2004 Subaru Legacy 35th Anniversary Edition Dual Roof Serviced on 2040-cars

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Subaru allegedly developing mid-engine hybrid sports coupe

A mid-engine, hybrid sports coupe could give Subaru a high-performance halo model in the coming years. According to Car and Driver, "a source close to Subaru" let slip the company has been testing the prototype powertrain underneath a BRZ at its proving grounds in Japan. "Whether the end result will be a two-door sports coupe or some kind of sports crossover/CUV is still in the evaluation stage," the anonymous source told Car and Driver. "A coupe seems more likely, though." The vehicle's layout allegedly uses a mid-mounted 1.6-liter turbocharged boxer engine with hybrid assist to spin the rear wheels, and two electric motors at the front would power that end. The resulting all-wheel drive powertrain would have about 330 horsepower or more, Car and Driver claims. If a production version happens, it would use the upcoming Subaru Global Platform. Rumors about Subaru's increased development of hybrids offer some support for this alleged sports coupe. The company reportedly might use electrification to boost the next-gen STI. In 2014, a story also suggested the automaker could revive the SVX as a performance-oriented hybrid shooting brake. More recently, even its Viziv GT Vision Gran Turismo concept combined a turbocharged boxer with three electric motors. While a Subaru sports coupe piques our interest, we are taking the prospect with a grain of salt for now. The Japanese brand has a tendency of teasing performance models but not actually delivering on them – like the STI Performance Concept (above) or the aggressive styling of the last WRX Concept. There could also be a long wait before we see what the company is developing. According to Car and Driver, a concept is at least two years away. Then it would take even more time for execs to okay production. Related Video:

Subaru readies BRZ RA Racing for Japanese trackdays

As if we needed any more reasons to take a Subaru BRZ to the track, Subaru has just announced that it will be producing a racing-spec version of the car straight from the assembly line. The only problem is that the BRZ RA Racing is being offered for the Japanese domestic market only, and won't be visiting any road courses in the US any time soon.
To get the BRZ ready for some serious track time, Subaru added brake ducts beneath the front fascia, removable tow hooks and an oil cooler behind the grille. Inside, the car gets a factory six-point roll cage (including custom-fit floor mats) and a four-point race harness for the driver. Now we get to pricing where US enthusiasts will get even more miffed. The entire suite of racing add-ons increases the BRZ's price by 31,500 yen, which converts to less than $350 US; the total price of the car converts to right around $31,500 US.
There is a brief press release posted below, which has been translated (somewhat poorly) by Google.

2015 Subaru Outback

Realistically, many enthusiasts give horrible, horrible car buying advice. They will recommend something bizarre, inappropriately high performance, compromised or utterly impractical for a given consumer's needs, and they'll almost never recommend something that makes sense. And then they'll come up with 3.7 million reasons why the leading vehicle someone is thinking about is a bad choice.
Or maybe that's just what I do.
Regardless, if you poke, prod, bother or just get us drunk enough, eventually you'll begin getting honest feedback. And more than likely, we'll tell you, in hushed tones, about the many virtues of very, very boring cars. We'll talk about why the Toyota Camry is actually a pretty decent purchase or we'll explain how spacious and feature laden the Nissan Versa is.