1987 Subaru Vortex Reviews

The Subaru Outback AWD Premium is the one-up from entry-level version of the seventh-generation model.

The Subaru Outback AWD is the entry-level version of the seventh-generation model.

The federal government has released the results of the first New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), with several major manufacturers impacted. 

Since 1996, the Subaru Outback has shown the world how to make a successful wagon-style crossover. But the last one rode stiffly and felt dull, leaving us cold. The seventh-gen version, however, reinvents the series as a big, boxy SUV. And, as Subaru's 30-year experience with the Forester proves, it knows exactly how to do that right. Hard on the eyes perhaps but easy to love. This one soars.

Subaru Australia has finally announced it’s launching the Trailseeker electric SUV in Australia in the second quarter of 2026.This will be the Japanese carmaker’s second electric vehicle (EV) in Australia, following the related and slightly smaller Solterra electric SUV.You can now register your interest for a 2026 Subaru Trailseeker on the carmaker’s local website. Pricing and specifications will be announced closer to its launch.The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker was first revealed in 2025 alongside the updated Solterra at the New York International Auto Show. It’s being offered in Europe as the E-Outback.With a total system output of up to 280kW, the Trailseeker is set to be Subaru’s fastest accelerating production vehicle offered to date. It’s claimed to be able to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.4 seconds.Additionally it offers 211mm of ground clearance and a 1500kg braked towing capacity.The dual electric motors are fed by a 74.7kWh CATL-sourced lithium-ion battery, which Subaru claims allows for up to 533km of range, according to ADR testing.AC charging is available at rates up to 22kW and DC charging is available at rates up to 150kW. Using the latter a 10 to 80 per cent charge will take around 30 minutes.The Trailseeker also offers 1500W vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.“Trailseeker is the EV with personality. As the name suggests, this is the vehicle for drivers seeking adventure, who want to enjoy an engaging performance drive, all while remaining grounded in the confidence, safety and all-terrain capability that defines Subaru’s DNA,” said Subaru Australia General Manager Scott Lawrence.“It shows that electric performance doesn’t have to come at the expense of confidence, control or real-world capability – the qualities our customers expect from a Subaru. And being the quickest Subaru production vehicle ever it’s a fun and engaging drive in all conditions“Trailseeker stays true to Subaru’s DNA, while opening a new chapter through electric power, offering even greater choice for our customers.”The Subaru Trailseeker is virtually a twin under the skin with the forthcoming Toyota bZ4X Touring which is set to arrive in Australia around a similar time.Toyota and Subaru collaboratively developed the bZ4X and Solterra, as well as the bZ4X Touring and Trailseeker.As noted above, local pricing and specifications for the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker will be announced closer to its launch.

