Subaru in the Midst of Saudi Women Driving Uproar

Last month, a 32-year old woman named Manal al-Sharif was arrested in Saudi Arabia for committing the crimes of… driving and posting a video on Youtube urging other women to drive too.

This is strictly forbidden by the Wahhabi sect of Suni Islam which is Saudi Arabia’s religion, as women are not allowed to apply for a driver’s license or mix with men (e.g. in service or gas stations) or even leave the home without male company.

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VIDEO: Mark Higgins' Awesome Save at 150MPH at the Isle of Man TT

We’ve already told you about former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins’ record lap on the famous Isle of Man TT Mountain Course driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI in a previous article here, but today, we stumbled upon two in-car video clips, courtesy of Road & Track magazine.

Aside from smashing the late Tony Pond’s long-standing record in a Rover 827 Vitesse from 1990 by more than two minutes, Higgins also displayed some amazing driving skills saving the day when the WRX STI started swerving at 150mph (241km/h) after he hit a small bump on the road. In the video you can hear Higgins saying "Biggest moment of my life there...".

Commenting on the incident, Dominick Infante, National Manager, Product Communications, Subaru of America, said: “The WRX STI performed incredibly well at near flat out speeds and Mark drove impeccably. His save at Bray Hill at 150 MPH was some of the best driving any of us have ever seen." Buckle up and watch the two in-car-videos after the break.

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Subaru Sets New Isle of Man Lap Record with Standard Impreza WRX STI

Subaru has managed to break the long-standing lap record for a production vehicle at the Isle of Man TT circuit set 21 years ago on June 6, 1990, by the late Tony Pond in a Rover 827 Vitesse, with a production-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI saloon driven by former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins. Read more »

Too Close for Comfort: Subaru Impreza WRX Flips Over Right in Front of Spectators in Canada

A fun track day at the Toronto Motorsports Park near the town of Cayuga in Ontario, Canada, almost turned tragic for both the driver and many of the spectators gathered behind the safety wall when an older generation Subaru Impreza WRX flipped over after exiting a corner.

From the video, it looks like the driver of the Impreza took the corner wider and faster than he was ready for and as a result crashed into, or rather ran over, the safety haystack near the wall, which acted as a launching ramp lifting the car into the air only inches away from the spectators. The car then landed on its rooftop several feet away.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the Subaru, who was wearing a helmet, was shaken but...not stirred. But enough talking already. Follow the break to watch both the incident as it happened and the aftermath.

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U.S. Government Focusing in on Web Gadgets that Distract Drivers

We are all living in an age of networked information. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, smartphones and public internet access are making the world smaller every day. Unfortunately, in some instances all this information can distract us from the important things, such as focusing on driving. And no one agrees with this more than U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood:

“We know people are hooked on cellphones and texting devices. But there's absolutely no reason for any person to download their Facebook into the car. It's not necessary. "

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Forza Motorsport 4: Here’s how they Record Car Engine Sounds

Long gone are the days when video game developers used simple electronic instruments to emulate car engine sounds for their racing games. Now, thanks to a dramatic increase in video games sales, which of course resulted in huge budgets, developers can justify the costs of recording the actual sounds of each car featured in their games.

For those of you wondering how it’s done, the tech-savvy crew over at Electricpig were invited to Redmond, Seattle by the creator of the Forza Motorsport gaming series, Turn 10 Studios, to witness the recording of a previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

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Toyota Sales Plunge More than 33% in May, Chrysler Group up by 10%

The numbers for U.S. auto sales for the month of May are out and as expected, Japanese automakers continue to be hit hard by the ongoing production disruptions caused by the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in their home market. As a result, Toyota’s sales plunged 33.4% over the year-ago month to 108,387 units, while rivaling Honda saw its sales fall 22.5% to 90,773 vehicles, Nissan recorded a 9.1% drop to 76,148 units and Mazda 17,875 vehicles, down 20.9%.

General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 221,192 vehicles in May posting a decline of 1%, while the Ford Motor Co. said its sales decreased by 0.1% to 192,253 cars, trucks and SUVs.

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More Screaming Passengers from the 2011 Red Bull Car Drift Event in Lebanon

We don’t know about you, but we certainly enjoyed watching the video of a male passenger freaking out during a ride around a drift course, so we decided to do a little bit of online research to find out what it was all about. We discovered that the joy ride was part of the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2011 event and it took place in Lebanon.

The man behind the steering wheel of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI is 34-year-old Abdo Feghali from Lebanon. He is a professional rally driver who also participates in drift contests and events such as the one organized by Red Bull.

If you liked the first video we showed you, then follow the jump to watch the reactions of the same male passenger, this time sitting at the back between two women (oddly enough no one was wearing seat belts…), as well as some new footage of other people that took a ride including the beautiful lady you see pictured above.

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Subaru Targets Young Asian American Buyers with New Sweet Tomorrow Campaign

Subaru’s American division is taking audience segmentation a step further with the release of a new advertising campaign for the 2011 Legacy that specifically targets the Chinese-American market. The campaign has been produced in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and can be seen across a wide variety of media placements including TV, print, online and out-of-home running.

The television spot is called “Sweet Tomorrow” and it shows a young Chinese American couple preparing for the birth of their first child. The advert is scheduled to air through October 2011.

