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Past Issues

752: Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon
A reborn classic earns a (near) perfect 10
748: Nissan GT-R
It’s fast, sexy and a bargain. So what’s the catch?
744: Jaguar XF
The new sedan from Britain’s storied automaker proves that appearances are, in fact, deceiving
736: Suzuki Swift Sport
Suzuki’s bargain hatch proves big fun can come in small packages
732: Dualis & X-Trail
Nissan introduces a new SUV while its marquee model continues to play tough
728: Toyota Vanguard
Head off to the concrete jungle with a bit more vehicle than you need
724: Subaru Impreza S-GT
Japan’s automotive loudmouth learns some manners
720: Tokyo Auto Salon 2008
Get ready for some modification mayhem at Makuhari Messe
716: Dodge These!
Chrysler introduces three muscle-bound imports to Japan
712: Licensed to Drive
We guide you through the bureaucratic jungle
708: Tokyo Concours D’Elegance
Exotic autos from the past and present glide into Roppongi
704: Car Knows Best
Automakers are introducing technology that will let your ride decide if you’ve had one too many
700: Range Rover & Land Rover
We put three SUVs from the fabled British maker through their paces
696: Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Channel 007 in this latest incarnation of the marquee automaker’s “baby”
692: BMW R1200GS Adventure
The storied bike maker competes with itself to create a three-in-one masterpiece
688: Lexus LS460
The new sedan is big, fast, safe, classy—and unremarkable
684: Alfa Romeo Spider
We unleash the Italian monster on a 1,200km road trip
680: Ford Mustang
The American classic goes back to its roots
676: Citroën C6
The French automaker's latest eccentricity pushes its own boundaries
672: Nissan’s Pino and Otti
Japan-friendly K-cars pack a big punch
668: Jaguar XK
Forget James Bond—this is the UK’s sexiest export
664: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster
Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy!
660: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster
Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy!
656: Alfa Romeo Brera
This gorgeous Italian coupe is both poised and sexy
652: Premium wheels
Business is good for Rolls-Royce in Japan, with an eagerly awaited convertible due out next year
648: Citroen C3 Pluriel
The quirky French automaker barrels into the 21st century
644: Jeep Commander& Grand Cherokee
Off road and on, these 4×4s do their military heritage proud
640: BMW Z4 M Roadster
Beemer’s monster convertible provides the most fun you can have sitting down
636: Name dropping
What your car is called says something about you—and even more about automakers’ marketing departments
632: BMW Mini Cooper S
All hail the mighty Mini!
628: Mazda Roadster
Redesigned and retooled, this two-seater is now a car for enthusiasts
624: Hyundai Sonata
A rev-happy South Korean import tries to find its niche in Japan
621: Lexus IS350
Toyota brings its upmarket brand to Japan—finally
616: Volvo XC90 V8
A bit sleeker and a lot more spacious, this SUV still puts a premium on safety
612: Chrysler 300C
This black beauty recalls the golden age of motoring
608: The Big Ideas
Tokyo Motor Show 2005 was a concept car bonanza
604: Tokyo Motor Show 2005
The automotive world’s big players zoom into Japan with some high concepts in tow
597: Three brothers
We put a trio of Nissan sedans through their paces
593: Ducati 1000S DS Multistrada
The boys from Bologna deliver an Italian masterpiece for your garage
589: Mazda Demio Sport
A worthy cousin to the Atenza and RX8, this roomy sedan is happy around town and in the country
585: BMW K1200S
The boys from bavaria clothe an iron fist in a velvet glove
581: Chrysler’s Cruisers
The American auto manufacturer concentrates on the body beautiful
577: Suzuki Skywave 650LX
If you thought scooters were just for kids, think again
