There are a total of 37 Top Safety Picks. 20 are SUVs, but only two other small SUVs — the Honda CR-V and Honda Element — rank that high. Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays recently reviewed the new Forester and came away impressed.
Toyota fans have been jonesing for a sports car ever since the Supra was discontinued in 1998. They’ve been clamoring for a small sporty car of any kind since the Celica was euthanized in 2005. Now they can rejoice: Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe has confirmed his company is working jointly with Subaru to develop a small, affordable, rear-wheel-drive sports car.
Check that: it’s actually two small, rear-wheel-drive sports cars — one for Toyota and one for Subaru. According to Automotive News, both will be powered by a Subaru supplied boxer engine similar to what’s currently under the hood of Subaru’s Impreza, Legacy and Forester.
This isn’t the only confirmation, as a Subaru executive said he’s driven the test vehicle already. Expect the new car to go on sale in 2011. Plans are for a Japan introduction with overseas markets to follow and presumably, the U.S. will be included. If you’d be willing to put money down at your local Toyota or Subaru dealer for one, let us know in the comments below.
We don’t have an official long-term fleet here at Cars.com, so I’m always willing to offer up my own new car for the role. As some might remember, my wife and I purchased a 2008 Subaru Outback in July 2007. We were looking for a low-$20,000 vehicle with all-wheel drive and some utility.
The odometer is still under 5,000 miles even after seven months of ownership. There are a few reasons for that. One is that we live in the city, so my wife’s commute is pretty short in terms of distance. Mileage remains around the 20 mpg mark if not below, mainly due to so much city driving.
Since the last time I updated everyone on the Outback, one thing has changed that has drastically altered my opinion of the car: We’re no longer in the DINK category, as our first child was born in February. You know what that means — car seats and strollers.
Usually when end-of-month incentives sales are announced, they come with some pretty inflated rhetoric: The Year-End Event, The Tent Sale to End All Others, The Event of a Lifetime (that’s our favorite), and so on. The hyperbole can get a little tiring.
Kudos to Subaru for avoiding that, calling its modest, 10-day incentives boost what it really is: kind of small or at least short. The Small Tent Big Event begins today, and until March 31 Subaru will offers customers 0.0% financing plus $1,500 cash back on the 2008 Outback, or 0.0% and $2,000 back on the outgoing 2008 Forester. Customers can also get 0.0% financing on a lease deal ($179 a month for 36 months) on the 2008 Impreza. The financing teamed with cash back is impressive, especially on these two models. The Forester is a Cars.com Best Bet and the Outback was our 2008 pick as Best Car for Weekend Athletes.
Subaru Small Tent Event (Subaru.com)
The Subaru R1e is an all-electric two-seat micro-car that can travel up to 50 miles on a charge at speeds up to 65 mph. A nearly full charge can take as little as 15 minutes to achieve when using a special quick charger, but it takes a lot longer — 8 hours — to achieve a full charge using a regular household power outlet. Subaru says the R1e's lithium-ion battery pack should last for 10 years/130,000 miles and cost less than $2 to charge.
During Subaru's press conference at the New York auto show, the automaker announced it will provide two of the cars to the New York Power Authority this summer for testing in New York City. The New York test is in addition to ones that have already been conducted in London and Tokyo, according to Subaru chief marketing officer Tim Mahoney.
An all-electric city car would make a lot of sense in a number of U.S. metropolitan areas if drivers had charging stations available for use. A test program like the one Subaru's entered into is a step in that direction, but don't look for a tangle of extension cords along the sidewalks of New York anytime soon.
Last week Kelsey Mays delivered his first thoughts on the all-new 2009 Subaru Forester. For the most part, he was impressed. Today he’s put together a photo gallery from the test-drive event he attended. We’ll bring you his full review later this week. Until then, check out the 50-plus photos below. If you have any questions for Kelsey, leave them in the comments.
Despite being 6 years old, the outgoing Subaru Forester is still a Cars.com Best Bet. Naturally, we had high hopes for the redesigned model that debuted at January’s Detroit auto show. Subaru invited journalists to Southern California to put the SUV through its paces on- and off-road, and I can attest that the updates keep it as competitive as ever.
