Subaru Forester

[KDX]

Anyone liking the looks of the redesigned Forester? I've owned a Subaru product in the past and it was a good car. Might be in the market for something new in a few months.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I was looking at them a few months ago- I can't say I'm thrilled about the new redesign but I like it a lot better than the redesign of the Outback.  I always liked the Outback, but the new design looks awful.

If I was to seriously consider a Subaru these days it would be the Forester.  I like the higher seating position and visibility as well as the better cargo capacity.  They do seem a bit underpowered at 170hp unless you go to the top of the line 2.5XT model with 225hp.

It's a sharp looking truck.  If you end up getting one make sure to let us know what you think of it.  I'm curious about them as well, although I never got around to test driving one.

Def

[KDX]

The new XT has a 2L direct injection turbo rated @ 250hp. The thing that has me interested is that it can run regular unleaded with only a 10% performance loss. Too bad the XT will be out of my price range. The normally aspirated version is rated for 6.2L/100kms which is pretty good. They went to a CVT this year which makes quite a difference. I was looking at a CRV but will wait for a bit until these ones come out and I test drive one or two.

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's odd- the website says 224hp:

http://subaru.ca/WebPage.aspx?WebPageID=17426&Range=Forester&ModelYear=2013&WebSiteID=282

Where are you getting 250hp from?  If they are cranking out an extra 26hp they should probably update their site.

Def

[KDX]

The 2014 has a new engine in it. They aren't out till March or April here. They have hit the shores of Australia though. For off road capability they aimed at the Land Cruiser for their goal. Came close too from the tests I've seen online.

[Grant Lamontagne]

It's barely 2013 and they are already marketing the 2014's?  That's pretty lame. Usually you don't see the next model year release until around September.

If they are available now they were built in 2012, which seems bad for a 2014 model.

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I haven't seen the new Forester, but I'm going to check them out.  I'm hoping to get a new vehicle for myself in the next year or so, and a Forester is definitely one of the ones at the top of my list.

And, being the fan of classic/obscure sci-fi that I am, and that I have a penchant for naming my vehicles, if I do get a Forester, I'm planning on naming it "Dr. Clayton ..."  (Anyone know what that's a reference to/from? )

[williaty]

Full Disclaimer: I'm a professional mechanic and I own/operate a race and repair shop that specializes in Subarus.

Regarding model year, that's not uncommon at all to be this far off. The only legal requirement is that, on January 1 of year XXXX, you are selling model year XXXX. This allows for model years up to a length of 2 years minus two days. Say, for instance, that the 2014s could run from Jan 2, 2013 to Dec 31, 2014. Subaru lead time from production to delivery is almost always less than 4 months. Beginning of production for a model year tends to be in the April-May timeframe and the new cars show up on the lot in late July to mid August.

As far as the new Forrester, there's one thing you need to be aware of. It has the new engine in it. The Forrester was the first to get it, but it'll roll into all the models over the next couple of cycles. The new engine requires 0w20 synthetic oil. Unfortunately, Subaru means the definition of synthetic the rest of the world means (not mineral oil based) rather than the definition of synthetic the US uses (mineral oil that's been through a fancy washing machine). So, right now, there is no off the shelf oil you can buy at a typical autoparts store that'll work in these new engines. Your options in the US are to buy oil from the dealer (competitively priced, actually), to buy the Redline product, to buy the top-of-the-line AMSOIL product, or to find a Motul dealer that actually knows the product line well enough to get you the right stuff (since Motul's product line is complex to say the least).

Otherwise, they're good cars and nice to drive.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I haven't seen the new Forester, but I'm going to check them out.  I'm hoping to get a new vehicle for myself in the next year or so, and a Forester is definitely one of the ones at the top of my list.

And, being the fan of classic/obscure sci-fi that I am, and that I have a penchant for naming my vehicles, if I do get a Forester, I'm planning on naming it "Dr. Clayton ..."  (Anyone know what that's a reference to/from? )

No idea....





Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Full Disclaimer: I'm a professional mechanic and I own/operate a race and repair shop that specializes in Subarus.

Regarding model year, that's not uncommon at all to be this far off. The only legal requirement is that, on January 1 of year XXXX, you are selling model year XXXX. This allows for model years up to a length of 2 years minus two days. Say, for instance, that the 2014s could run from Jan 2, 2013 to Dec 31, 2014. Subaru lead time from production to delivery is almost always less than 4 months. Beginning of production for a model year tends to be in the April-May timeframe and the new cars show up on the lot in late July to mid August.

As far as the new Forrester, there's one thing you need to be aware of. It has the new engine in it. The Forrester was the first to get it, but it'll roll into all the models over the next couple of cycles. The new engine requires 0w20 synthetic oil. Unfortunately, Subaru means the definition of synthetic the rest of the world means (not mineral oil based) rather than the definition of synthetic the US uses (mineral oil that's been through a fancy washing machine). So, right now, there is no off the shelf oil you can buy at a typical autoparts store that'll work in these new engines. Your options in the US are to buy oil from the dealer (competitively priced, actually), to buy the Redline product, to buy the top-of-the-line AMSOIL product, or to find a Motul dealer that actually knows the product line well enough to get you the right stuff (since Motul's product line is complex to say the least).

Otherwise, they're good cars and nice to drive.

That's excellent info!   

Def

[Grumpy]

Hi, i own a 15yr old forester and i love it, in the uk any vehicle over 3yrs old has to have a ministry of transport test every 12 months for safety, I've just had mine and it passed with nothing wrong with it all . i've had a lot newer car's that have cost a fortune to get them through the test i've had land rovers suzuki jeeps and neither have been as strong as my forester which gets abused daily offroad! If the new version is as good i'd recommend anyone to buy one

[Romanoat]

I'm a Subaru tech. Been with the company for quite a few years. I actually just got to see the new 2014 forester a few days ago. They aren't in production yet, but there's a few floating around my region as demo cars for the Subaru reps. Nice looking truck, but getting a little too 'Toyota' for me. I can't wait to see the wiring diagrams...

[Romanoat]

Oh, and check out the new hybrid that's in the works. From what I've heard it's based on the crosstrek platform.

[KDX]

Thanks for the replys and info. I watched these videos on the development and found them quite interesting. I realize all automobiles go through this type of thing and it's neat to see some of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I haven't seen the new Forester, but I'm going to check them out.  I'm hoping to get a new vehicle for myself in the next year or so, and a Forester is definitely one of the ones at the top of my list.

And, being the fan of classic/obscure sci-fi that I am, and that I have a penchant for naming my vehicles, if I do get a Forester, I'm planning on naming it "Dr. Clayton ..."  (Anyone know what that's a reference to/from? )

No idea....

(Image removed from quote.)



Def

Ah!  That's the easy one!  There's one more, much more obscure... 

But I'll give you a hint... it's from a movie that was also Mystified...   

FWIW: I do a really good Dr. F. for halloween!