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2021 Subaru Outback Review | Still marching to its own drum

The Subaru Outback has always been different. At first, it was weird for a wagon since it had standard all-wheel drive, a ride height lift and rugged styling flourishes. Today, it's weird simply for being a wagon – all others have effectively disappeared, and it really only competes with small crossovers. And against those, the 2021 Subaru Outback makes a tremendous case for itself. Though it rides high off the ground with more clearance than the vast majority of SUVs, it's ultimately still lower overall, making it feel more carlike when behind the wheel and making for easier loading for roof-mounted equipment. Its longer wheelbase provides a smoother, more sophisticated ride as well as more space between seating rows. Its cargo area is also shockingly voluminous. Throw in its abundance of safety and infotainment tech, standard all-wheel drive, solid reliability ratings and improved interior quality with last year's redesign, and you have a vehicle that's easy to recommend. We even deemed it a superior choice to Subaru's own compact crossover, the Forester. What's new for 2021? After being completely redesigned last year, the Outback gains two new standard features for 2021: steering responsive LED headlights and a rear seat reminder that alerts you to check in the back seat for children before exiting the car. What are the Outback interior and in-car technology like? Nearly every 2021 Outback comes with a vertically oriented 11.6-inch touchscreen (and even that lone exception comes with a pair of 7-inch units, pictured above right). Its functionality isn't flawless, as the audio controls when using Apple CarPlay are compromised, and the colorful graphics are a bit cartoonish and have an aftermarket look to them. Still, it's generally easy to use, read and reach. Feature content is excellent as well (see pricing and features section below). Unfortunately, typical for Subaru, stereo sound quality is poor. In terms of design, we can't say the interior is especially attractive, but materials quality is stronger than it was in the past. The buttons and switches have a high-quality feel to them, while even the base trim gets simulated leather stitched together on the dash, doors and center console. There's also a welcome injection of color found in the Touring (tasteful brown leather pictured above) and the Onyx Edition pictured below (gray and black "StarTex" vinyl accented in electric green). How big is the Outback? Think a wagon is smaller than an SUV?

2019 Subaru WRX and WRX STI Series.Gray revealed, look a bit blue

Subaru mentioned that it would make special Series.Gray versions of its WRX sports sedans, but it wasn't until now that the company showed what the special cars actually look like. The 2019 Subaru WRX Series.Gray and WRX STI Series.Gray cars are certainly less bold than some of their predecessors, such as the Series.HyperBlue models. But their Cool Gray Khaki is still a sharp color, one that actually looks a little blue in the right light. And if it looks familiar, that's because it is. The same color is available on the Crosstrek. In addition to the gray paint, the cars come with black badges and black wheels, while the WRX STI gets silver-painted Brembo brake calipers. It's not just cosmetic additions, however. The WRX gets the optional Performance Package as standard, it loses the power sunroof, and it picks up some Jurid front brake pads. The STI gets some performance enhancement, too, in the form a sportier Bilstein suspension setup. Inside, both cars come with Ultrasuede Recaro seats, with driver power adjustment, along with adaptive LED headlights, LED foglights and keyless start. The STI gets an Ultrasuede steering wheel, too. Complete pricing with destination charges for the WRX Series.Gray starts at $33,455 and $40,555 for the WRX STI. You'll also need to act quickly. Only 750 of the WRX and 250 of the WRX STI will be available. The cars go on sale this fall. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Subaru WRX and WRX STI Series.Gray View 10 Photos Image Credit: Subaru Subaru Performance Sedan

Subaru Impreza gets smarter, safer and sharper in Japan

Subaru quietly gave the sedan and hatchback variants of the Impreza a mid-cycle update in Japan. Both body styles now wear a sharper front-end design, and they receive additional tech features. The current, fifth-generation Impreza made its global debut at the 2017 New York Auto Show. The 2020 model introduced online in Japan stands out with a revised front fascia characterized by a wide air dam that stretches the entire width of the bumper, chrome-look L-shaped trim on either end of it, and a revised grille. The changes made to the rear fascia are largely limited to tweaked lights. All told, you need to be an eagle-eyed car-spotter to tell the face-lifted model apart from its predecessor. Buyers seeking a sportier Impreza will be disappointed, Subaru is still taking its time developing the next WRX, but those who want a more high-tech car that helps them drive will be thrilled. Every Japanese-spec Impreza regardless of trim level is now equipped with EyeSight Touring Assist, a suite of electronic driving aids that handles accelerating, braking and steering in a wide range of conditions. These features don't make the Impreza autonomous in any way, and the driver still needs to stay focused on the road ahead, but they help when driving becomes tedious. There are other, more minor upgrades on the menu. The door mirrors now tilt down when the driver selects reverse, for example, and Subaru added a front-view camera.  In Japan, the Impreza carries on with either a 1.6-liter flat-four rated at 115 horsepower, or a 2.0-liter flat-four with 154 horses on tap. The entry-level model is front-wheel drive, surprisingly, but all-wheel drive is standard on higher trims. Regardless, both engines shift through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that offers seven pre-programmed virtual gears. The Impreza lost its manual transmission in its home country years ago, though the company's American division continues to let buyers give a shift. Subaru hasn't announced plans to make similar changes to the American-spec model and tells us "it's too early for us to release information" about that, but it's not too far-fetched to speculate we'll get an updated Impreza sooner rather than later. We might see the model break cover during the 2019 edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, and it could arrive in showrooms during the 2020 model year.