Category: Subaru

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SUBARU FORESTER 1997-2013

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2011 Subaru Forester

Subaru Forester has long been a favourite with Australians. We appreciate the no-nonsense attitude of the Japanese company that has an emphasis on engineering and doesn’t let frills and styling stand in the way of practicality. When the Forester was introduced in 1997 it was closely related to the Subaru Impreza hatch and had its antecedents in the original Subaru station wagons. Over the years the Forester became a medium SUV in style, a wise move as by the early 2000s small and midsize SUVs were becoming extremely popular in… Read more

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SUBARU BRZ NOW ON SALE AT DEALERS

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Those who aren’t into cars and technology may be puzzled to learn that the Subaru BRZ sports coupe, which has been on sale online since July 2012 is now being sold through Subaru dealerships for the first time. Huh? So where did people get them if dealers didn’t sell them? Until January 1, 2014, the Subaru BRZ was sold exclusively online in this country. A smart marketing move by the local importer – allegedly due to limited availability from Japan, but more likely to grab buyers’ attention – meant that… Read more

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SUBARU WRX RS40 LIMITED EDITION

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With its traditional blue body and gold wheel the Subaru WRX RS40 will turn plenty of heads

To whet our appetite for the upcoming new generation WRX, due here in March 2014, we’ve just spent a week in the limited edition RS40 version of Subaru’s iconic pocket rocket. The WRX RS40, so named as it commemorates the 40th anniversary of Subaru’s arrival in Australia, is only available in sedan form with numbers strictly limited to 300 units. The WRX has been on sale for almost half of these 40 years and fans will be delighted to know that all RS40 models come with the famous colour combination… Read more

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2013 SUBARU OUTBACK REVIEW

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Subaru has taken its Outback back to its origins with a semi-rugged look

Back in 1996 Subaru Outback was one of the pioneers of vehicles that were a cross between conventional station wagons, Liberty in this case, and dedicated 4WDs that would take on the American name of Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and spread spectacularly in popularity. Interestingly, the name Outback was chosen by the vehicle’s US designers, at a time when Australia was the flavour of the month in the States, to conjure up images of the Australian way of life – a nation of adventurers with a free and easy lifestyle…. Read more

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TOUGHER APPEARANCE FOR SUBARU OUTBACK

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Styling changes to the latest Subaru Outback give it the rugged, semi-4WD appearance many buyers have requested

Early in 2013 Subaru Australia introduced the Subaru Outback with the option of a turbo-diesel engine mated to an automatic transmission. Buyers had been crying out for that economical and easy to use powertrain for years and sales jumped immediately. At the time we were surprised that the new Subaru Outback didn’t have many real styling changes. In hindsight, the budget went to the engine and transmission guys; fair enough, times are tough for all car makers and conservative Subaru has always put engineering ahead of appearance. Anyhow, the new… Read more

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SUBARU BRZ S – THE ‘S’ STANDS FOR SIMPLY BRILLIANT

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Slammed look works brilliantly on the new Subaru S pack, and it works as well on our favourite driving roads.

  Subaru Australia has brought the BRZ S pack downunder to further enhance its stunningly successful new sports coupe. As soon as the announcement of the local availability of the pack was known we put up our hands to spend a week road testing one. It arrived in Subaru WRX Blue and has spent a lot of time being fanged around some of the special roads in our local area. In a couple of words – we love it. All the BRZ S pack components are made by Subaru Tecnica… Read more

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SUBARU ADDS MORE EXCITEMENT TO ITS BRZ

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Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86, the twin coupes that created huge cries of approval worldwide when launched are still selling at rates that make makers of competing coupes green with envy. Though most people think of the Toyota as being the leading model in the terrific twosome, it’s actually the Subaru that should get number one listing. After all, Subaru builds the twins in its factory in Ota, Japan, and the engine has the very distinctive flat-four ‘boxer’ layout used in other Subarus. Yet, thanks to Toyota’s astonishing marketing capability… Read more

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SUBARU LIBERTY

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Self confidence . . . the new Subaru Liberty stands ready to defend its spot at the heart of the mid-size automobile market

The in-dash push button engine start / stop is becoming an automotive affectation. Originally it was fitted to unique racing cars and their highly tuned road-going derivatives. These days it is increasingly finding its way into vehicles of all brands and price tags. Ironically, such a system will not work without the proximity of a computer controlled key fob, all of which requires more effort than simply slotting the key into the ignition and turning it to fire up the motor. Sundry stressful situations tracking down the key, from pocket… Read more

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SUBARU FORESTER XT REVIEW

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More muscle, the Subaru Forester XT delivers a high level of performance with looks to match

From pirate treasure map to automobile designation, the letter ‘X’ marks the spot of something excitingly special. This is never truer than with the Forester XT, Subaru’s new high-performance mid-size SUV. A best-seller since pioneering the high-performance SUV class in 1997, the latest Forester XT shows off an array of new features, technology and styling to stir Forester fans new and old. At first, I had my doubts about the XT – a 2.0-litre petrol engine, albeit turbocharged, mated with a continuously variable transmission. Not the recipe for sprightly performance… Read more

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2013 SUBARU LIBERTY REVIEW

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Subaru Liberty has long been a favourite with Australian drivers

Subaru Liberty has been a popular seller in Australia for more than 20 years and has attracted loyal buyers partly because it’s just that little bit different from the mainstream. Not only with its boxer engine and all-wheel drive but also because of its well-earned reputation for toughness and reliability. The latest, fifth generation, Liberty was launched in 2010 with annual tweaks to keep it up to date ahead of the next generation model which is still a couple of years away. The model year 2013 Liberty arrived here late… Read more