573: Cadillac STS 4x4
America’s flagship automaker recaptures its former glory
569: Tour de Force
Yamaha’s FJR1300A offers an unbeatable blend of poise, power and price
565: Alfa Romeo GT and 156 GTA
With stunning looks and power to spare, these two Alfas are an enthusiast's dream
560: Driving the Future
The talk of the auto industry in 2004 was hybrids, safe driving and intelligent vehicles
556: Deja vu
Blast to the past on Harley-Davidson’s Road King Custom
552: Sports sensation
Nissan's new SUV breaks out of its class
548: Lean machine
Lighter, faster, stronger and sexier—a diet works wonders for BMW’s R1200GS
544: Kings for a day
The Honda Elysion is master of all it surveys
539: Rules of the road
New traffic laws are on the horizon. Turn off your cellphone, watch where you park and don’t ride in gangs, Chris Betros warns.
537: Open roadster
William Bonds gets up-close with the elements courtesy of the Nissan Fairlady 350Z convertible.
535: Extreme makeover
Volvo sheds its stodgy-but-safe image for sleek-and-sporty with the new S40 T5. William Bonds likes what he sees.
533: Sporting chance
Mazda has brought the station wagon up to speed with its Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z. William Bonds takes one for a spin.
531: Street smarts
Automakers are taking car safety to new levels with sophisticated warning systems that almost do the driving for you, reports Chris Betros.
529: Speed zone
Just down the road from Ueno Zoo, a virtual hog heaven has everything for the motorcycling enthusiast. Steve Trautlein cruises on over.
527: Italian Stallion
The Alfa Romeo 147 carries on its maker’s reputation for hot cars with unmatched sex appeal. William Bonds gets carried away.
525: Hot wheels
A cross between a snowboard and a scooter, the Wheelman is a quirky Australian invention that's grabbing attention worldwide. Tim Colquhoun takes one for a ride.
523: Mean Machine
William Bonds gets behind the wheel of the Nissan Skyline 350GT.
521: Show stealers
Toyota stunned attendees at the recent Geneva and Melbourne auto shows with two concept cars that represent a powerful vision for the future of motoring. Tim Colquhoun reports.
519: Mighty mouse
Subaru goes boldly against the tide with its new R2 minicar. Justin Gardiner admires this latest feat of audacity and engineering.
517: Trail blazer
Nissan's top-selling 4x4 features cool touches for winter sports fans. Justin Gardiner drove the latest X-Trail to the slopes
515: Up to speed
The Formula One circus is gaining momentum as the season opener in Australia draws near. Tim Colquhoun takes a look at the latest developments.
513: Good save
Hybrid cars are the rage this year with Toyota, Honda and Subaru touting their gas-electric vehicles. Chris Betros looks at what they're offering.
512: The road ahead
Despite the lack of a full-fledged Tokyo Motor Show in 2004, domestic manufacturers have a bevy of weird and wonderful offerings in store for this year. Justin Gardiner previews the lineup.
509/10: Top of the class
Justin Gardiner finds his favorites from this year's Metropolis test drives.
507: Mom-mobiles
Japanese mothers are trading in their once ubiquitous mama-chari bicycles for a new breed of K-car. Justin Gardiner tries a couple of the most popular mini-cars.
505: Cubic's rube
Nissan has lengthened its highly successful Cube a few centimeters and added an extra row of seats. But, as Justin Gardiner finds out, the result is a bit puzzling.
503: Globe trotters
Kerstin Gackle and Volker Aldinger left their native Germany on April 1 and pointed their Yamahas toward Australia. Eight months later Justin Gardiner caught up with the couple in Tokyo.
501: Back to the future
Cutting-edge technology and futuristic vehicles highlight the 37th Tokyo Motor Show at Makuhari Messe through November 5. Justin Gardiner offers a guide.

