2004 Subaru Wrx Impreza Extras No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Subaru Forester, Legacy and Outback earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ ratings

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced its more rigorous standards for the Top Safety Pick+ crash test rating back in September, and has recently called out some new models that have attained this highest rating. Last year, the TSP+ category was created for vehicles passing the then-new small overlap crash test; this year the top award has been amended to include crash prevention technology.
Thanks to its EyeSight technology, the Subaru Legacy, Outback and Forester are among just 22 vehicles to have been named a 2014 TSP+ by the IIHS. Without this technology, all three vehicles - and the Impreza and XV Crosstrek - were still named a Top Safety Pick (without the +).
To test the crash prevention technology, the IIHS uses two tests (one at 12 miles per hour and one at 25 mph) to see how well the systems do to lessen the severity of an impact. or prevent an impact altogether. Vehicles are then given a rating from Superior (best), Advanced or Basic, and cars that do not offer forward collision warning or auto braking are not given a rating in this category. To be named a TSP+, a car must achieve at least a Basic score for crash prevention, but all three Subaru models earned a perfect score to receive a Superior rating. Scroll down for Subaru's press release.

Subaru is bringing a trio of STI concepts to the Tokyo Auto Salon

The Tokyo Auto Salon is almost upon us (or our Japanese counterparts at any rate), and Subaru has no intention of sitting it out. To that end, its performance division Subaru Tecnica International is preparing a slate of new show cars for the tuner expo. Of the trio that STI has in store for the show, the only one it is showing us so far is the STI Performance Concept pictured above – and we've already seen that one. Based on the BRZ and festooned with all manner of performance upgrades (and an enticing matte blue wrap), it was presented at the New York Auto Show this past April. But there are two more that we have not seen yet. Most intriguing is the proposed XV Hybrid STI Concept, but ostensibly combines the rugged approach of the XV Crosstrek – in hybrid spec no less – with the performance upgrades we've come to expect from the WRX STI. Where STI show cars typically appear in blue, this one is slated to appear in white with orange accents and an interior in orange and beige. It still promises a slew of aero enhancements, along with an upgraded suspension. Alongside the BRZ and XV concepts will be a Levorg STI as well, based on the wagon that Subaru sells in Japan and Europe. This one'll appear in WR Blue Pearl with a sportier front end, 18-inch alloys, specific dampers, and a two-tone interior in burgundy and black. Joining the concepts at the Subaru stand will be a quartet of racing models – two based on the BRZ and two on the WRX STI. Related Video: Exhibition Outline of Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 Tokyo, December 24, 2015 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), together with Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI)*1, announced its exhibition at the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon 2016 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association), which will be held January 15th to 17th, 2016 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba prefecture. At the Subaru booth will be concept models such as the "STI Performance Concept" which signifies STI's core business areas, "Levorg STI Concept" and "Subaru XV Hybrid STI Concept". The "WRX STI NBR Challenge 2016", a racing car for 24 Hours Nurburgring endurance race in 2016 and the "Subaru BRZ GT300 2016" for Super GT race will also be exhibited. At the press conference on January 15th, 2016 Subaru Motorsport Activities will be announced. The special site for Subaru Auto salon (http://www.subaru.jp/tas2016/) will be opened.

Subaru Cross Sport Design Concept is a BRZ with a backpack

Sports cars are a notoriously tough sell over the long-term. Like convertibles, sales of even the best sports cars tend to be front-loaded in the first couple of years, at which point they drop off like a stone. That may serve to explain this mysterious two-door wagonback concept from Subaru, dubbed Cross Sport Design Concept.
While details aren't exactly thick on the ground, at first blush, this appears to be a higher-riding BRZ with a more utilitarian backpack. Reports suggest the rear-wheel-drive sports coupe's chassis is riding underneath, despite the fact that the Cross Sport is 2.6 inches longer overall. Assuming the chassis itself is basically unmodified and the 2.0-liter, flat, four-cylinder engine is untouched, this could be a very effective way for Subaru to increase its return on investment in the BRZ's underpinnings while generating a very cool (if niche) shooting brake model.
With the exception of a few bits of concept car frosting (wood-lined cargo bay floor, overly-detailed steroscopic camera mounts, slivered side mirrors, etc.), this thing looks production ready, and that's just ducky with us.