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Tests, Awards and Honorable
Mentions Around the World What’s Lance Doing – 2004? Solberg and Subaru Dominate Rally Japan Subaru One Lappers Affiliations Extended/Expanded |
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  The Subaru News section was on hiatus for the special summer issue, so here are some of the international test results, awards and recognition earned by Subaru vehicles during 2004 in addition to Legacy winning the Car of the Year Japan 2003-2004 award. Impreza Road & Track Readers’ Choice Award: The Best Car 2004 From a field of 23 new cars for 2004 narrowed down to the top five, Road & Track readers chose the WRX STi as The Best Car 2004. According to Road & Track (April 2004), “... the STi represents the best combination of performance, value and practicality.” Vanguard Vehicle In its 11th annual determination of which vehicle to name as its car of the year, Robb Report assembled a field of 12 of the world’s “vanguard vehicles.” Manufacturers included Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz (Maybach), Morgan, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Subaru! With base prices double, triple, and even more than 10 times that of the WRX STi chosen for the competition, the Subaru held its own. In the end, the $149,000 Bentley Continental GT drove off with the top award, but the honor for the WRX STi was in being chosen one “... of the year’s finest vehicles.” Legacy and Outback AWD Car of the Year 2004 in Germany The AWD car-of-the-year awards promoted by the Auto Bild Alles Allrad – a German magazine about all-wheel drive cars – chose Subaru Legacy as AWD Car of the Year in the Middle Class category for AWD passenger cars. Five Stars in the United States The 2005 Subaru Outback earned the highest rating in crash tests conducted for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Outback received NHTSA’s highest rating – five stars – in both the frontal and side-impact crash tests for both the driver and passenger seating positions. Five Stars in Australia Independent testing by the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) of vehicles in that country awarded the best-ever five-star crashworthiness ratings to the new Subaru Legacy and Outback. The Legacy and Outback with side-impact and side-curtain air bags earned the highest number of points ever recorded in ANCAP crash testing. Best Pick in the United States As a result of testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for frontal impacts, the 2005 Legacy earned a Good rating and Best Pick designation. Car of the Year 2004 in New Zealand Subaru Legacy 2.5i was named the New Zealand AA Autocar Car of the Year by the New Zealand Automobile Association and Autocar magazine. Legacy was also named the Best Medium-size Car. Forester Car of the Year in Queensland Subaru Forster 2.5 XT was selected for top honors as Queensland Country Car of the Year 2004 and Recreational Car of the Year 2004 by Queensland Country Life magazine and Personalised Plates Queensland. Best Compact SUV in South Africa South Africa’s Car magazine chose Forester as a best buy in its category for 2004. |