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Cars & Bikes

Text and photos by Justin Gardiner

Subaru Impreza S-GT
Japan’s automotive loudmouth learns some manners

I have to admit that I let out two not entirely manly yelps as I got into this car.

The first was caused by getting hit by the driver’s door. You see, most Subaru doors do not have metal window frames. This design statement has flowed from the Legacy to the original Impreza to the Forester,
so when I saw that the press car’s window was open, I figured that I could look inside while opening the door without knocking my glasses off. Wrong. Only this new generation Impreza now has window frames. Ouch.

The second yelp was brought on by a small button next to the gear stick. Right where you might expect
to find a button to spray water on the intercooler, or a dial to vary the amount of power sent to the rear wheels, or perhaps a switch to stiffen the suspension into a tarmac rally-style sport mode, was a button marked “ECO,” which, it turned out, did nothing more than illuminate a green lamp on the speedo. Huh?

It appeared that my worst fears were being realized. When the new Impreza was unveiled to the press back in June, I couldn’t help thinking that it bore a striking resemblance to a ’90s Toyota Corolla. This was not altogether surprising, as Toyota engineers had started infiltrating Subaru’s design studios in Mitaka soon after the motoring giant bought shares in Fuji Heavy Industries two years ago. As Subaru sorely needed some help on the design front, this was not entirely unwelcome news, but motoring pundits and Subaru fans the world over were concerned that Toyota’s influence would dilute the raw, race-bred engineering excellence of the brand in order to appeal to a wider swath of the car-buying public.

So it was with extreme relief that I left surrounding cars to eat my dust as I pulled away from the lights in front of the Subaru HQ in Shinjuku. Lingering in second gear a tad longer than necessary brought the turbo on line in true Subaru fashion (the green ECO light happily flicked out at this point), and a very few fun-filled minutes later we were crossing the Tama River and heading for the mountains of Hakone.

Cruising along the Chuo Expressway was effortless and comfortable, and what’s more, not one rattle or squeak emanated from the dashboard. Quite un-Subaru like—I was starting to see that Toyota’s input had a silver lining. In fact, the new Impreza’s interior is a huge improvement over its predecessor in every respect. More visually appealing, better layout, better materials, better build quality and, thanks to the new car’s longer wheelbase, adult human beings with legs can actually sit in the back.

And the stance afforded by such a long wheelbase has made the Impreza’s already legendary handling even better. Our test car was not the hardcore ¥3.5 million STI version, but the S-GT, which is
a third of the price. Nonetheless, Subaru’s patented symmetrical all-wheel-drive system had no trouble transferring the turbocharged flat four’s 250hp to Hakone’s winding roads without resorting to traction control, and while progress feels less harried in the new car, the S-GT is actually slightly quicker than its predecessor, the WRX.

The change in moniker is indicative of a shift in Subaru’s focus. The WRX was Japan’s automotive loudmouth. Brash, thrashy, incredibly fun to drive, but compromised as a four-door sedan for daily use by cramped seating and a sub-par interior. The S-GT is closer in concept to Subaru’s (extremely successful) Legacy GT—more spacious, more comfortable and, overall, more refined. Sure enough, fans of the old WRX are up in arms, but for Subaru, and consequently Toyota, the new Impreza makes sense. It will outsell the old model because it is a better all-rounder. And for those who need something more raucous, there’s always the STI.

The only problem with the Impreza is its outward appearance. This car is pretty gawky looking, what with those taillights that look like they were bought at Autobacs and the low-rent grille. But the view from the inside out isn’t bad at all, and let’s face it, most drivers spend more time looking out of their cars than at them.

Think of it this way: once we’d finished tearing up and down the Toyo Tires Turnpike, the Impreza and I retired to a warm, comfy and extremely reasonable ryokan that happens to have a beautiful view over the famous Fujiya Hotel. From the outside, the place looks like a Soviet-era air raid shelter—and half the high paying guests at the famed Fujiya have to put up with a view of this eyesore. But where would you rather stay?

Autofile

Japan’s roads are getting safer, according to statistics released by the National Police Agency. A total of 5,743 deaths occurred on the nation’s highways in 2007, marking the first time since 1953 that the number fell below 6,000. Compared to 2006, fatalities were down 9.6 percent, which marked the seventh consecutive annual decline. Kyodo reported that the drop is due to “heightened public concern over accidents caused by drunken driving and tougher penalties for such driving imposed by laws such as a revised Road Traffic Law that took effect in September.”

Mazda has launched a new-look MPV minivan that aims to demonstrate “aggressive luxury.” Enhancements include lots of new chrome body parts, remodeled grilles and a bolder, more distinguished front. The vehicle’s rear lights and 18-inch alloy wheels have also been redesigned, and five new body colors are now available. The interior maintains the previous version’s sporty image and features a decorative new trim, roomier second-row “Super Relax Seats” and an industry-first air filtering system. The interiors of the 23T L Package and 23S L Package models have also been fitted with heated front seats and a leather-wrapped wood grain-patterned steering wheel. The MPV is priced at ¥2.5 to ¥3.6 million. CB

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