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Subaru is America's third most off-roaded brand

When you think of iconic off-road brands, where does Subaru fall on your radar? Somewhere in the middle? Perhaps near the bottom? Don't worry, you're not alone. Until recently spending some time in Bend, OR, where we drove the all-new 2015 Subaru Outback, we never really pegged the Japanese automaker to be a highly lauded brand among off-road enthusiasts, despite many of the company's products actually being quite capable when the going gets rough.
But the data says we're wrong. According to a 2013 J.D. Power study, Subaru vehicles have some of the highest use off road compared to other brands - of course "off road" here just means anything not on a paved road, so even gravel trails and tame two-tracks count in these statistics. Nearly 29.5 percent of its cars are used on trails and dirt roads, with only the Ram and Jeep brands besting that statistic, at 30.2 and 31.0 percent, respectively. Said another way, Subaru sold 424,683 vehicles in the US in 2013, meaning that some 125,281 saw off-road use. Mainstream brands like GMC, Ford and Chevrolet all trail Subaru, and even Land Rover comes in at less than 20 percent.
Some 34.7 percent of Outbacks are taken off paved roads, according to J.D. Power data.

Subaru unveils catchily named WRX STI tS Type RA in Japan

We feel safe in saying it's time for Subaru to step away from the keyboard for a spell. The company just unveiled this new WRX STI tS Type RA in Japan, and while the car features all sorts of tricks to help it stand out from the rest of the WRX rabble, it also boasts a name that looks like the product of a good old fashioned QWERTY Hulk smash. Nomenclature aside, this WRX STI features a revised suspension with tweaked springs and dampers as well as a faster steering ratio, Brembo brakes and a front strut tower brace.
JDM buyers can pick between the ever-sexy (if loud) Tangerine Orange Pearl paint seen here, Satin White Pearl or Blue Mica. There's also available NBR Challenge Package, complete with a set of Recaro front seats, a few carbon fiber aero bits and 18-inch BBS forged wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE070 rubber. How's that for delicious?
Subaru is only planning to crank out 300 WRX STI tS Type RA units, two-thirds of which will carry the NBR goodies.

You can buy the last Subaru rally car driven by Colin McRae

Colin McRae continued entertaining the fans for years after retiring from competing full-time in the World Rally Championship – though sadly not for enough of them. His last public appearance was at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed, driving the car you see here to the crowd's delight. And now it could be yours. Though it may look mostly like any ordinary Subaru Impreza WRX STI, this is a full-on S12B rally machine. Petter Solberg drove it for the factory Subaru World Rally Team throughout most of the 2007 World Rally Championship, scoring two podium finishes. That would make it desirable enough as it is, but then McRae drove it up Lord March's front lawn (see the video below) to cement its place in history. It was the last time McRae drove in public before he died in a helicopter crash near his home in Scotland just months later. The vehicle has since been stripped down to its shell and completely rebuilt to showroom condition. It has only put on a little over 200 miles since the engine was rebuilt, and the clutch was replaced just 50 miles ago. It has new seats and harnesses, fire extinguishers, brake discs and pads, the suspension has been fully rebuilt, the wheels powder-coated afresh.... top-notch, in other words. C&M Motors out of Omagh, Northern Ireland, has it listed on RallySales.com with an asking price of GBP159,500 – equivalent to just over $230k at current exchange rates. That would put it in contention as one of the most expensive Subarus we've ever seen, rivaling the $238k which Sports Car Market records as having been paid for another ex-McRae Impreza just this past October. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.