards for the Top Safety Pick+ crash test rating back in September, and has recently called out some new models that have attained this highest rating. Last year, the TSP+ category was created for vehicles passing the then-new small overlap crash test; this year the top award has been amended to include crash prevention technology.
Thanks to its EyeSight technology, the Subaru Legacy, Outback and Forester are among just 22 vehicles to have been named a 2014 TSP+ by the IIHS. Without this technology, all three vehicles - and the Impreza and XV Crosstrek - were still named a Top Safety Pick (without the +).
To test the crash prevention technology, the IIHS uses two tests (one at 12 miles per hour and one at 25 mph) to see how well the systems do to lessen the severity of an impact. or prevent an impact altogether. Vehicles are then given a rating from Superior (best), Advanced or Basic, and cars that do not offer forward collision warning or auto braking are not given a rating in this category. To be named a TSP+, a car must achieve at least a Basic score for crash prevention, but all three Subaru models earned a perfect score to receive a Superior rating. Scroll down for Subaru's press release.