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2016 Subaru WRX makes IIHS TSP+ fun

We write about boring, utilitarian compacts being named to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick+ list pretty regularly. Today, we've got yet another fun car to add to the tally – the Subaru WRX. Thanks to the inclusion of the company's impressive EyeSight active safety system, the WRX was able to score a "Superior" rating on IIHS' frontal crash prevention test, which is the highest score possible. Vehicles are required to score at least an "Advanced" rating to earn the TSP+ mark. In addition to the active safety system, TSP+ vehicles must also record "Good" ratings across the four basic crash tests – front, side, rear, and rollover – and a "Good" or "Acceptable" rating the small-overlap crash test. Of course, Subaru is no stranger to IIHS' biggest honor – the Legacy and Outback were named Top Safety Pick + vehicles in April 2014. We're still scouring the Internet for the actual crash test video from IIHS. Once we uncover it, we'll update this post. Until then, scroll down for the official press release from Subaru. 2016 Subaru WRX Awarded IIHS' Highest Standard of Safety "2015 TOP SAFETY PICK (TSP) +" ? "EyeSight" achieved the highest possible rating of "Superior" for front crash prevention. ? Seven models have earned 2015 safety awards from IIHS. Tokyo, September 14, 2015 - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, today announced that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS; a nonprofit organization supported by auto insurers in the US) has awarded the highest standard of safety, 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+) along with the highest possible rating of "Superior" for front crash prevention to the 2016 Subaru WRX (US specs.), equipped with Subaru's EyeSight* driver assist technology. By adopting the EyeSight for 2016 model, WRX earned 6 of 6 points for front crash prevention. Including 2016 Subaru WRX, Subaru has seven models that have earned 2015 safety awards from IIHS - six with TOP SAFETY PICK+ and one with TOP SAFETY PICK. The EyeSight was the first system ever to use only stereo camera technology to detect the objects such as vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Since its Japanese debut in May 2008, features available on this system have been highly praised; they included pre-collision braking control and all-speed range adaptive cruise control tracking function.

Travis Pastrana puts on blue and gold Subaru jacket again

Travis Pastrana partnered with Subaru for eleven years, the relationship going especially well from 2006 to 2010 when Pastrana won four consecutive Rally America National Championships. They broke up in 2010 to give Pastrana space for his NASCAR fling and a couple of years in Global Rallycross with Dodge.
Giving up on his NASCAR dream last November has made possible a reconciliation with his former automotive love: Subaru has just announced that Pastrana will return to its Rally Team USA for the 2014 Rally America Championship, partnering with veteran team driver and current Rally America champion David Higgins.
Although the season begins later this month in Atlanta, Michigan, Pastrana won't return until the second round in February, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Salem, Missouri. He'll also be at the start of the Global Rallycross round of the X-Games in June, but in a WRX STI this year instead of his erstwhile Dodge Dart. You'll find a press release below with a few more bits of information, and there's always this trip down memory lane...

Consumer Reports sneaks in early review of 2015 Subaru Outback

Subaru is taking a bit of a measured risk with its new generation of Legacy and Outback. While they ride on a slightly larger platform than before, with a revised front-end design, neither of them looks to be a radical departure from models they replace. Instead of focusing on exterior styling, the Japanese brand is trying to make the vehicles better to own with more sound deadening, improved fuel economy and more available tech. Pricing for the 2015 Outback isn't available yet, but with the 2015 Legacy pricing as a guide, it's likely a few hundred dollars more than the current model.
We just had our first stab at the new Legacy, which is slated to go on sale this summer, but Consumer Reports managed to snag an early look at the 2015 Outback in a sort of mini-review to get an idea of how the new model shakes out. Like many, we'd wager, CR isn't completely sold on the new styling, but seems otherwise moderately impressed by the upgrades. The improvements to the interior and infotainment system are especially well received by them. Naturally, though, CR notes that not everything is perfect with the high-riding wagon.
Scroll down to watch CR's preview of the new Outback and see what it thinks of this practical family hauler.