The engines — a regular or turbocharged four-cylinder — carry over with few changes. What’s improved is the highway experience: Efforts to quiet the cabin have paid off, and at 65 mph the Forester seems on par with most small SUVs for road and wind noise. That isn’t something I could say about the previous model.
Subaru says the vast majority of Forester buyers will get the non-turbo engine, and I can see why. Its 170 hp moves the SUV to highway speeds with acceptable oomph, especially with the smooth-shifting manual transmission. I actually preferred that engine’s gradual whine to the turbo’s choppy roar. The turbo engine’s extra grunt (224 hp worth) moves the Forester with authority, but its power comes and goes in patches. Prod the gas on the highway enough to prompt the automatic to downshift, and the SUV surges forward. Putter around town with anything short of concerted acceleration, and the extra power never feels apparent.
This week, we have input from staffers on multiple vehicles, including the Mazda RX-8, Jeep Patriot, Subaru WRX STI and the always-coveted Chevy Malibu. Check out what our staff had to say, then take a look at our latest Expert Reviews for each vehicle for more in-depth coverage.
2008 Honda Odyssey
Toyota and Subaru ranked second and third, followed by BMW, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen. No domestic nameplate appeared on the list.
We first saw the all-new 2009 Subaru Forester last month at the Detroit auto show. Subaru has just released pricing for the new Forester, and the base model comes in $1,200 under the 2008 Forester’s base price.
Starting at $19,995 — not including a $665 destination charge — the 2009 Forester is larger than the outgoing model and has ditched its station wagon appearance for a more traditional crossover SUV look.
There are additional standard features on the 2009, including side curtain airbags and an electronic stability system. Sticking around are all-wheel drive and the turbocharged XT model. The base 2.5X ($19,995) comes with a manual transmission, while an automatic 2.5X starts at $21,195. Low-emission versions with Partial Zero Emission Vehicle status add $200 across the lineup.
The new Forester is expected to show up at dealerships in April. Keep reading for a full pricing breakdown.
There’s a movement in corporate America to achieve zero-landfill status. That’s when a company operates without a bit of waste going into the trash; it’s all recycled. Subaru’s Lafayette, Ind., plant — where it builds the Outback, Legacy and Tribeca, along with some Toyota Camrys — has a 99.8% zero-landfill rating, and everything from scrap metal to plastic caps are reused or recycled, making it a pretty green plant.
The USA Today article doesn’t mention other U.S. automakers and if they’re as green, but it does say Toyota’s 14 assembly plants are 97% zero-landfill.
What’s really interesting is to hear that so much can be reused, and that it also helps save the company money. Even waste that isn’t made of recyclable materials is sent to an Indianapolis plant to be turned into steam for heat.
We’d be really interested in hearing how other automakers stack up. Subaru is also promoting its green status in commercials. Does knowing how environmentally sound the building practice of an auto company is impact whether you’d consider buying one of its cars?
It's Waste Not, Want Not at Super Green Subaru Plant (USA Today)
Cars.com managing editor — and KickingTires’ own Suburban Dad — Patrick Olsen takes a close look at the completely redesigned Subaru Forester. There’s no longer any question the Forester is an SUV, not a wagon, but is that a good thing? Check out the video to find out.
Our Suburban Dad has already taken a gander at the 2009 Subaru Forester and decided the new design gives it a distinctly small-SUV feel, rather than its old large-station-wagon aura. Be sure to check out all the coverage over on the main Cars.com site, including the photo gallery with new live shots of the Forester.
It's gotten taller, a little fatter (at least to my eye) and a little roomier. Subaru's new version of the Forester shakes off the station wagon feel that it had and becomes more of a small SUV or crossover.
The all-new Subaru Forester is definitely a new look for the company. Out is the completely boxy – some would even say frumpy – look of the current model and in is a sleeker front end attached to an otherwise generic SUV body. Before, when looking at the Forester the term SUV didn’t always come to mind. This new look should correct that problem.
The new Forester has a longer wheelbase, all-new sheetmetal, 8.9 inches of ground clearance and a revised version of the current 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Subaru hasn’t said how much horsepower it produces but promises more power throughout the engine’s range. There will also be a Forester XT right from the start with a turbocharged version of the same engine. Details on horsepower will emerge closer to the Detroit auto show next month.
