2008 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai, Kia, Genesis and Subaru clean up in IIHS 2018 safety ratings

Hyundai, its partner Kia and its Genesis division are the big winners in the latest vehicle safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, accounting for six of the 15 models that earned the Top Safety Pick+ awards for 2018. Subaru was right behind with four, Mercedes-Benz had two, and Toyota, BMW and Ford each had one. Another 47 vehicles earned the Top Safety Pick designation, where Toyota had 10 vehicle models, with Hyundai recognized for nine models. All but one of the seven vehicles in Subaru's lineup, the BRZ, qualified for one of the awards. IIHS strengthened the criteria for the Top Safety Pick+ award for 2018 to require headlights to earn a "good" rating — an "acceptable" rating was previously enough to notch the "plus" award — and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in the small overlap front crash, which replicates a crash involving just the front corner of a vehicle. It also required vehicles to have acceptable or good headlights for the first time to earn a Top Safety Pick award. Most of winners for both awards qualified on the basis of optional upgrades. IIHS in October began evaluating the passenger side of vehicles in its small overlap front crash test after it said it became clear that automakers were neglecting that side of the vehicle as they focused on improving driver-side protections. IIHS first began conducting driver-side small overlap crashes in 2012. It began measuring both how well low and high beams illuminated the road and the amount of glare they produce for oncoming vehicles as part of its ratings in 2016. The Top Safety Pick+ winners are listed below. The list doesn't include any minivans, pickups or minicars, which don't appear on either list of awardees. Small cars Kia Forte Kia Soul Subaru Impreza (sedan and wagon) Subaru WRX Midsize cars Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback Toyota Camry Large luxury cars BMW 5 series Genesis G80 Genesis G90 Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Midsize SUVs Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Midsize luxury SUV Mercedes-Benz GLC The full list of Top Safety Pick winners is available here.Related Video: Image Credit: IIHS BMW Genesis Hyundai Kia Lincoln Subaru Toyota Safety Crossover SUV Wagon Sedan crash test

Subaru's first hybrid drawing close

In 2011 Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries confirmed that a hybrid Subaru would debut this year. Ever since, there's been speculation about what kind of technology the gasoline-electric hybrid would use - Subaru's own or some version of the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive, which car would debut the new system - Forester, Legacy, or Outback - and whether it would come to America or be a Japan-only model.
A report in The Detroit Bureau says that whatever that first model is, it could be shown as soon as the New York Auto Show, and while the company feels it's a must-have offering for the Japanese market it will also come to the US. It will have a Subaru-developed mild hybrid system that could have been previewed by the Hybrid Tourer concept shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, and is not expected to be able to drive on electric power alone. The Hybrid Tourer used a direct-injected, 2.0-liter boxer engine connected to a CVT and assisted by an electric motor rated at 13 horsepower. Subaru has yet to give anything away about the details of its hybrid plans, so we'll look to New York for the long-awaited unveil.

Subaru testing a BRZ with STI badging and a big wing

Pretty much since the introduction of the Subaru BRZ and its identical Toyota- (or Scion-) badged twin, enthusiasts have been pining for a more powerful version, preferably with an STI badge and all the performance tweaks that come with it. So far though, Subaru has only shown a turbocharged concept that's now a couple of years old, as well as a Japan-only BRZ tS by STI, which only had suspension and handling upgrades. But now, spy photos show Subaru is working on another STI-badged BRZ, and it's testing in the US. Our spy photographer caught this prototype near Subaru's office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it's wearing Michigan manufacturer plates. And, although Subaru taped over it, we can still clearly make out the STI badges on front and back. Despite the STI badges, we don't see any evidence that this BRZ has any kind of power adder like a turbocharger or supercharger. The front vents appear to be the same size as the current model, and there's no hood scoop to feed a possible top-mounted intercooler. The exhaust also looks roughly the same as the naturally aspirated BRZ. There are some other upgrades, though. Most noticeable is the huge rear wing, which has similar stanchions to the BRZ tS. In addition to the wing, the body is accented with the STI lip spoiler, side skirts, and rear bumper extensions available on the current BRZ. Behind the multi-spoke wheels are Brembo brakes at each corner. Based on these photos, we'd say this STI-badged BRZ is probably a track package/trim that improves the car's already excellent handling. We of course hope that there may be some horsepower upgrades under the hood. But a lack of visual changes for forced induction, and Subaru's history of reluctance regarding more powerful BRZs, has us erring on the slow side. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.