2011 Subaru Outback, 2011 Subaru Legacy Pricing Stays Put
Most of a year after their launch, the redesigned 2010 Subaru Outback and 2010 Subaru Legacy are selling like hotcakes. Subaru is on a roll, it seems, and we've noticed it in the brand's seemingly recession-proof sales figures. It was the only brand to post sales gains in 2008, and built on those numbers by another 15 percent in 2009 with no sign of slowing down in 2010.
Smartly, Subaru is mostly holding the line on pricing for its Legacy sedan and Outback crossover wagon. The base 2011 Subaru Legacy remains offered with a starting price of less than $20,000. But that base model isn't so barren. For $19,995—or $20,720 including the slightly higher $725 destination charge—you get power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control, air conditioning, tilt/telescope steering, a split fold-flat back seat, and a CD/MP3 sound system with auxiliary input and four speakers. New for 2011 are fold-in side mirrors.
For 2011, equipment hasn't changed significantly, but models with the harman kardon sound system now include XM Satellite Radio and a trial subscription.
Further upscale, the 2011 Legacy 2.5i Premium and 3.6R are unchanged, at $20,995 and $24,995, respectively, while the top Legacy 3.6R Limited starts at $28,295. Limited models come loaded with heated mirrors, upgraded wheels and tires, Bluetooth, special perforated-leather power heated seats, dual-zone climate control, a voice-control system, and more.
Subaru has eliminated the Legacy 2.5GT Premium trim and instead offers the sportier turbocharged model only in 2.5GT Limited guise, with its price up $405 to $31,395. Equipment now includes a standard moonroof as well as new carbon-fiber-look dash trim.
The 2011 Subaru Outback is up just $200 from 2010; it now starts at $23,195, or $23,920 including destination. Base sticker of the Outback 2.5i Premium is now at $24,495, while the top Outback 3.6R Limited starts at $31,495.
Plus of course both of these models have IIHS Top Safety Pick Status, which this year requires top scores for the new rollover (roof crush) test, along with front, side, and rear tests. ABS, Brake Assist, electronic stability control, front active headrests, and side and side-curtain airbags are also included across both model lines.
As for 2011, 2.5i models include a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter horizontally opposed ('flat') four-cylinder engine, while 2.5GT models (Legacy only) get a 265-hp, 2.5-liter turbocharged four and 3.6R models have a 256-hp, 3.6-liter flat-six. A six-speed manual is standard on all four-cylinder models, but a CVT is available on 2.5i variants; all 3.6R models come with a five-speed automatic.
For both models, TheCarConnection.com appreciates the roomier, quieter cabin and more refined driving feel versus pre-2010 models, along with acceleration for 2.5GT and 3.6R models. Based on Subaru's astounding sales trajectory, we're betting that shoppers are liking what they see, too.
[Subaru]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Ugliest Cars Of The Past 50 Years? You Might Be Surprised.
Think that the design of the Volkswagen New Beetle is more hideous than iconic?
Apparently you're not alone. Business Week has posted its "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years," including a number of models present and past, and the New Beetle is just one of the newer and still-produced models on the list. Others include the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, Hummer H2, Jeep Compass, Nissan Cube, and Toyota Prius.
They're particularly tough on the Escalade, sounding more like SUV-haters than design critics: "The perfect car design if fuel, practicality, maneuverability, and class mean nothing to you." But they're close to spot-on in saying that the Jeep Compass, a vehicle that's still produced for 2010 (though its days are numbered), "lacked a unified vision."
The publication reveals very little about how or why particular vehicles made it on the list: Did it ask a panel of designers? Did it ask readers? The editorial team? Enthusiasts?
We're not sure, but a number of chunky, more angular vehicles that some of us here at TheCarConnection.com consider design classics—like the Volvo 240 and Honda Element—get no love, and the author clearly doesn't appreciate the obvious well thing-ness of the Volkswagen Thing. The rugged cues and pert proportions of the original two-door RAV4—appreciated by this editor—are also declared ugly.