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Subaru Impreza Sedan 2/1

Subaru Impreza Sedan 1/2

Free upgrade for WRX STI

The 2011 WRX STI hasn’t been around for long, but already Subaru is tempting potential buyers in the UK with a no-cost upgrade package.

Enhancements to the 2.5 litre boxer engine lift power from 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS) to 315 bhp (235 kW / 320 PS), while maximum torque rises by a useful 43 Nm (31 lb/ft) to 450 Nm (331 lb/ft) at 3,400 rpm.



As a result, the car’s zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time falls from 5.2 to 4.9 seconds. There’s no word on whether top speed, fuel consumption or emissions are affected.



Also included in the deal is a Pioneer satellite navigation unit which features Bluetooth, a touch screen and an MP3 player connection.



The WRX STI upgrade offer runs from the beginning of April until the end of June, and applies to the hatch and saloon models. Both cost £32,995 on the road but, unless you like red or white paint, £460 will have to be added to that amount for a metallic finish.



Regardless of colour choices, that seems like good value. However, anyone wanting a rapid all-wheel drive saloon at a special offer price might want to consider the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR FQ-300 SST, which is currently £29,699. It’s also marginally quicker, with a 0-62 mph time of 4.7 seconds.



Related post:

2011 Subaru WRX STI

Free upgrade for WRX STI

The 2011 WRX STI hasn’t been around for long, but already Subaru is tempting potential buyers in the UK with a no-cost upgrade package.

Enhancements to the 2.5 litre boxer engine lift power from 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS) to 315 bhp (235 kW / 320 PS), while maximum torque rises by a useful 43 Nm (31 lb/ft) to 450 Nm (331 lb/ft) at 3,400 rpm.



As a result, the car’s zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time falls from 5.2 to 4.9 seconds. There’s no word on whether top speed, fuel consumption or emissions are affected.



Also included in the deal is a Pioneer satellite navigation unit which features Bluetooth, a touch screen and an MP3 player connection.



The WRX STI upgrade offer runs from the beginning of April until the end of June, and applies to the hatch and saloon models. Both cost £32,995 on the road but, unless you like red or white paint, £460 will have to be added to that amount for a metallic finish.



Regardless of colour choices, that seems like good value. However, anyone wanting a rapid all-wheel drive saloon at a special offer price might want to consider the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR FQ-300 SST, which is currently £29,699. It’s also marginally quicker, with a 0-62 mph time of 4.7 seconds.



Related post:

2011 Subaru WRX STI

2011 Subaru WRX STI

When it was first introduced a couple of years ago, some thought the new generation Impreza lacked visual impact. Not only was it sold as a five-door hatchback in the UK, but the rather anonymous styling meant that telling the performance versions from their more mundane siblings could be hard.



Hence the 2011 Subaru WRX STI Type UK, which has been designed to address those criticisms. It gets a proper boot for the first time (the hatch version remains on sale too) and wider wheel arches, but it loses the Impreza name. According to Subaru, the WRX STI has become a model in its own right.

The WRX STI was never going to be a particularly pretty car, and the saloon is crying out for a decent boot lid spoiler to help balance its proportions, but the update appears to have been generally successful. The changes are more than skin deep, though.



A stiffer body than before has allowed longer travel suspension to be fitted, which improves both ride quality and road holding. Based on the ‘Spec C’ set up, the revised chassis has been combined with a lower ride height and wider tyres to further improve driver feedback and control.



Unsurprisingly, there’s a turbocharged boxer engine under the bonnet. Still with a capacity of 2.5 litres, it has now been cleaned up to meet Euro 5 emissions standards. Power remains at 295 bhp (220 kW / 300 PS), with a very healthy 407 Nm of torque available at 4,000 rpm. Subaru claims the way in which that torque is delivered has been improved, meaning that there’s a better throttle response and more linear acceleration.



0-62 mph (100 km/h) takes just 5.2 seconds, while top speed is still restricted to 155 mph (250 km/h). Fuel economy isn’t too brilliant though, with the WRX STI managing just 26.9 mpg (10.5 l/100km) on the combined cycle. CO2 emissions of 324 g/km mean that the Subaru doesn’t quite make it into the top tier for UK road tax purposes, but nevertheless it’s in Band L which will set the owner back £425 each year.

For 2011, the WRX STI’s all-wheel drive system has been upgraded, and the differentials now have revised settings. Torque is sent 41% front / 59% rear by default, but this can be altered via the four-mode Driver’s Control Centre Differential system. Also adjustable is the electronic stability control - or Multi-Mode Vehicle Dynamics Control in Subaru-speak - which lets the driver decide how intrusive it is.



As part of the revisions, the interior gets better materials for a more quality feel, and there are new Recaro seats for the driver and passenger. Standard equipment for 2011 includes Bluetooth telephone connectivity, climate control, ten-speaker audio with USB and AUX input jacks, cruise control and keyless entry.



The Subaru WRX STI is available in the UK now and costs £33,405 OTR for either the saloon or hatchback versions.



That price would usually be comparable to its archrival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR FQ-300. However, significant reductions across all of the Evo X range mean that the GSR FQ-300 can currently be had for £28,804 and, unluckily for Subaru, that’s a big saving.