By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Subaru made a brilliant marketing move in the mid-90s creating a crossover version of its mid-sized Legacy station wagon by adding side body cladding, raising the suspension height, giving it a rugged-sounding name — the Outback — and enlisting the services of Australian actor Paul Hogan of Crocodile Dundee movie fame.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The "Beauty of All-Wheel Drive" is one of Subaru's more catchy advertising slogans. And it's very apt because for more than five decades every vehicle built by the Japanese manufacturer has been outfitted with power to all four wheels, at least until the 2013 model year.

After experiencing the fun-to-drive rear-wheel BRZ sports coupe we can forgive Subaru for deviating from the all-wheel drive formula. The BRZ, developed in partnership with Toyota, provides driving enjoyment for less than 30 grand.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

We are fans of "trickle down" when it comes to automobiles. New, cutting-edge technologies are usually first used in high-dollar luxury vehicles before eventually "trickling down" to more affordable mainstream cars. So we were delighted when we recently discovered that one of our favorite 21st Century innovations, adaptive cruise control, has trickled down to the 2013 Subaru Legacy.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

When speaking of the excellent new crop of compact cars now in American showrooms or on the way later this year, seldom is the Subaru Impreza part of the discussion. That may change with an all-new, stylish and more fuel efficient 2012 Impreza. The redesigned Subaru is better looking, has more interior space and is more fuel efficient than its predecessor.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

For many years Subaru with its standard across-the-lineup all-wheel drive has been popular in the colder climates, but a slow seller in the rest of the country. Quirky styling, also kept Subaru a niche brand, something like Saab but in less expensive clothes.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Coloring out of the lines can be fun, but it can be risky in the automotive world.

Unusual styling can sink an otherwise excellent vehicle. A decade ago it sunk the best-selling car in America.

Let’s return to the mid-90s, heady days for Ford and its best-selling Taurus sedan. Ford introduced the jellybean-shaped Taurus in the late ’80s and it resonated with families across the land. By the early ’90s, the Taurus was the best selling car in America.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Crossover utility vehicles are the rage with sales expected to double by the end of the decade.

They are the station wagons of the 21st Century, the new people haulers replacing truck-based sport utilities. Although they’re built on a car platform, they retain the high ride and bad-weather capability of the traditional SUV. And they usually come with a car-like ride and gas mileage closer to a sedan than a truck.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Rewarding utility meets awesome power in the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

Grocery-hauling attributes combine with the fast and furious for the man who has family responsibilities, but also the need for incredible speed.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The face that no one could love is gone.

The controversial front-end of the Subaru B9 Tribeca has been revised and now looks much like several mainstream vehicles, but perhaps most like a Chrysler Pacifica.

It’s merely a ho-hum change, but one that was needed. The previous Tribeca, on the market for two years, had an airplane-shaped grille that drew considerable criticism and derision. No doubt it cost Subaru sales. Any change was a good change.