2013 Subaru Forester 2.5 X Limited on 2040-cars

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IIHS says these are the safest cars of 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has revealed its annual list of Top Safety Picks, an award that highlights automobiles it says offer "superior crash protection." A new and still more significant award, the Top Safety Pick+ honor, is given to those vehicles that earn good ratings for occupant protection in four out of five areas of measure. And while some 117 vehicles were given the TSP seal of approval for 2013, just 13 passed muster for TSP+.
To be fair, IIHS only evaluated 29 vehicles with its new testing procedures for TSP+ (we'd expect that the number of qualified cars will rise substantially for 2014). Luxury and Near Luxury midsize cars were the first groups evaluated, followed by midsizers in the Moderately Priced Cars category - unsurprisingly, it's only midsize cars that you'll find among the class this year.
Only two luxury sedans made the list of 13 for 2013: the Acura TL and Volvo S60. The other 11 cars on the list included entries from domestic, Japanese and German car makers: Dodge Avenger, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord (sedan and coupe), Kia Optima (but not its close kin, the Hyundai Sonata, strangely), Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Suzuki Kizashi and the Volkswagen Passat all made the grade.

2015 Subaru WRX priced from $26,295*, STI from $34,495*

As you read these words, we're putting together our full First Drive report on the 2015 Subaru WRX STI. And back in December, we were given our first shot behind the wheel of the wingless 2015 Subaru WRX. Both cars will launch at the same time, hitting dealers this spring, and Subaru has now confirmed that pricing will start at $26,295 for the standard WRX, and $34,495 for the hotter STI, with both models subject to a *$795 for destination fee.
On the WRX, that price gets you a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. There are three trim levels available - base, Premium and Limited - the latter of which will retail for $28,495 and $29,995, respectively. Premium and Limited models are also available with a new continuously variable transmission (it isn't bad - seriously), and the two-pedal setup adds $1,200 to the sedan's bottom line. Premium models add things like heated seats and mirrors, a sunroof, foglamps and a rear spoiler. The high-zoot Limited trim adds leather seating, a power driver's seat and automatic LED headlamps.
And then there's the STI, which, at $34,495, carries the same base price as the previous model. Like the standard WRX, the STI is a sedan-only affair, but boasts extensive chassis and powertrain upgrades (stay tuned for our full drive report next week). Under the hood is a turbocharged, 2.5-liter boxer-four, producing 305 hp and 290 lb-ft of twist, mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission.

Don't expect an all-new Subaru WRX until 2020

Despite Subaru completely overhauling the Impreza for 2017, it appears the WRX will stick around on its current platform for another few years. That's the word from Motoring in Australia, who spoke with an senior engineer from Subaru about a WRX replacement. For those that can't wait, the good news is that a WRX refresh is coming for 2018, which should carry the car for another few years. It should be no surprise that a full WRX redesign is a few years off. Although the fourth generation Impreza was released in 2011, the current WRX has only been on sale since the 2015 model year. Given an average five-year cycle, we can most likely expect a redesign for 2020. It's not clear how extensive the refresh will be or if the STI will finally drop the ancient EJ-series 2.5-liter turbocharged flat four engine for the more modern FA-series 2.0-liter turbocharged flat four engine found in the regular WRX. Rumors have been swirling for years of what else a full-redesign may encompass. The current model was rumored to have an electric turbocharger that obviously never appeared. There have been other rumors of a switch to a hybrid powertrain. While that may work when the WRX finally uses the updated Impreza platform, don't expect to see hybrid power in the refreshed model. Subaru says the time it would take to engineer such a system would be too great to have it available for 2018. The new Impreza's platform is designed to fit a hybrid system, so don't rule out the possibility of a WRX hybrid. Related Video: News Source: MotoringImage Credit: AOL Design/Style Subaru Hatchback Performance Sedan subaru sti