Cathy, Thorpey, Kylie and Nikki had just shown the world that Australia can hold its own in sports and culture, we’d given quite a few of our guns away, the Millenial Bug wasn’t such a concern anymore… and three sedans dominated Aussie roads.A quarter of a century ago, the year 2000 was just in the rear-view, and the sales charts looked very different to today.What better time than 25 years later to look back at the cars and brands Australians were heading to the showroom for?Not only were there fewer utes and SUVs being sold, they didn’t even make up a third of the new vehicle sales in the country combined that year. Utes and SUVs were lumped together in the same section of the VFACTS report (the sales figures industry stakeholders, pundits and media receive each month) alongside heavy trucks.Only 8413 new Toyota RAV4s were sold, making the Daewoo Lanos (9029 sales) more popular that year. Compare that to 2025, when the RAV4 ranked second in sales for the year with a whopping 51,947 units, only topped by the Ranger (56,555).Speaking of which, how did our now-favourite utes fare in 2000? The Ford Courier, the Ranger’s predecessor, sold just 6769 units, while the HiLux managed to hop into the top 10 with 21,509 sales. Still somewhat short of its 51,297 in 2025.To be fair, if you’d asked someone if they were buying a Ford ute, the Courier wouldn’t have been the first thing to come to mind. Ford sold 13,698 Falcon utes in the year 2000, putting it well ahead of its Commodore rival’s 6361.That can be explained easily, Holden didn't build a new ute for the VT generation Commodore of the late-’90s, instead continuing to sell the VS ute alongside the VT sedan.The near-new AU Falcon ute (released in mid-1999) had the car-based ute market covered for the turn of the century.Those two now-gone badges, along with the enduring Toyota Camry and the impressive Mitsubishi Magna, were impossible to avoid on Aussie roads then, with the Commodore, Falcon, Camry and Magna being first, second, third and fifth (thanks to the Corolla in fourth) most popular cars in the country in 2000.Between them they contributed to the total 198,766 large passenger cars sold in 2000, which made up 35.9 per cent of the year’s new vehicle sales. In 2025, large passenger cars made up just 2285 sales, or 0.2 per cent of the market.Small cars made up the other major chunk of sales back in 2000, with 154,050 sales being 27.8 per cent of the market. They were 72,222 sales and 6.0 per cent of last year’s market share.The aforementioned Daewoo was in the top 10 brands (just) in terms of sales for the year 2000, but was the only brand in that list that no longer exists.A scroll through the list shows other long-gone names like Daihatsu, Saab and Proton, and one not-so-long-gone name — Citroen.Daewoo Nubira? Daihatsu Sirion? Even the Proton Satria? These forgotten cars all sold in the thousands back then.Giants like Kia and Hyundai have come a long way, too. The brands once known for the Excel or Accent, plus the Kia Rio in its most ‘cheap and cheerful’ phase (RIP) are now global powerhouses with new technology and reliability commonly in the same sentence as their badge names. Hyundai, at least, was still a top-10 player back then.Below, there are tables with the most popular models and brands from the year 2000 and the figures we gleaned from the data — note the badge names have been consolidated so that cars with Commodore (for example) includes all body types.Top 10 cars sold in Australia in 2000Top 10 cars brands in Australia in 2000  

The way a car looks can make or break a model, and recently we’ve seen cars such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Tasman receive so much criticism because of their styling that the brands appear to be working on a quick redesign for them. So will the new-look Tasman and Santa Fe translate into better sales? We’ll find out soon, once we see the updated cars and then the sales figures, but in the meantime here are our top 5 car re-designs from the past five years. And by redesign we don’t mean the change in styling, which comes with a new-generation of a car, but the facelifts and makeovers that happened in between.  5. 2025 Nissan QashqaiMost brands update their models over the course of about seven years between all-new generations. Normally these involve tweaks to headlights or taillights and are often cosmetic changes that are easy to fit onto the existing design. So it’s always impressive when we see a striking new look come along such as with the Nissan Qashqai in 2025.The Qashqai received a complete ‘face transplant’ giving it an entirely new look. The smaller plunging grille it had worn for years had been replaced by a gloss black textured one-piece grille stretching the width of the car. 4. 2025 Isuzu MU-XIsuzu’s seven-seater MU-X SUV has spent most of its life living in the shadow of the D-Max ute it’s based on, but a revamp in 2025 saw it lose its goofy grille and gain a menacing new look.Isuzu said the mid-life update came after customer feedback and along with the redesigned face the MU-X also gained a host of new features and safety tech.Isuzu said the restyling incorporated “aeronautical design cues to inject strength and dynamism” while improving aerodynamics.3. 2026 Subaru SolterraSubaru’s Solterra EV was massively overhauled just two years after its launch in 2023 due to strong criticism of its range, power, price and styling. The Solterra returned new and improved in 2025 with a redesign that made the SUV unrecognisable from the front.For Australia the change came even more rapidly, with the Solterra launching here in early 2024 and the updated version having just arrived in early 2026.The new face was just the tip of the huge changes that had taken place, with a larger battery installed for increased driving range and more powerful motors added. Subaru also dropped the price by up to $7000.2. 2021 Lexus ISThe Lexus IS hasn’t been sold in Australia since 2021 but it was in that year that the mid-sized sporty sedan launched locally with a redesign so big that this looked like a new-generation and not just an update.  More aggressive, but more refined the new IS had a wider body, a bigger grille, new headlights and LED running lights and new taillights.1. 2023 Hyundai SonataThe 2023 Hyundai Sonata was hit with a stunning makeover. The facelift took a fairly dull-looking sedan and turned it into a desirable, sleek and modern four door.A new frontal design incorporating a thin LED strip skirting the bonnet edge, large lower grille and a beautifully treated tailgate with restyled taillights completed an exterior design which looked more new-gen than makeover.The updated Sonata’s cabin also received an overhaul with new tech and features.

