Automotive Reviews
Editorial
2005 Subaru Baja Turbo
Dec 3rd
Although it’s probably going to be gone by the end of the year, I just had to slip in a writeup of perhaps one of my favorite cars ever. I tried to think of something (within reason) that the Subaru Baja Turbo couldn’t do, some automotive chore that was just outside of its ability. I have yet to come up with one. The Baja Turbo is an odd duck of a car/truck that can haul dirt, play taxi, hold its own in stoplight Grands Prix, cruise on a road trip, attack the worst winter weather or dodge cones on an autocross course with equal ability.
This car/truck’s existence shouldn’t come as a surprise, of course. Subaru has been charting its own course through the automotive landscape since the first cars appeared on our shores thirty years ago. After products like the 360 bubble car, BRAT car-pickup, Buck Rogers-styled XT and the Outback SUS “sport-utility sedan,” a four-wheel drive station wagon with roof-mounted lights and the cargo area chopped into a cargo bed doesn’t even push Subaru’s peculiarity boundary. The Baja Turbo isn’t a car for everyone–but it’s probably the perfect car for just a few people. More >
2005 Suzuki Forenza wagon
Nov 13th
It may not seem like it, but compact station wagons are a highly evolved breed. Since most serve as the only car for a household, they’ve got to carry small families and any cargo that might present itself. They’ve got to be easy to pilot through crowded suburban streets, and ride smoothly enough to deal with a variety of road conditions. A compact wagon needs to be sure-footed enough to handle all sorts of weather, and it should be comfortable too, because there are lots of errands to be run. And on top of all that, it ought to get good gas mileage, too. That’s a lot to ask of any car, and with the added competition of compact SUVs and the growing popularity of “crossover” five-door hatchbacks, means that a compact station wagon has to be very good indeed if it’s going to succeed.
For 2005, Suzuki has joined this complicated and competitive market, with a long-tailed version of the Forenza compact. Riding the same chassis as the sedan (and, going farther back, as the Daewoo Nubira), the Korean-built Forenza wagon features a handsome design, a well thought-out interior and one of the best warranties in the business. More >
2005 Subaru Outback
Nov 13th
Where’s the greatest place to find yourself on the first snowy day of the year? Out on the slopes? Huddled in front of a fire? Both wrong. The best place to be when the white stuff starts to fall is behind the wheel of the new Subaru Outback. Subaru’s still-unique combination of SUV ability and carlike handling is completely redesigned for 2005, with significant improvements.
There’s been an influx of “crossover” vehicles, intended to combine the best qualities of sport-utes and station wagons. The Outback was one of the first, taking the Subaru Legacy wagon’s all-wheel drive ability and adding a healthy dose of ground clearance. For 2005, the all-new Outback builds on that theme, with new, smoother powerplants, improved luxury and vastly improved on- and off-road performance. More >