What we do know is that all trims of the 2009 will have a new interior, standard all-wheel drive, stability control, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS and side-curtain airbags.
No prices have been announced, but when the 2009 Forester arrives this spring we’d expect prices to remain close to the current range of $21,195 to $27,895. More photos below.
It’s been a while since I’ve written about the Urban Dink’s wagon of a purchase from back in July. Truth be told, we’ve put very few miles on the 2008 Subaru Outback 2.5i since then. How many? Just over 2,300. That’s not many miles even for my wife, who usually only puts about 7,500 miles on a car a year.
We’ll get into mileage in a minute, but overall I’ve found the Outback to be one heck of a car. Every time I get into it I can’t help but think we made a good decision. There are a few nitpicks, but not many, and none have to do with overall quality.
What happens when I get to take the 2008 Subaru WRX STI for a few days of high-performance frolicking? Snow. Snow and cold. Snow, cold, ice and an assignment to shoot a video about this amazing new hatchback. Check out the video to the left and shoot any questions my way in the comments below.
The Subaru Impreza received a complete redesign for 2008, six years after its last update. Boy, did it need it. The four-door hatchback — there’s also a sedan version — has finally shed its ghastly oblong rear windows and rounded rear end, replacing it with a more angled, aggressive hatch. The front has followed the design cues of its big brother, the Subaru Tribeca, and rid itself of the split grille, replacing it with a nice curved façade. A single hard body line moves from the corner of the headlight across the top of the front fender, past both door handles and finishing at the flared corner of the rear taillight. The STI model I shot has a few exterior features that are quite impressive, including multiple LED brake lights and a generous yet subtle spoiler. The engine in this car still revs at rally levels, but for the first time the exterior wants to live in the city. More photos below.
Yesterday, we detailed our scheme to document the real-world mileage of four 2008 models — a Nissan Rogue, Subaru Impreza, Dodge Grand Caravan and Hyundai Sonata. All the cars except the Rogue had trip computers with mileage readouts, so we were able to easily track our mileage along the way. The results are in:
As the price for a gallon of regular gas hovers above $3 a gallon — $3.40 in California — it’s high time we investigate what sort of mileage our cars achieve in the real world. In October, the EPA released its 2008 Fuel Economy Guide, which rates mileage using stricter standards for acceleration, air-conditioning use, cold weather and top speeds than were used in the past. The new measures purportedly reflect real-world driving better than before; MPG ratings dropped some 5 to 15 percent per car using the new standards.
Still, the EPA tests are done in laboratories, not on the road. To test real-world mileage, we took four cars across interstates and rural roads between Chicago and Madison, Wis., in October. Nine hours, two pit stops and one greasy lunch later, we had logged some 300 miles.
The Detroit auto show begins its media preview Jan. 13, 2008 — that’s a full 47 days from now. One redesigned model that will be on hand is the new Subaru Forester. Today, various automotive blogs discovered an official Japanese minisite for the new small SUV/wagon that indeed confirms the Forester will be unveiled soon.
Actually, the minisite says it will be coming in 26 days, not 47. Perhaps there will be an earlier revelation in Japan before we spy it ourselves in Detroit. The image to the left is taken from the minisite and reveals the silhouette of the new Forester’s hatch. Fans of the current boxy shape should be pleased.
We just saw the new 2008 Subaru WRX STI for the first time in the U.S. a few hours ago, and now we have a price. The rally-inspired hatchback will start at $34,995. There wasn’t much more detail in the press release we were given, but we’ll follow when we can with news on when the car will officially go on sale. If you really want one, though, you can get on a waiting list today.
It’s rare when two classically opposed models debut at the same time. The Subaru WRX STI hits the show floor at the same time as its archrival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. That’s like debuting the new Camaro alongside the new Mustang. The differences between the two, however, have never been more clear: The Subaru is a hatchback, while the Mitsubishi is a sedan.
Obviously there’s a lot more to distinguish the two, but like the Evo the STI is a turbocharged-four-cylinder all-wheel-drive sports car. It puts out more horsepower — 305 versus the Evo’s 291 — but has less torque, with 290 pounds-feet versus 300 pounds-feet in the Evo. Still, the STI should be an impressive ride.
