2004 Subaru Baja Sport Awd 4door Pick-up Auto Trans Silver Ext/blk Leather Int on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Subaru Forester XT

Hitting The Mainstream Sweet Spot
The Forester does quite a bit of heavy lifting for Subaru. What was once a plucky little all-wheel-drive utility box has matured into a competitive crossover that accounts for a quarter of the company's total sales in the US. With those numbers continuing to swell even in the third generation's twilight hours, engineers and designers found themselves in the unenviable position of being asked to fix what ain't broke. Rather than reinvent the company's workhorse from the ground up, as we say in our first look at the CUV, Subaru honed the Forester to offer better fuel efficiency, more usable space and a more refined drive.
In doing so, the automaker hopes to toe that delicate line between luring in new devotees to the cult of Pleiades and keeping the brand's longtime fans smiling. While the fourth-generation Forester may have lost some of its trademark pluckiness in the pursuit of a more mainstream existence, there's no denying this is a more sorted vehicle than its predecessors. Make no mistake, the 2014 Forester is keen to carve out a larger chunk of the ever-plumping CUV market for itself, and for the first time in its history, it has the muscle to do so.

Subaru WRX Concept hints at big performance, offers few facts

We're looking at a design statement only at this point.
Subaru has dropped the curtain on its truly attractive WRX Concept and, as previewed a few days ago, we're fast fans of the wide, low, muscular sedan. The concept car looks great, but there was a distinct lack of information being offered about the next-generation WRX that is sure to follow this concept - we're looking at a design statement only at this point.

Subaru launches production of Ascent crossover in Indiana

Subaru began production Monday of the new Ascent, its much-anticipated three-row crossover, at its plant in Lafayette, Ind. It's set to arrive at dealers in June as a 2019 model and will start at $32,970, including shipping. The Ascent joins the Impreza, Legacy and Outback as vehicles built at the plant. It'll compete with three-row utility vehicles like the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Chevrolet Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas. (Read our comparison of the Ascent to the former two here.) Subaru built around 364,000 vehicles at the Indiana plant last year and expects the Ascent to nudge that up to around 400,000 vehicles a year. The automaker spent $140 million and added 1,200 jobs at Lafayette to support the Ascent. The company in late 2016 shifted production of the Impreza sedan and hatchback to the factory, its lone manufacturing site outside of Japan, to free up room at its plant in Gunma Prefecture for the hot-selling Crosstrek, which has been singlehandedly lifting Subaru's U.S. sales lately. A Subaru spokesman told Autoblog recently that the company hopes to sell 60,000 Ascents in the first year and had already booked more than 4,000 sold orders on the vehicle from customers who hadn't seen or driven it. The Ascent will come in either seven- or eight-seat configurations, is offered in all-wheel-drive and is based on a modified version of the same Subaru Global Platform that underpins the Impreza. It's powered by an all-new 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder that makes 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. It fills a slot formerly occupied by the Tribeca, Subaru's last three-row vehicle, which was discontinued in 2014. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.