The publication takes some easy shots—at the AMC Gremlin and Pacer, and the Ford Pinto—even though by many accounts these are now considered attractive by a new generation of "nerd car" collectors.
Along with the Avalanche, several pickup cars are on the list, including the Chevrolet El Camino, Subaru Brat, and more recent Subaru Baja. We'll concede that the most recent Baja deserves it though.
Check them off among the Bangle-haters; they pan the design of the Chris Bangledesigned 2002 BMW 7-Series, a vehicle that, love it or hate it, inspired the rear two-thirds of most of the sedans for the later part of this decade.
C'mon, looking back, it's nothing compared to the early '80s Cadillac Seville "slantback."
Some of them aren't all that surprising. Of course the Pontiac Aztek is on the list—possibly more because it's expected there—and the Yugo. But Business Week says, "The Yugo gets rapped for being ugly, when it was really more of a mechanical nightmare," going on to explain that the design itself was "simple, proportional, and efficient."
The Yugo's modern-day equivalent for the developing world is on there, too. The Tata Nano minicar is panned for its "egg-like stylings" and "domed top."
But it's a slippery slope; perhaps ugliness, like beauty, is at least a little bit in the eye of the beholder.
[Business Week]
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2010 Subaru Legacy Sports Swept Design, New York Debut
Sporting a style very close to the concept that was shown in January at the Detroit Auto Show, the 2010 Subaru Legacy makes its official debut next week at the New York International Auto Show. The vehicle will go on sale this summer at Subaru dealerships across the country.
Phsyically, the 2010 Legacy is an inch longer overall and sports over three inches gained in wheelbase, height, and width. Despite these increses, Subaru claims just a 50 lb. weight increase for 3,379 lbs. total in the base model.
To our eyes, the 2010 Legacy looks remarkably similar to the Infiniti G37S sedan, down to the BMW-inspired Hofmeister kink (rear door glass protruding into the C-pillar). While the G - and this new Subaru - are undeniably handsome sedans, we're sad to see Subaru's low cowl and fantastically airy greenhouse go away. From pictures, it also appears the trademark Subaru frameless door glass is no more for the Legacy. From an engineering and rigidity standpoint this probably a good thing, but it's sad to us as it takes away some of that Subaru uniqueness and a touch of elegance.
Thankfully, Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel drive remains, as do its growly boxer engines. The base 2.5-liter gets a small bump to 170 hp, while the turbo moves up into WRX territory with 265 hp and 258 lb-ft torque, both available earlier in the engine's operating range. Subaru claims a 0-60 sprint of 5.9 seconds with the turbo, and hints that us hotfoot journalists should manage even better than that. A 6-speed manual makes its debut, as does a chain-type CVT that replaces the aging 4-speed automatic. The top engine option is a relatively huge 3.6-liter flat six, but at 256 hp and 247 lb-ft it doesn't come close to the Porsche flat six of identical size (Porsche 911 Carrera: 345 hp, 288 lb-ft), not to mention offering less power than the turbocharged Subaru 2.5. Let's hope it's got killer low-end twist and decent fuel economy.
The 2010 Legacy's front suspension continues with a MacPherson strut design but is now mounted to the engine sub-frame. In the rear, the multi-link arrangement has been replaced with a double-wishbone arrangement. Both changes were made in the name of increased stability, better handling, and more refinement.
New interior features include a voice-activated GPS navigation unit, ambient lighting, and 60/40 fold-down rear seats. Also new are an electronic parking brake and a revised hill-hold system for assist in parking on uneven surfaces.
Hey Subaru - will you ever give us your 2.0-liter boxer turbodiesel four offered in the European market? It would seem to resonate with iconoclast Subaru drivers who actually use their vehicles for moderate off-roading and mug-slogging, not to mention blowing away your gasoline engines' fuel efficiency.
[source: AutoWeek]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
