2012 Subaru Forester 2.5x Premium on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Subaru WRX hatchback back off the table

It's fair to see we're rather fond of the new Subaru WRX. That's not to say we don't have a number of issues with the budget sports sedan, though. Foremost among those complaints is that it's short exactly one door. Yes, the sedan-only WRX is just fine, but we'd be lying if we said we weren't missing the long-roofed, five-door model of years past. More pressing than our sentimentality, though, is the business case for a WRX wagon - half of the 2013 WRX and STI models sold had five doors. As a general rule, ignoring half of your former customers isn't the best strategy for long-term success. There was some hope, as recently as a few weeks ago, though, that Subaru would right this wrong and offer a real, five-door WRX. An Australian reporter managed to corner project manager Masuo Takatsu, who said strong interest from the US meant that the Subaru mothership was considering a WRX with a hatch rather than a trunk. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case, as Subaru USA is dashing any and all hope of a second body style. According to Motor Trend, the company's US arm reached out to Japan and, despite the statements made by Takatsu, confirmed that there were no plans for a WRX wagon. Sigh...

Days 3-5: Our 4 favorite Patagonia timelapse videos | Subarus in South America

Sorry for the break in daily updates, Autoblog In Patagonia fans. McGraw and I spent the last two nights at a hotel so remote, it doesn't even technically have an address – just coordinates. We barely had wifi access and couldn't even get a cell signal most of the time, but now we're back with another quick update about our adventures in South America. Since our last writing, we hopped in a Subaru Forester and checked out the massive Perito Moreno glacier, crossed the border into Chile and spent all of Thursday inside the Torres del Paine national park. We drove Outbacks and Crosstreks on some truly epic dirt roads up and down mountains, and even took a break to do a little fishing (we can't work all the time). Friday, our journey took us even more south to Punta Arenas, Chile, and on Saturday we'll cross the Straits of Magellan and head back into Argentina, to fulfill our quest of driving to the southernmost drivable point in the world (outside of Antarctica). Since we've had lots of time on our hands, we decided to take some timelapse videos of the epic scenery here in Chile, and that's what we're bringing you this time around, in the video above. We'll have another update soon. In the meantime, check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds to see what we've posted on our very spotty cell coverage. We can't wait to show you everything we experienced when the big, final story comes out later this month. Auto News Subaru Videos patagonia autoblog in patagonia

Is Subaru close to ditching 6-cylinder engines?

Despite niche outliers like the 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8 and 7.0-liter V8 in the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, we live in an era where small-displacement, turbocharged engines are becoming the norm. In many model lineups, a boosted four-cylinder now holds the place that a six might have just a few short years ago. At least in some markets, Subaru could be the next automaker to follow this path by axing its 3.6-liter boxer six-cylinder. Granted, that's not as much of a leap for Subie as some other automakers because the Japanese brand is already closely associated with turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The company's six-pot boxer is currently only offered in the Legacy and Outback in the US. Australian website CarAdvice spoke with Subaru deputy general manager of engineering Yoichi Hori about the company's future powertrain plans at least for Down Under. "Our research said the six-cylinder model is decreasing in the world. So that's why probably the future, many companies take the smaller displacement with a turbocharger, or diesel, or hybrid," said Hori to CarAdvice. He was also specific about which engine he had in mind. "In terms of the body size, a 2.0-liter with a turbocharger is enough, I think," he said. Hori said that the automaker stuck with the boxer-six for so long because of the turbocharged four-cylinder's higher maintenance costs. Slotting Subaru's 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer four-cylinder into the Legacy and Outback seems easy to imagine. After all, the mill already does duty in different tunes in the Forester and WRX in the US. Keep in mind, though, that Hori's words are aimed at the Aussie market. A rumor from earlier this year speculated the company's midsize models might get a smaller displacement six and the turbo four for some trims. Featured Gallery 2015 Subaru Legacy: First Drive View 35 Photos News Source: CarAdviceImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL Green Subaru Wagon Sedan turbocharging