2014 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Subaru could have all-electric CUV by 2021

Subaru doesn't exactly have an industry-leading electric vehicle program. It sells the Impreza Sport Hybrid in Japan and the Crosstrek Hybrid in the US. There have been electrified rumors and concept cars, but Subaru has been more content to promote getting out into the environment rather than using your car to help it. But maybe this'll change in 2021. That's when, according to a report in the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun newspaper in Japan, the automaker will introduce an midsize, all-electric AWD CUV in the US. The EV would be based on the Forester or Outback and use a new global platform. As for where the cells, batteries, or motors would come from, there was no mention. The newspaper cited unnamed sources and all that an on-the-record spokesperson would say is that, "We have yet to decide on any specifics at the moment." Or, as Subaru of America's national manager of product communications, Dominick Infante, told AutoblogGreen, "It's a bit early for us to discuss electric vehicles and PHEVs." There's a good reason for Subaru to be considering going electric, and it's the same one that's pushing the entire industry to zero-emission vehicles: tighter emissions regulations. As much as we want to know everything now, it appears that Subaru is taking the same approach to all-electric vehicles as it did with hybrids. At the New York Auto Show in 2013, Subaru's executive vice president Tom Doll said that, "We at Subaru were not the first to market with a hybrid, but we sure made sure we did it right." If it takes the company until 2021 to release an EV, it had better get it right. Related Video:

Subaru skips the Super Bowl, brings back the driving dogs

Subaru's research shows that 80 percent of owners have a pet. So the company plans to skip expensive advertising during the Super Bowl again this year in favor of being the official auto sponsor of the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. The canine-friendly company also has five new ads starring the Barkleys, a family of Labradors and Golden Retrievers. The commercial above titled Phone Navigation is our favorite of the group because it puts a funny spin on bad smartphone voice recognition. You can check out the other four adorable ads below. Doggie Bag has the pups dealing with an inept valet; Windshield Wiper forces them to cope with a bulldog in a car ahead; Bad Hair Day tactfully handles a rough trip to the doggy salon; and Puppy tries to help a little one get to sleep. With new spots like this practically every year, Subaru clearly has a paw on the pulse of what its customers like. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. THE RETURN OF THE BARKLEYS: SUBARU LAUNCHES NEW "DOG TESTED. DOG APPROVED." TV AD CAMPAIGN, STARRING AMERICA'S FAVORITE CANINE FAMILY Subaru's new advertising campaign brings back the Barkley family for new wave of television spots Cherry Hill, N.J. - Subaru of America, Inc. has launched its new "Dog Tested. Dog Approved." advertising campaign in celebration of the love of pets shared by the brand and its owners. The five spots showcase the Barkleys, the adorable family of dogs featured in the 2013 "Meet the Barkleys" campaign. In Subaru's newest spots, the Barkleys will take on everything from driving their Subaru around town, trying to get their kids to sleep and even dealing with other doggie drivers. The national television spots, created by Carmichael Lynch on behalf of Subaru of America, will air in the coming weeks, and all five ads will be featured on February 7 during PUPPY BOWL XII on Animal Planet, where Subaru of America will mark its sixth year as the event's Official Auto Sponsor. During the event, fans at home will be encouraged to share photos of their own pets using #PuppyBowlSubaru. The "Dog Tested.

2017 Subaru BRZ First Drive

When the Subaru BRZ debuted in 2012, it was heralded as a return to the traditional Japanese sport coupe formula – a compact, lightweight, rear-wheel-drive runabout that hearkened back to greats like the original Toyota Celica, Mazda's RX-3, and the Nissan 240SX. Japan is covered in mountains, and that's where its enthusiasts honed their hooning. Cars that emphasize handling, not horsepower, make the most sense there. Now, five years on, Subaru is using the model's first facelift to further differentiate it from its Toyota cousin. The BRZ is Subaru's ultimate vision of a sophisticated driver's car, more string-backed gloves than flat-brimmed hat. To prove the point, Subaru invited us to drive the refreshed 2017 specimen, along with 2016 models for comparison, at Japan's legendary Fuji Speedway. The BRZ's revised styling makes the distinction painfully clear right off the bat. It now sports a squarer jawline, with a chin described by senior designer Yuki Kumono as aircraft-inspired. LED DRLs are embedded in the new headlamps, moved up from the space they once shared with fog lights. A side note for Subaru fans: The C-shaped DRLs are called "hawkeyes" internally, which is sure to cause confusion among Subarists who have already given that name to the 2006–07 Impreza WRX and STI. Freshened taillights and a reshaped spoiler update the badonk, and the Subie has new fender inserts. Styling is of course a subjective matter, but anyone who says the sea-creature maw of the post-Scion 2017 Toyota 86 is better looking is clearly wrong. Ultimately, though, the question on everybody's minds is, "Does the BRZ have any more danged power?" The answer to that is yes, technically, but only on certain cars. The 2.0-liter boxer four makes five more horsepower and five more pound-feet of torque only on manual-transmission cars. That brings the totals to 205 hp and 156 lb-ft. Cries for a turbocharger have gone stubbornly unanswered. In typical Japanese fashion, it's not the numbers that matter. Subaru has focused instead on the overall driving feel, that elusive metric that can't be expressed on a spec sheet or through the frothing internet comments of armchair racers. Subaru's engineers, some of whom are trained as the company's expert test drivers, have toiled away at a host of improvements for the base Premium trim, the upper Limited grade, and a new Performance Package that's available on top of the latter.