Subaru keeps teasing us with images of the new BRZ sports car concept – but when can we see it all? The auto maker is being very secretive about their vehicle, with only glimpses of a production model being released. However, at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, digital concept drawings of their Subaru BRZ STI Concept were shown off. The Japanese auto maker claims they will unveil the car at this month’s Tokyo Auto Show:

These images give us a look at what direction Subaru design is taking with this rear-wheel-drive sports car. It’s unclear if the regular, non-STI production model will mimic this look, but some key features (like the 2.0 liter boxer engine) will likely remain. Though STI will receive a turbocharged variant. Each will supposedly be attached to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

The hexagonal front grille and fin-shaped fog lamps add to that Rally Car look, along with the “WR Blue Pearl II” – “a new generation of the iconic World Rally Blue paint scheme.”

The body is aero-tuned with lower front spoiler and unique rear wing for optimal down-force. BRZ also includes a carbon fiber roof to lower its center of gravity. Supported by a STI-tuned suspension, Brembo brakes, and 18-inch wheels, it seems like Subaru will hit the ball out o the park with BRZ – if they actually decide to release it.

Source | Photos: MA

At the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Subaru unleashed their much anticipated 2012 Subaru XV concept. Part Outback, part Impreza, this crossover / wagon will be the next edition to the Japanese auto maker’s line up.

Not one, not two, but three different boxer engine options will be available starting next year for the vehicle. Choices are rumored to include a 1.6 liter and 2.0 liter gasoline engine, along with additional 2.0 liter diesel powerplant, even in North America!

Each features fuel sipping start/stop technology, matted to the Lineartronic continuously variable transmission. All aluminum wheels and new suspension help boost XV up to an 8.6 inch clearance underneath.

Subaru says the interior on XV is “luxurious” and “perfectly balances the different tactile and emotional qualities of leather, metal, and cloth.”

Images: WCF

We already know the Subaru Forester comes with award winning safety and performance. But how about we kick that up a notch with the Forester 2.5X Premium Edition? This car is equipped with just as good fuel economy ratings, but even more horsepower. You can check the car out at any of the North American Subaru Dealers from Hartford, CT to New York, NY.

Exactly what separates 2.5X Premium from other Subaru Foresters? The boxer engine, for starters. This 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder boxer comes with dual overhead cams. These produce 170 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. The EPA estimates are 21 mpg city, 27 on the highway.

A turbo version is available, knocking it up to 224 horsepower and 226 pound-feet of torque. You lose only 2-mpg at the pump as well. A 5-speed manual gearbox is standard, the automatic is a $1,000 option. Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system comes standard as well, as on all models.

All variants can be taken for a test drive at your Hartford Subaru dealer, or any of the quality lots across the nation! Entry-level 2.5X has a price of $20,495. The base price on the Forester 2.5 Premium is $23,495. Finally, the top of the line 2.4X Turbo Touring starts at $29,995.

Source: The Auto Channel

With that, the spy photographers over at Edmunds have caught a few shots of the 2012 Impreza hiding out at a testing facility. The pictures are, obviously, from Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Company.

Built in 2003 at Lafayette, Indiana, the Mid-size pickup truck (which is what class the car was under) came with 2.5L 165 hp or 2.5L 210 hp engines, matted to either a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual.

The Baja combined many other Subaru concepts: Subaru’s earlier BRAT four-wheel-drive unibody pickup made in the US from 1978–1987, and the two and four-door vehicles of Australia known as the Coupé utility or Ute.

The Baja received the 2003 and 2004 J.D. Powers’s APEAL Award (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study). It also won “Most Appealing Compact Pickup” and the Consumer Reports 2006 highest score for reliability in the pickup truck category.

Production of the Baja came to end in April 2006, as fuel prices increased dramatically and fuel economy became a high priority. Only 30,000 were sold over four and a half years. The Baja is named after Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, home to Baja 1000 off-road race.

Wikipedia

He earned four consecutive US rally championships, and became the youngest US rally champion in history. When the X Games picked up Rally Car in 2006, Pastrana was an instant threat – winning two gold, one silver and one bronze medal for Subaru.

It isn’t yet official what Pastrana is planning next. He talked about a move to on a recent radio show: “Definitely, Waltrip racing has offered something to get into a new form of racing,” Pastrana told the radio show. “I’m definitely looking forward to trying a few rounds out – maybe in Nationwide – next year.”

Subaru’s announcement followed this weekend’s conclusion of the rally season, with the running of two final rallycross events. Dave Mirra will continue driving for Subaru Rally Team USA. The team is actively searching for a replacement for Pastrana.

In honor of Pastrana’s departure, we present our favorite Pastrana-Subaru Stunt:

Thanks ESPN!

Each page of the website – Fight Mediocrity – also features a link to the real product: 2011′s Subaru Legacy.

Our favorite part of the site shows off “Future Vehicles” including the 2012 Mediocrity: “Meet the almost redesigned 2012 Mediocrity. For the new model year, this sedan follows in the exact footsteps of the previous model, with no modifications whatsoever. Because the way we see it, why change a car that’s so comfortable to so many people? So prepare yourself for the familiar. This is a driving experience that you’ve already had many, many times before.”

What Subaru really wants you to be amazed by is their updated 2011 Legacy, which boasts a 6 speed manual transmission, a 2.5i or 3.6 liter engine, upwards of 265 hp and fuel economy in the range of 30 MPG.

The 2011 Impreza WRX and WRX STI – Both models have undergone a significant amount of evolution in the past decade, changing for reasons both obvious and subtle. The process is fairly simple: If Subaru releases a model that its customers like, it stays the same. If people don’t, the company’s engineers screw with it until they do. This is not the time or place to chart the WRX’s changes, but suffice it to say that they are both numerous and market-specific.

On that note, three main things are changed for 2011: The WRX now sports STI-like fender flares and a wider track; the STI boasts sharper, re-tuned suspension; and we are once again gifted with a four-door STI sedan.

Here’s the upgrades to 2011′s Impreza & Impreza STI: 2011 Impreza WRX: The aforementioned fat-fendered four-door body, which is now cosmetically similar to that of the STI. (The five-door sedan continues and also shares the STI’s looks.) A 1.5-inch track increase front and rear. Stiffer rear subframe bushings. An increase in wheel (17 x 8 inches versus last year’s 17 x 7) and tire width (235/45 versus 225/45) and a 1.5-pound reduction in wheel weight. Minor trim changes. An updated stereo with Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.

2011 Impreza WRX STI: The four-door body mentioned above, along with a big, fat, have-a-picnic-on-the-sucker rear wing. (Again, the five-door is still offered, albeit without the funky wing.) Updated suspension tuning, which includes new front balljoints — more on that in a moment — and stiffer springs, dampers, rear subframe bushings, and anti-roll bars. New polished 18-inch wheels. Minor trim changes, and the same stereo as the WRX.

Pricing: Four-door/five-door WRX: $25,495. Four-door STI: $33,995. Five-door STI: $35,995.

Prodrive’s expertise transformed the usually 4-door hatchback to a 2-door “notchback” – These Japanese vehicles now feature stepped-up aerodynamics, tighter suspension, and renewed trim. Built out of a partnership with Subaru UK, only a thousand were produced, all painted in Sonic Blue. The company added Recaro sports seats, six-piston brakes, alloy wheels, and increased power to 276 horsepower.

Subaru’s Prodrive P1 was discontinued after only a few years of production. However, as the weekend event proved, the car’s legacy lives on. The anniversary was well-attended by a further 300 Subaru Imprezas and 1,000 people.