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Monday, June 22, 2015

2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid

Attention Nike lovers. There’s now a car to take over when your athletic shoes just won’t do it. Subaru claims the Crosstrek is “equipped for play and built for doing.” There’s more truth to that evaluation than you’ve come to expect from automotive advertising. With a static ride height of 8.7 inches, all wheel drive, and nubby Yokohama Geolander tires (225/55R17), the Crosstrek is a legitimate off road tool, eminently well suited to outback forays, winter endeavors, and expeditions to the supermarket. Crosstrek certainly looks feral enough, with a hunched feline silhouette that’s about to pounce on the next strip of unexplored terrain. Inside, the Abercrombie & Fitch outfitting furthers the Indiana Jones illusion, with rough hewn cloth seats, ribbed rubber matting in the storage area, standard roof rail system, heated front seats, and rear hatch wiper/washer. If you select the Hybrid Crosstrek, which is a new offering from Subaru this year, you also get model-specific five spoke 17 inch diameter alloys that mimic the Fuchs wheels Porsche used as their trademark for over 30 years. Their simple design complements the heavily sculpted contours of the Crosstrek. To emphasize the green allure of the new Hybrid, our test Crosstrek sported an eye watering finish called Plasma Green Pearl that wore well as our week with the car wore on.

Operation of the Hybrid drive train is for the most part so seamless that you hardly know it’s present. Subaru has combined their FB20 4 cylinder engine with a 3 phase synchronous electric motor to provide 150hp and 165 lb.-ft. of torque. The opposed H- configuration gas engine features twin overhead cams, 10.8:1 compression ratio, and an under square bore/stroke ratio of 84mm x 90mm. The permanent magnet electric unit is good for 10kW output and 48 lb.-ft. of torque. Working together, the gas and electric powered Hybrid posts EPA numbers of 31 MPG overall. You can expect 39 MPG on the freeway, which will yield a tad over 500 miles on the Crosstrek’s 13.7 gallon fuel tank. In city usage (29 MPG), this Subaru automatically turns itself off when you’re stopped in traffic for more than 30 seconds, and usually re-fires without hesitation, though a jolt and shudder sometimes mars the procedure.

The internal layout of the Hybrid’s cabin is so functional that you wonder why so many manufacturers can’t emulate Subaru’s prowess in this regard. For example, take the rear seats here. Instead of making you search out hidden latches and mechanisms to fold them flat, the Crosstrek requires but one simple gesture to transform your interior from passenger to cargo trim. Pull up on the stem of an outboard mounted, visually obvious latch as you thrust the seatback forward, and presto, a flat floor cargo space manifests itself. No manual needs to be thumbed through, no obscure fold and tumble sequence needs to be followed. Removing the privacy screen which shields the rear space from prying eyes is equally simple when you’ve got big loads to carry. Just depress one end of the light weight stick, and the spring inside holding it in place instantly collapses, allowing you to store the part elsewhere. I recently struggled to collapse a similar unit in a Dodge Durango with such an overpowering spring that it refused to budge. The beauty of Subaru engineering is that it makes it simple tasks effortless.

With that ample ride height, you might think the Crosstrek would be somewhat tipsy in normal motoring tests, but you’d be wrong. This crossover handles the curves with aplomb, and you’re almost never aware of your exalted height. The Yokohama Geolanders are surprisingly complicit in upholding their end of the cornering bargain, and on the whole, the Crosstrek handles with the precision of a Nike Cross Trainer. The combined 150hp output of the drive train, however, leaves a bit more to be desired than the handling does. In passing or merging situations, you pretty much have to wring the Hybrid by the neck to extract enough surge to be comfortable. The CVT transmission, which Subaru pioneered a quarter century ago, is definitely your friend during such maneuvers, because paddles on the steering wheel allow you instant access to more rpm and more passing power. Still, this 3,165 pound Crosstrek’s gentle acceleration would benefit from a slightly larger displacement gas motor.

With a buy-in of just $26,820, it’s hard to beat the Hybrid Crosstrek for value, mileage, practicality and comfort. For “Just Do It” folks, the XV Crosstrek Hybrid is like finding a pair of Air Jordans at Ross Dress For Less.