While we get hard at work on the full review of the new Subaru Impreza WRX, we figured there was enough interest out there to warrant a video. After you watch the staffers hit the highlights, don’t forget to read our first impressions of the redesigned sedan. If you’re a member of the Mitsubishi Lancer camp — it’s like a Hatfield vs. McCoy thing — you can check out our expert review of the new GTS, along with a video of its own, here.
Whenever we get a consumer review of a hot new model before we even get a stab at the car ourselves, we’re impressed. One Seattle-based WRX driver gives a really well-done take on his new purchase. He relates it to the outgoing model and talks quite a bit about its style. We always like to think we know what’s what on the style fronts, but hearing what a shopper who plunked down the cash on the car feels is always intriguing. Especially when he doesn’t like the way it looks! Find out why he bought it anyway below.
We sift through a lot of information when a new model comes out, but sometimes a reader astutely uncovers a tidbit here and there. This time, an Ask.cars.com reader wanted to know why a moonroof isn’t available on the redesigned 2008 Subaru Impreza. Our Ask.cars.com research staff dutifully dug up the answer, which you can find below.
Why can't I get a moonroof on a 2008 Subaru Impreza? (Ask.cars.com)
An interesting envelope arrived in the Thomas family mailbox yesterday; it said J.D. Power on it. At first I thought it was a press release errantly sent to my home instead of my office, but it was addressed to my wife. Inside was a survey that helps the company determine those initial quality ratings we all hear about.
A lot of people dismiss the survey because they think, "How much can really go wrong in 90 days of ownership?" Turns out, the company recently said it now measures other factors, like design, instead of just problems. After four pages of Q&A, though, I’m not so sure.
The first page of the SAT-like form asks some simple questions, including whether or not this was our first car, if we bought or leased, what our former car was, what we have equipped in the car — like A/C and power windows. Turn the page, and we get the “Things Gone Wrong” section. It details a litany of potential problem areas, including seating, A/C, controls, engine, exterior, interior, entertainment systems and driving experience.
One of us may have just bought a new Subaru Outback himself, but that doesn’t mean the car doesn’t get the full expert review treatment, just like everything else. Kelsey Mays takes on the 2008 Subaru Outback L.L.Bean Edition with the panoramic roof and comes away unimpressed by the company’s many quirks. Strangely enough, Kelsey questions if the Outback will win over many shoppers. Hello … he sits next to the Urban DINK, for Pete’s sake.
One of the more controversial new cars from last year’s auto show season was the redesigned Subaru Impreza and WRX. Even after months of digesting the new design, it’s hard to tell how people will react to it. The prices announced recently seem to be right on target with what the car delivers. The new models will start showing up at dealers in August, and in anticipation Subaru has released some new photos for the press. We’ve put them together with the photos that were released when the new model debuted in April. Check out the gallery here and tell us what you think of the new look.
Subaru debuted its radically restyled 2008 Impreza in April at the New York auto show, and now prices have been announced just before it goes on sale in August. The Impreza comes in two body styles: sedan and four-door hatchback, with the sedan starting at $16,995 not including a $645 destination charge. The higher-powered Impreza WRX will start at $24,350, and an Outback Sport version will start at $19,995. There are a variety of option packages as well, which Subaru has also provided pricing for, including navigation packages.
For a full list of prices, keep reading.
There’s no more confusion for Subaru wagon or sedan shoppers. For 2008, Subaru has trimmed its lineup so the Outback is sold only as a wagon and the Legacy only as a sedan. The move should clear up potential confusion for anyone unfamiliar with Subaru’s lineup, which has included sedan and wagon variants of both cars since 2000.
Consider the complications: When fellow staffer David Thomas blogged his experience cross-shopping the Outback with its competitors, one reader asked why he didn’t consider a Legacy wagon. Had this been last year, he just might have – the Outback wagon shares the Legacy’s gene pool, and you’ll have a hard time picking an Outback sedan from a Legacy four-door. The similarly named Outback Sport, meanwhile, is something entirely different. Confused yet?
