Big Win at 'Rally in the 100 Acre Wood' for Subaru Rally Team USA

Is the Subaru Viziv Concept a glimpse at the next Subaru Tribeca?

Next to nothing has been announced regarding the Subaru Viziv Concept, but there’s plenty of room for speculation. Given that the Forester, Impreza and BRZ are new enough and the Outback was recently updated, the next in line for a change is the Subaru Tribeca. The Subaru Tribeca has been out since 2006 with one significant exterior design change since its introduction.

The Subaru Viziv Concept could confirm a few things:

Subaru is moving away from the old six-cylinder/H6 power plant and may be looking at turbocharging more of their H4 engines.

Continuously variable transmissions (CVT) are the cat’s meow as far as Subaru is concerned.  It’s entirely possible that the turbocharged H4 that’s bundled with the ‘Lineartronic’ CVT in the new Subaru Forester could find its way into the Subaru Viziv Concept, and, thus – into the next Subaru Tribeca.

Subaru’s new turbocharged diesel horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine is supposed to be a dynamo. Perhaps the Subaru Viziv will have the ability to utilize an oil-burner too?

Granted, all of this is wild speculation. Subaru will officially unveil the Subaru Viziv Concept on March 5th 2013 at the Geneva Motor Show.

Source: TFLCar

Check out this recent 5-star review on Yahoo Local!

"Thanks for being so wonderful in helping me get into my new car. A Big thanks goes out to Bobby and Asad and thanks for the cookies my office loved them this morning I am definetly going to buy a car with you again and tell all my friends and family. Thanks again everyone at St. Cloud Subaru"

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Puppy Bowl IX Opener

Wacky Wednesday Trivia

Don't try this at home! The fastest speed for a car driven blindfolded was 182.03 mph! This was achieved by Metin Senturk, president of the World Handicapped Foundation!

Subaru "Share the Love" Donations Reach $25 Million

Subaru of America, Inc. announced it has donated $25 million to nonprofits over the past five years through its signature "Share the Love" event. During the "Share the Love" event held at the end of each year, Subaru donates $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased. Customers who purchase or lease a vehicle during that period select one of five charities to receive the donation. The fifth-annual "Share the Love" event will deliver donations to following charities:

• Alzheimer's Association®
• The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®)
• Make-A-Wish®
• Meals On Wheels Association of America®
• USO

The charitable contributions from "Share the Love" have funded a diverse range of projects including wish-granting, meal delivery to senior citizens, animal health services, Alzheimer's research, and support for military members and their families.

"We are honored to be able to support both our owners' passions and the work of these amazing organizations," said Subaru Chief Marketing Officer Dean Evans . "'Share the Love' is a very special event and Subaru is proud to have donated $25 million over the last five years."

In addition to the 2012 "Share the Love" partners, Subaru owners have also delivered support to the following organization in prior years: the Boys & Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, National Wildlife Federation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Ocean conservancy, American Forests and Special Olympics.

Source: Subaru

XV Crosstrek "SAVE SOME" Extended Cut

Subaru teases Viziv concept ahead of Geneva

Subaru will be stocking its display at the Geneva Motor Show next month: The European debut of the Subaru Forester joins the world premiere of a diesel Outback with Lineartronic CVT and a display called Subaru 360 that showcases the "brand's history and future vision."

The genuine future-speak, however, is intended to be conveyed by the Viziv concept. This name "Viziv" is culled from the phrase "Vision for Innovation," and the "future-generation crossover" that bears the 25th-century name has been designed to be an embodiment of "enjoyment and peace of mind."

That's quite a holistic burden for just one crossover. In the more mundane world, the Viziv will suggest Subaru's new design and technology directions. Subaru has created a mini-site for the concept that will be updated during the show, but for now, it just lets us know that March 5 will be "the start of something exciting." 
 
Source: AutoBlog

Top 12 Signs You Should Pull Over Immediately

 

Cars are so reliable these days; it's easy to forget that you can still have an emergency.

Here's our Top 12 list of the things that should cause you to pull your car over immediately.

12. Losing Something 'Essential'

We're sure this has happened to you. You're driving along and you reach into your glove box to grab your Sleepy LaBeef CD. As you're fumbling to open the CD case with one hand, the CD pops out and falls on the floor, under your legs. What do you do? Too many people bend down while they're driving and try to find Sleepy's greatest hits. Don't do it. Remember that at 65 mph every second your head spends down between your knees your car moves almost 100 feet without a driver! Besides, if your head is down there when you crash it could end up firmly implanted somewhere embarrassing. One might even argue that it already is in that dark place if you engage in this risky behavior.

So if you drop something — a CD, your keys, your phone, a french fry — either let it sit there until you get to your destination or pull over before you fish it out.

