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The not-Subaru crossover wagon | 2017 Volkswagen Alltrack First Drive

Funnily enough, in light of dieselgate, Volkswagen is one of the few brands (along with Volvo and Subaru) to preserve the notion that you don't need a fuel-sucking SUV to meet your life-carrying needs. And, yes, VW's history of addressing off-road desires with all-wheel-drive dates to the mid-1980s with the Quantum Syncro (a.k.a. Passat) and Golf Country – the latter, sadly, never came stateside. The latest offering toward this effort is the 2017 Volkswagen Alltrack. What's an Alltrack? It's a slightly lifted, cladded, and butched-out version of the Golf Sportwagen (yes, formerly known as a Jetta). Not to steal Alltrack's thunder, but starting in 2017 you can also get the standard Sportwagen with 4Motion AWD, which is basically the same running gear for less money. The Alltrack starts at $26,950; the 4Motion Sportwagen starts at $24,930, both with the dual-clutch automatic available at launch. Any discussion of tall wagons brings Subaru immediately to mind, both with the Outback and the Impreza-based Crosstrek. The Volkswagen Alltrack sits between the two in size at 180.2 inches long – 5 more than the Crosstrek and 9.4 inches shorter than the Outback. The 2017 Subaru Outback starts at $25,645, and VW's comparisons focus on the Outback, which is understandable given the similar starting price. A bare-bones Crosstrek starts at $22,245, but quickly gets into Golf price overlap. The Alltrack and the 4Motion Golf Sportwagen are superior daily drivers to the Subaru, whether you're doing an emergency lane change or just trying to merge onto the interstate. Meanwhile, the Crosstrek doesn't have the refinement of the VW. Can we fault Subaru though? It's set a sales record every year in a row since 2010 and is looking at about triple the sales volume of VW's Golf for 2016. So we'll stick to telling you what we think of the Alltrack and let the dealers fight for your dollars. First thing's first. Yes, you can have the Golf Sportwagen and even the Alltrack with a manual six-speed gearbox. The seven-speed DSG automatic is very good, but it's worth noting that any manual gearbox is a rarity these days, especially when we're not talking about a two-seat sports car. You will have to wait until early 2017 for that option, but it also saves you $1,100 off both models. Second, the Alltrack and 4Motion Sportwagens get identical engines. Whether manual or DSG, VW's EA888 turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder is under the hood.

Everything we know about the Subaru BRZ STI

May 30, 2017: It seems an STI-tuned Subaru BRZ was even closer than we thought. Subaru posted to its official Twitter page a teaser image of the upcoming car. It's a shot of the trunk lid with a big STI logo on the endplates. If that weren't enough confirmation of the car, the tweet included the hashtag "#STI." The only other information given was the date of June 8, 2017, and the promise of more information. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. May 23, 2017: Spy shots reveal our first look at a new STI-tuned Subaru BRZ, and it will likely come to the US. The reason we say this is that the car was spotted near a Subaru office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We also know this is an STI badge because we can make out the distinctive logo underneath pieces of tape at the front and back. It features a huge wing that isn't found on any other BRZ, though the body kit appears to be the optional one available on regular models. There aren't any obvious signs of forced induction on the car either. No top-mounted intercooler scoops or front-mounted intercoolers are visible anywhere. We hope Subaru will give this car more power, but we're not optimistic, especially when the last STI-badged BRZ for Japan didn't get any power upgrades. April 1, 2015: Subaru reveals an amazing STI-tuned BRZ concept. Like the Subaru BRZ tS by STI, this STI Performance Concept has a huge rear wing, and subtle, functional-looking aerodynamic parts. Most importantly for BRZ fans, it also has a more powerful engine. Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four used by the GT300-class race car. It makes about 300 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. However, Subaru said that it's unlikely a turbocharged model like this will come out soon. We expect that Subaru will first launch a tS-style BRZ in the near future, and possibly introduce a turbocharged BRZ variant with a new generation of the car. Subaru STI Performance Concept | 2015 NYIAS View 24 Photos April 19, 2013: Subaru announces the first STI-tuned BRZ, and it's not quite what we were hoping for. It's called the Subaru BRZ tS, and it has the same naturally aspirated engine, and thus, the same amount of horsepower. It's furnished with suspension upgrades, Brembo brakes, a front spoiler, and on the GT model, a big rear wing. Only 500 units will be made - and they're all for Japan. View 27 Photos

Ford tumbles to second worst in Consumer Reports reliability survey, list dominated by Japanese [w/video]

It's no secret that MyFord Touch has had its share of problems since being introduced, but the most recent reliability survey from Consumer Reports shows just how much this infotainment system has affected Ford. Just two years ago, the automaker was in the top 10 for the institute's reliability rankings, but since then, it has tumbled to the second-lowest rung just above dead-last Jaguar. In addition to MyFord Touch, CR also attributes a handful of new products that have had issues right out of the gate.
Compiled from 1.2 million subscriber surveys, this year's auto reliability survey heavily favors Japanese automakers, with eight of the 10 spots hailing from Japan. Toyota brands grabbed the top three spots (Scion, Toyota and Lexus - in that order) with Mazda, Subaru, Honda and Acura filling the next four spots. The only non-Asian automaker cracking the top 10 was Audi at number eight.
Audi climbed a total of 18 spots from last year, and Cadillac and GMC round out this year's top gainers breaking into the top 15. Helping Cadillac's upward movement, the CTS Coupe was named the most reliable domestic car. Lincoln, Volvo and Chrysler join Ford on this year's biggest loser list.