2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid

Engine: 2.0 liter DOHC Opposed 4
Electric Motor: Permanent Magnet 3-Phase Synchronous
Horsepower: 150hp
Torque: 165 lb.-ft.
Fuel Consumption: 29 MPG City/39 MPG Highway
Price as Tested: $26,820
Star Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars

Subaru BRZ to get second generation says exec

Hallelujah friends, hallelujah. One of the highest voices in Subarus parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, has just said that the boxer-obsessed automaker will release a second generation of the lovable BRZ.

Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, president of FHI, has summarily shot down assertions made by Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer for the Toyota GT86. In a recent interview with an Australian publication, Tada claimed that Subaru had not decided whether it would be involved in the followup effort to the rear-drive coupe, and even speculated that the Toyota could team with BMW for a second-gen car, instead.

"If I were to be told that, Id pass out. Its not going to be just one generation," Yoshinaga-san told Automotive News.

Despite this claim, even Yoshinaga confirmed that in order for the BRZ to be viable, his company needs Toyota. Should Toyota make the move to BMW as part of its joint-venture agreement, though, itd cast some major doubts on the likelihood of a second-gen BRZ ever seeing the light of day.

Report Scion trying to build business case for FR S convertible as Subaru bows out

Hope may remain for a convertible version of the Scion FR-S, according to a report from Wards Auto. Youll recall that rumors were swirling about the feasibility of a rear-drive Toyobaru convertible as early as October, and that back in November, Subaru â€" which makes the FR-S, Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT86 â€" essentially nixed the idea of an open-topped variant.

"We make the car, so if we dont make it, it cant happen," brand chief Yasuyuki Yoshinaga told Automotive News, according to Wards, at the Tokyo Motor Show. "Our engineering department told me that losing the entire roof requires a complete redesign of the structure. It would need a big change."

Despite Yoshinaga-sans arguments against a droptop variant, Toyota is apparently still considering the model. Speaking to media at the 2014 North American International Auto Show, Scions US vice president, Doug Murtha, hinted that the rear-drive droptop was in the works.

"Its something were looking at internally from both a manufacturing standpoint - where do we build something thats relatively low-volume, if not at Subaru - and from an engineering standpoint: Where are those resources going to come from to do it?" Murtha said.

For now, it appears as if Toyota is merely doing its homework on the feasibility of a production version of the FT-86 Open Concept from the 2013 Geneva and Tokyo shows (show above). "Everybodys had to pony up their volumes and well see if we can make it happen," Murtha told Wards.

Whether the volumes check out or not, the question of how Toyota will get around the engineering issues - making a convertible safe - and figuring out where to build it, mean that while our hopes for an FR-S Convertible are higher, the car still faces a rather rocky road before reaching production.

2015 Subaru BRZ Series Blue

Subaru of America, Inc. has announced the 2015 BRZ Series.Blue, a special edition of its acclaimed purist sports car, limited to 1,000 cars for the United States. An exclusive combination of STI functional aerodynamic body design, black-painted STI 17-inch wheels and unique interior trim creates a striking look for the BRZ Series.Blue. Subaru will offer 500 painted WR Blue Pearl and 500 in Crystal White Pearl and the special edition will arrive in Subaru dealerships in July.

Powered by a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter BOXER engine, the Subaru BRZ marked a return to the fundamentals of sports car design, emphasizing low vehicle weight, an ultra-low center of gravity and precision steering. The BRZ Series.Blue boosts the car’s aerodynamic performance with black STI front, side, and side-rear under spoilers, which contribute to additional front downforce. Additional underbody panels, while not seen, reduce the coefficient of drag (Cd) from 0.28 to 0.27. All BRZ models for 2015 feature new, larger stainless steel exhaust tips and a new shark fin antenna.

Unique to Series.Blue and emphasizing the BRZ’s pure sports nature, red-finish brake calipers can be seen behind the spokes of the black painted STI wheels. The BRZ Series.Blue builds on the BRZ Limited model and features exclusive trim and special details throughout. Its leather and Alcantara upholstery includes blue leather seat bolsters and head restraints.

Blue stitching accents the seats and the blue and black leather-wrapped steering wheel, as well as the shift lever boot and leather-wrapped parking brake handle. The blue motif carries to the center console kneepads and door trim, accented by an embroidered silver BRZ logo on the front seatbacks. Carpeted floor mats also pick up the BRZ logo and blue stitching.

A frameless day/night rear-view mirror and simulated carbon fiber center dash panel add a high-tech look, and the finishing touch is a red illuminated engine start / stop button with an STI logo.

The new BRZ Series.Blue will be priced at $29,490 with a destination charge of $795.

Source:Subaru Press