11. Cabin Chaos

Sometimes things get exciting inside a car. The kids, who normally slap and pinch each other suddenly pull out kitchen knives. Or your Labrador sees a cute little poodle crossing the street and jumps into your lap to get a closer look. Or your mother-in-law announces that she's just filled her Depends. Don't try to solve problems like these and drive at the same time. You can't. It's tempting to try to reach the kids in the backseat and separate them or toss the dog into the backseat or help your mother-in-law ... nevermind. It's much wiser to pull over and get things back under control. Then get back on the road.

10. Medical Emergency

If you think that you may be experiencing a medical problem, pull over right away. We've heard too many stories about people who have all the signs of a stroke or heart attack, yet they decide to try to "make it home" before calling for help. This is a recipe for killing yourself and other people on the road. If you have any reason to believe you're getting seriously ill, pull over and call for help. That's what 911 is for.

Even less deadly medical problems can make us lousy drivers. So consider pulling over and resting if you have something in your eye, a migraine headache or intense heartburn. Pull over if you can't sit still because you need to use the bathroom (or the bushes next to the road) or if you drop cigar ash between your legs. Anything that causes you to worry more about some part of your body than what's happening on the road in front of you is a good reason to pull over and stop driving until the problem is solved.

9. Lack of Visibility

We tend to forget that when we're driving we're piloting a 3,000-pound projectile. And when you're going 65 mph, you're covering 96 feet in one second. It'll take you 316 feet to come to a complete stop under ideal conditions. For that reason, it's good to be able to see!

Your visibility can suddenly become impaired for all kinds of reasons: a sudden downpour, thick fog, broken windshield wipers, a big splash of mud and an empty windshield washer reservoir, a flying projectile that cracks your windshield or a hood latch that breaks and sends the hood flying up while you're driving. And this doesn't even count the most common source of poor visibility — failure to clean off the windshield when it's snowy or icy. Bottom line: If you can't see well for any reason, pull over right away and either fix the problem or wait until the weather changes before getting back on the road.

8. Any Loud or Sudden Noise

Unless you're driving Tommy's MG, your car is not supposed to make any loud, sudden or unidentifiable noises. A loud or sudden noise can be benign. It could be a plastic milk jug that you ran over. On the other hand, it could also mean that your engine just launched a spark plug into low-Earth orbit.

Unless it's a milk jug, it indicates that something has just changed. It's changed from one piece to several pieces or changed from attached to unattached. Either way, it's best to pull over and try to figure it out.

7. Temperature Light or Oil Light

There are very few things that can wreck a car in less than two minutes. There's a direct hit by a meteor or a Caterpillar D9. Fortunately, both are very uncommon. But there are two common things that can ruin cars — severe overheating and loss of oil pressure. Your dashboard has idiot lights for both of these conditions. They're talking to you, pal.

If either of those lights comes on, don't try to make it home before investigating. Driving with no oil pressure can wreck a car's internal parts in minutes. Or less. Severe overheating can blow your head gasket or warp or crack your cylinder head or block just as quickly. 

A customer of ours had the oil light come on and drove home before calling us. We asked her, "Why did you try to get home?" She said she felt safer at home. That's understandable, we said, but that feeling of safety just cost you $7,000! If you see the oil light or hot light, unless it's unsafe to do so, pull over and call for help.

6. Sudden Change in Handling

If something changes in your car's handling and you can feel it in your steering wheel, chances are it is serious. It could be a sudden, extreme change like a tire blowing out or a wheel about to fall off. Or you might notice that the steering wheel is suddenly wobbling or tugging in one direction. These are all potentially serious problems that require pulling over.

Not every change in handling is dire. A small wobble could be something relatively minor like a lost wheel weight or a bad tire. It could be as simple as a change in road surface. Here's the catch: If you try to make an on-the-fly diagnosis, you risk driving over a guard rail and onto a nearby putting green. Or much worse. There are a lot of crucial pieces in the front end of the car. Because they're attached to the front wheels you can often feel a change in the steering wheel. Pay attention to it.

5. Steam/Water Vapor

Steam is usually an indication that coolant, which is under pressure, is escaping from your car's cooling system. If it's leaking slowly and hitting an exhaust pipe or something else that's hot, it may not be an emergency. But if it's leaking quickly, you can overheat the engine and do serious damage to your engine and your wallet. If your engine is overheating, you can sometimes save yourself thousands of dollars by pulling over before permanent damage is done.

Don't twist off the radiator cap right away to have a look-see. If your car is overheating, or even if it's not, the coolant is under very high pressure and can burn your face until it looks as bad as my brother's. So if you're not mechanically inclined, pull over, turn off your engine and find a good, local garage that can lend a hand.

