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Scion testing updated FR-S

It looks like Toyota is preparing a mid-cycle update for its critically acclaimed GT86, known here in the US as the Scion FR-S or Subaru BRZ. As far as updates go, this one looks to be rather average. Hidden behind the camouflaged front and rear ends, we have new headlights and taillights, which according to our spies looked to be of the LED variety. We wouldn't be shocked to see the GT86 get LED taillights, although fitting the top-of-the-line headlights seems less likely. Supporting that position are the images we have of the actual headlights in action, which don't look quite bright enough to be full LED units. Instead, we'd expect some new form of running light, perhaps with bi-xenon low beams. Aside from the lamps, the front bumper gets a larger, more prominent lower intake, while the rear end sports a redefined bumper that houses larger dual exhaust tips. The size of the spoiler has been increased, too. According to our spies, we should also expect powertrain enhancements – which we can only hope means more power – as well as upgrades to the interior of the GT86. While it's possible that the updates being tested in Germany could be exclusive to the European market, that seems unlikely. We'd expect the same new enhancements to at least find their way to the Scion, if not its Subaru-badged twin. Check out the full battery of spy photos up top. Related Video:

Subaru bringing new XV concept to Geneva

The high-riding, Impreza-based Subaru Crosstrek is due for an update. So to whet our appetites, Subaru's showing a concept that previews the new XV. The concept will debut in Geneva, and it's being teased today in the image above. The Japanese automaker isn't saying much about what will go into the new XV Concept, and the teaser doesn't give us much to go on aside from an impression of body-cladded ruggedness. But it isn't hard to see what direction Subaru is going in here. It already revealed the Impreza 5-Door Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, and the Impreza Sedan Concept in LA shortly thereafter, each previewing different bodystyles for Fuji Heavy's compact model. Like the Outback Sport before it, the Crosstrek is essentially a beefed-up version of the current Impreza. So we'd expect the new XV concept to follow a similar path, building upon the show cars we saw recently in Japan and California and taking them down a more rugged path for the European show. We'll look forward to seeing how it shapes up, but more than that, to seeing how Subaru implements the designs for production. Related Video: Subaru to Debut "Subaru XV Concept" at 2016 Geneva International Motor Show Tokyo, February 9, 2016 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, today announced that the "Subaru XV Concept" will make its world debut at the 86th Geneva International Motor Show to be held in Switzerland (Press day: March 1 – 2 / Open to the public: March 3 – 13, 2016). The Subaru XV Concept will be unveiled at the press briefing scheduled for 11:15 AM (Central European Time) on March 1 at Subaru booth. The special site will opens today on the Subaru Global Site. http://www.subaru-global.com/2016geneva.html The site will feature information updates relating to the Geneva International Motor Show including Subaru's press conference.

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.