2008 Subaru Wrx, 350++ Hp, Over $9k In Mods, Very Clean, Very Quick!! on 2040-cars

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2016 Subaru WRX: Is this successor worthy of the crown?

I was leasing a 2012 Subaru WRX, a car I had wanted since forever. When the lease was up, I decided to trade it in and get another WRX, a 2016 model. Now that I've put over 7,500 miles on the new one, I can offer a fair comparison of the previous-generation model and newest model. While the basic DNA is the same – turbocharged boxer engine + symmetrical all-wheel drive – these cars look and feel rather different. Exterior The prior model WRX ran from 2008 to 2014. In 2011, though, Subaru upped the ante by giving its rally-inspired baby a widebody look similar to the STI variant. The WRX was offered as either a sedan or a hatchback. I opted for the hatchback version because of the extra cargo space, and I felt it looked better than the sedan. I loved the look of this car, especially in the classic World Rally Blue paint. The flared fenders, hood scoop, and quad exhaust tips made for one aggressive-looking machine. It definitely stood out from the crowd. The new model, on the other hand, introduced in 2015, is only offered as a sedan. It blends into the crowd for the most part, but I think the front end looks great and the side profile looks sleek. At the rear, Subaru did a nice job with the stainless steel exhaust tips versus the old model's unfinished tips, but the taillight design is nothing special. The low-profile trunk spoiler is a nice touch. The 18" wheels on the Premium and Limited models look sharp, though they're a bit on the heavy side. Interior The previous generation WRX was criticized for its spartan interior, but I didn't mind it. I liked the simplicity. Everything was easy to use, whereas newer cars have a bit of a learning curve with infotainment systems and whatnot. The red stitching and WRX-embroidered seats added some uniqueness to the car. The fit & finish weren't great, though. There was a rattling sound coming from the driver's side A-pillar that I had to fix. Subaru did a good job with the new model's interior. It feels more elegant than aggressive. The climate control knobs have a nice feel and weight to them, and the steering wheel is superb. There's a digital display on the gauges, a small screen on top of the dash, and Subaru's Starlink system for radio and phone. A back-up camera is standard and displays on the Starlink's 6.2" screen for 2016, which has been a surprisingly nice perk to have.

2014 Subaru Forester XT

Hitting The Mainstream Sweet Spot
The Forester does quite a bit of heavy lifting for Subaru. What was once a plucky little all-wheel-drive utility box has matured into a competitive crossover that accounts for a quarter of the company's total sales in the US. With those numbers continuing to swell even in the third generation's twilight hours, engineers and designers found themselves in the unenviable position of being asked to fix what ain't broke. Rather than reinvent the company's workhorse from the ground up, as we say in our first look at the CUV, Subaru honed the Forester to offer better fuel efficiency, more usable space and a more refined drive.
In doing so, the automaker hopes to toe that delicate line between luring in new devotees to the cult of Pleiades and keeping the brand's longtime fans smiling. While the fourth-generation Forester may have lost some of its trademark pluckiness in the pursuit of a more mainstream existence, there's no denying this is a more sorted vehicle than its predecessors. Make no mistake, the 2014 Forester is keen to carve out a larger chunk of the ever-plumping CUV market for itself, and for the first time in its history, it has the muscle to do so.

Here's the story with the Chicken Tax

Quiz America's auto enthusiasts about the vehicles they most want to see in the US market, and for every one that doesn't respond with a French hot hatchback or some diesel-powered offering, there'd be at least three that ask for some small, imported pickup truck. That won't happen, though, and we have the Chicken Tax to thank. This damnable bit of legislation affixes a 25-percent tariff to any light truck not built in the United States. That's why Honda, Toyota and Nissan build all their trucks in the United States, and it's also why pickups like the foreign-built Volkswagen Amarok, shown above, or the long-rumored Mahindra pickup aren't offered here. Wired has the story on the roots of the Chicken Tax, including how one Japanese manufacturer got around it and even delivered a vehicle to one of our country's presidents. Head over and check it out.