The popular Subaru Crosstrek small SUV has just had its price hiked in Australia. It now starts from $36,490, before on-road costs, for the base petrol version, which is a $500 increase.The up-spec petrol and base hybrid have also increased $500, with the top-spec models for both powertrains now $1500 more expensive.This is the second price increase in the last 12 months for the SUV, after a $500 increase on most models in June. The news comes after Subaru hiked the price of its BRZ two-door sports car by up to $3600.The Crosstrek sits as a rival to everything from the Toyota Corolla Cross to the Haval Jolion.The latest price bump sees a hybrid Crosstrek now more than $6500 more than a Corolla Cross, it also has higher starting prices than the Hyundai Kona both in petrol or hybrid forms, as well as the Mazda CX-30.The Crosstrek may sit higher in price than its rivals, but it also features an all-wheel system across the range.As part of the changes for 2026, there are new paint choices, including "Citron Yellow Pearl" and "Sand Dune Pearl".There is also now an emergency stop system as part of the safety gear on board, which brings the vehicle to a controlled stop if the driver is unresponsive.Subaru's crossover continues to be available with two engine choices. There is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 115kW and 196Nm, while a hybrid configuration produces 100kW and 182Nm, both have a continuously variable automatic transmission.On the inside, it features a 11.6-inch central touchscreen display and 4.2-inch digital driver display, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available.2026 Subaru Crosstrek pricing Australia 2026 Subaru Crosstrek engine and efficiency 2026 Subaru Crosstrek standard features17-inch alloy wheels11.6-inch central touchscreen display4.2-inch digital driver displayWireless phone chargerCloth seat upholsteryPower-folding mirrorsKeyless entry and startSix-speaker sound systemR grade gets18-inch alloy wheelsSteering responsive headlightsSports pedalsAuto-dimming rearview mirrorHeated front seatsHeated door mirrorsS grade getsElectric sunroofEngine coverLeather accented seats10-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system2026 Subaru Crosstrek safetyThe Subaru Crosstrek received a five-star ANCAP safety rating.  Standard safety features:9 airbagsBlind spot monitoringLane change assistRear parking sensorsReversing cameraDistraction warningDrowsiness warningAutonomous emergency steeringAdaptive cruise controlLane departure warningLane sway warningLane keep assistEmergency stop systemR grade getsFront view monitorHigh beam assist360-degree cameraSide view monitors 2026 Subaru Crosstrek dimensions  2026 Subaru Crosstrek warrantyThe Subaru Crosstrek comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. 

The Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X are co-developed EV twins under the skin. Subaru has recognised shortcomings in the first version of its electric car and released a comprehensively upgraded version. We drive it to find out if it's now a stronger category competitor.

Subaru has hiked the price of its affordable BRZ sports car. The cheapest BRZ now starts from $47,890 (before on-road costs), which is a $3600 jump based on 2025 pricing for the entry manual variant. It is almost $10,000 more than when the second-generation launched in 2022 at $38,990.Manual BRZ's are now the same price as automatic examples, having previously been a $1000 less.This price hike has been reflected across the range.The S variant is now $49,190 up from $45,490, while the tS starts from $52,790 - a $2600 increase.It is now nearly $4000 more than its mechanically identical counterpart, the Toyota GR86.The BRZ still comes in significantly cheaper than a comparative 2.3-litre petrol engine Ford Mustang.The Mustang leads the segment for sales, starting from more than $70,000.Subaru has released a special edition of its BRZ in addition to the announcement of these price hikes.It is called the Kiiro and only 95 units will be offered locally. The car is priced to start from $53,590 (before on-road costs), which is $800 more than the re-priced Coupe tS, which usually sits at the top of the range. This special edition BRZ gets an exclusive yellow paint, in line with the Japanese meaning for the word 'Kiiro', along with 18-inch matte back alloy wheels. There are suede and leather accented seats, with black and yellow elements. Yellow stitching is on the leather steering wheel and gear shift boot.There is an interior 'Kiiro' badge with the limited edition number of the specific car and ‘Kiiro’ badging is also visible in matte black on the rear of the car. It will be available in manual and automatic, keeping in line with the rest of the BRZ range. It will also be powered by the 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, producing 174kW and 250Nm found in other BRZ models.The limited edition BRZ tS will hit showrooms later this month. 2026 Subaru BRZ pricing Australia