4. Smell

We each know what our car smells like: Mostly, it smells like us, which is why it offends other people. Or it may smell like some combination of new-car smell, wet dog, old juice boxes and maybe grandma. If you notice a new smell — especially if you know it didn't come from you — it's best to pull over and investigate it. It could be relatively benign such as when you drive over a plastic grocery bag and it sticks to your hot catalytic converter or a meatball sub that slid under the passenger seat. But it could be something more serious like wire insulation burning or a gas leak. So if you notice a smell that's unusual and you can't identify it, it's best to pull over and make sure it's nothing getting ready to cause a disaster.

Your two primary concerns are gasoline, which you should never smell in the passenger compartment once you're moving, and something that's smoldering and could catch fire. Smoldering electrical wires are the most common source of fire. Once you pull over, you should investigate the smell carefully. And if you're at all concerned, call for help.

3. Smoke

There are lots of reasons why smoke might be issuing forth from your vehicle. But almost all of them are bad. Some are not emergencies such as when engine oil is dripping onto a hot exhaust pipe since a small amount of oil can produce a lot of smoke. But other times where there's smoke, there's fire. Or there soon will be. If you see smoke, it's best to pull over and check it out.

2. Flames

If you see flames spouting from anywhere in your car, pull over immediately. Not only is your car beginning to turn into automotive flambé before your eyes, but there's a risk to your life, as well. Even if the flames aren't burning you, per se, the fumes may be doing you in. So unless you're a trained firefighter, the best thing to do is look out for your own safety. Pull over, lace up your Pro Keds, get a safe distance away from your car and call 911. Then, and only then, do we advise pulling out your long, pronged fork and roasting marshmallows.

1. Blue Lights

Remember what happens if you don't pull over when you see blue lights.

One final note: What does it mean to "pull over immediately"? It means pull over as quickly as it's safe to do so. Don't swerve across five lanes of traffic. Check around you. Check the side of the road to see if there's a place to pull off. And then pull over.

Source: Cars.com

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Subaru Dog Tested: Intro

Alex just left us an amazing review on Yelp!

Alex C.

St. Paul, Minnesota

Feb 01, 2013

"Never written a car dealership review but let's start with my goal. GOAL: Buy Subaru Outback with heated seats at the cheapest price. I figured we'd have to do some work for it but I thought the work would be negotiating with a pushy sales person. I was waaaaay off. The easiest part for me was working with Jake, Bobby, and Logan at St. Cloud Subaru. The hardest part was figuring out that St. Cloud Subaru (1.5 hours away from home!) would be the place to find my new car. We shopped around quite a bit at a few Subaru dealers within 2 hours of the cities and mostly worked on-line and electronically until we trimmed our list down to two. Things we were surprised by: 1. The amazing job that St. Cloud did. They came in with a competitive price and then worked with us to lower the price even more. I wasn't thrilled at driving an hour and a half each way to pick up the car but the negotiations were very friendly and went well. (They ended up a couple hundred over the Walser price but they were quite sure on what they were selling us....in included additional amenities over the Walser vehicle...how many additional amenities, I'll never know because I doubt Walser knows.) Logan and Jake very efficiently and thoroughly went through the paperwork and never came off pushy. Jake went above and beyond and showed us how to use some of the toys. (Like the bluetooth....twice.) We didn't get the cheapest price, we were close but the $200 gave us peace of mind that we knew exactly what we were driving to get. (And it did have more of the toys than what Walser was offering.) Goal accomplished! 2. Half of the dealers didn't get back to us...really, couldn't even shoot at email to say they were interested in selling us a car or otherwise send us someone to contact. 3. The second most expensive quote came from White Bear Subaru ("WBS") in our backyard. The surprise is that in the email response to our offer, WBS implied they were insulted by our initial offer which was actually a few hundred dollars less than the unnegotiated cheapest on-line price (Walser). White Bear Subaru went ballistic and stated the on-line price was not legitimate and that they wouldn't sell us a car for $1000 dollars more than our offer. They also very surprisingly told us to not come in again (we test drove here). For the record, our final price from St. Cloud, with additional amenities, still came in below the quote plus $1000. Not sure how WSB comes up with prices but they are far from competitive. 4. Walser, who had the cheapest price actually has no idea what they have on their lot. After working with two different people, we were told by both they didn't have our vehicle. We actually had to help them locate the vehicles on their own website...twice! We were then told once that the vehicle had everything we were looking for and once that the vehicle had only 1/2 of the all weather package. (Is it possible to buy 1/2 a package???!) Despite having the cheapest price, the lack on knowledge created a sense of shadiness which worried us that Walser wasn't actually going to get us what we were looking for."

Read more of our reviews on Yelp!

Subaru True Love Event

Celebrate the month of love with a new Subaru! Check out amazing deals on the Subaru lineup now through February 28!

Visit our website for deals on your favorite Subaru models! http://www.stcloudsubaru.com/