STi Blog - A Subaru Blog!

It looks like Subaru has teamed up with Guinness World Records to try and set the record for the “largest parade of Subaru cars”.

The recent announcement comes in the form of a press release from Subaru of America. The event is planned to take place on July 11th at 9 am in Itasca, Illinois.

However if you ask me, I don’t think they’ll have much on Wicked Big Meet. Sure, it may be an official Subaru meet, sponsored by SOA themselves, but who drives a Subaru in Illinois? (I honestly don’t know) Why not come to the New England area, where the most Subaru’s are sold? (I believe Vermont is the current leading state)

In addition, I predict they won’t be able to beat the famous Colin McRae ceremony either, which was held with an estimated of 1,100 Subarus. Although McRae’s ceremony and Wicked Big Meet weren’t official, they’re still considered awesome bragging rights.

Press release after the break.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

Subaru of America came out with a press release this morning regarding the 2010 Subaru Legacy. Not only is the new 2010 Legacy bigger, wider, and more powerful, but it also features increased fuel economy as well.

SOA has announced that the new 2010 Legacy will achieve 23 mpg around town, and a staggering 31 mpg on the highway. That’s very impressive for a mid-sized sedan, and it clearly shows that Subaru set increased fuel economy as a priority while engineering the new 2010 model. However, it should also be noted that these EPA figures were obtained using the base-model 2.5i sedan, coupled with the CVT transmission.

For those of you looking for a bit more power, it’s suggested to bump up to the next trim level, which is the 2.5GT. When coupled with Subaru’s new 6 speed transmission, the EPA ranks the 2010 Legacy at 18 mpg city, and 25 mpg highway. Even so, that’s still very good for getting plenty of power and AWD at the same time.

The 2010 Subaru Legacy is set to start at $19,995, which is a very competitive price point for the mid-size market. Let me know if you find a better option that has room for five, AWD, and starting price tag of under $20,000.

Press release after the break.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

An insider at the Toyota R&D center has finally revealed that the upcoming Subaru-Toyota compact sports car (codenamed 086A) will feature a body similar to that of the Lexus LF-A prototype, which was recently seen at the Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race.

Apparently there will be one body style of the car, with only slightly variations between the Toyota and Subaru versions. Some of these possible variations include the head/tail light treatment, different badging, and a different front grille. It’s also been revealed that the front-engine real wheel drive 086A coupe will feature a 2+2 seating style. (4 person capacity)

Reports also indicate that Toyota is strongly trying to keep the car under the 2 million yen price barrier, which equates to just over $20,000 USD. With that being said, if this car is truly brought to North America, it will be a huge success.

No mention of TRD has been announced yet (Toyota Racing Development), however the insider reports that Subaru is definitely going to produce an STi version of the 086A! They also went on to say that we can expect an STi version of the sports car regardless if Toyota decides to make a TRD version or not. Therefore, Subaru appears to have made it a priority to introduce a true RWD sports car into their lineup.

As one can imagine, this is excellent news for the Subaru community, something in which fans can look forward to. However, whatever happened to Subaru’s AWD-only stance?

The following specifications list of the 086A has also surfaced:

Toyota/Subaru Compact FR 086A Specifications

Engine: EJ20 Direct Injection Gasoline 4 Cylinder
Capacity: 1994cc
Power: 200PS
Torque: 20.0kg/m
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Wheelbase: 2470mm
Total Length: 4200mm
Total Width: 1750mm
Total Height: 1300mm
Weight: 1200kg
Cost: 2,000,000 JPY

In addition, it appears that the first incarnation of the 086A was spotted in 2005 at the Nürburgring. At the time, sources claimed it was an IS500 prototype. However, it’s now been disclosed that it was one of the first 086A prototypes to hit the road, featuring a V6 motor, as Toyota was playing with the idea of introducing an entry level FR sports car.

[ Source: 7Tune ]

Wow, I’ve heard of birthday parties and presents, but an entire museum?

Yup, that’s right. Subaru Tecnica International - most well known as “STi”, is celebrating their 20th birthday this year. And what better way to celebrate than creating an STi museum? Fuji Heavy Industries has created this museum, dubbed the “STi Gallery”, which is open every day from 9:30am to 7pm. (except for select holidays)

Visitors of the museum can stop by and view STi in all of it’s glory. The STi Gallery features 3 different zones, each containing different pieces of STi heritage.

1. Car Exhibition Zone - This area of the museum features Subaru’s that have been used both past and present in different racing events. It also features past and present production model STi’s.
2. STi Concept Zone - This area features a showcase of STi racing parts and other various concept ideas.
3. STi History Zone - The 3rd and final area of the museum features a timeline of STi’s involvement in motorsports and various production cars.

The museum is currently celebrating the release of the new 2010 Subaru Legacy. To aid in this, they’ve put Colin McRae’s Legacy RS on display; a car in which he drove to win the WRC New Zealand Rally in 1993.

Wicked Big Meet: A large gathering of car enthusiasts who all share one thing in common: passion for Subaru’s.

Despite the rain, hundreds of people made their way out to Wicked Big Meet 2009 today. Located just an hour outside of Boston in Princeton, MA, Subaru enthusiasts gathered for the 5th Wicked Big Meet event.

An overall great time was had by all. There were a few special surprises of note:

• Ken Block’s 2009 STi Gymkhana car was on display for everyone to drool over
• Ken Block & Travis Pastrana’s Subaru rally cars were on display
• Pro drifting driver Tarzan Yamada made an appearance

I took several pictures of today’s event, all of which can be found in the gallery after the break.

[Read the rest of this entry...]