Things should clear up from here on out. Subaru says the move to streamline both models made sense from a differentiation standpoint, and we couldn’t agree more. Now to do something about the Outback Sport; Subaru says a new one will arrive soon, sharing a platform with the redesigned 2008 Impreza. We don’t know why it’s called an Outback, either.
Source: Subaru
Now that I knew my wife would be happy owning either a Hyundai Santa Fe or a Subaru Outback, it all came down to one last factor: price. I got back onto the good old internet and sent out quote requests for an all-wheel-drive Hyundai Limited (expecting to get a discount similar to the one I saw on the Mazda CX-7) and a 2007 Outback 2.5i. I had learned in my earlier visit to the Subaru dealer that our chances of finding an ’07 3.0 or XT Outback would be very slim, as even the new ’08s would have limited stock of them.
Again, the quotes came flooding in from local dealers. Most came via email, but we got a few phone calls. One Hyundai salesman called me while I was on a business trip in Colorado. He was shocked that, at 2 p.m., not only was I too busy working to talk to him about the email request I had asked for, but that I was out of town. I don’t know exactly why. He wouldn’t email me a quote, saying he was “too old” to email his info, so I said maybe I’d call him back when I got back to town. That didn’t happen.
Most of the Hyundai Limited quotes came in at about $27,000 or $28,000 with destination, nowhere near the discounts Mazda was offering. I could have moved down to the SE for about $26,000 with destination and still gotten the more powerful V-6 Hyundai offers. There were no rebates. Unlike the Hyundai, Subaru was in the middle of turning over its model year for the Outback from ’07 to ’08 with only minor changes for the 2008, including a slightly different grill and heated fabric seats standard.
There was a $1,000 rebate on the 2007s, and the first Subaru dealer who gave us the test drive quoted a price of $22,500 for a 2.5i including destination, all rebates and dealer cash. MSRP was $24,595 before a $625 destination charge. So basically I was getting the invoice price, or another $1,500 off in dealer cash or other markdowns on top of the published incentives. Two other Subaru dealers came in at almost identical prices, so I figured I’d just deal with the salesman I already liked. Now what to do…
Mike Hanley spent some quality time driving the redesigned Subaru Tribeca to Canada, and returns with his full review of Subaru’s underachieving SUV. Did the company fix a jittery transmission, lackluster engine and shaky road manners? You know we won’t spoil the surprise here. Go read the review — what else do you have to do on a Friday afternoon?
This week we get some new blood into the reporting, namely our multimedia producer, Eric Rossi, who drove a Subaru Forester XT up to Wisconsin loaded with gear and some of our staff. He probably wanted to drive the new Nissan 350Z a bit more, but he still gives some interesting insight on the Forester’s long-haul attributes. The rest of us weigh in on the Volvo C70 and Jeep Patriot.
2007 Volvo C70
The C70 has impressed us before (we named it our Play Car of the Year for 2007), and I was thrilled to get the chance to drive it on a long-distance trip. I was a little worried about what it might cost at the pump, because the heavy car moved spiritedly, but those fears were not realized. Driving at highway speeds for more than three hours, I was able to get 29 mpg in the C70.
The C70 had great acceleration, handled the road well and was very comfortable. Perhaps the best thing about it, considering it’s a convertible, was the lack of wind noise with the top up — way better than I expected. Also better than expected was the visibility in the car, especially considering the low, arcing top, I expected to find blind spots on the sides and limited visibility out the back, but I never felt like it was difficult to see. On the downside, the doors are a little heavy, and getting into the backseat was a challenge for the kids. Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to put this on my list of possible next cars.
A little earlier, we dispensed full details on the redesigned Subaru Impreza 2.5i and its turbocharged WRX twin. Both cars were on display last night at a Subaru reception a few blocks from the auto show, and I had a chance to poke around inside.
The seats are a big step forward. I only wish there were a way to get the sporty seats in the WRX with the fabric from the 2.5i. The latter model has rich, well-cushioned upholstery that could satisfy me for the long haul. Not the case with the WRX; its high bolsters are sure to keep drivers fastened in tight corners, but the woven texture isn’t the sort of stuff I’d escape to the parking garage to take a lunchtime snooze on. (Not that I’ve ever done that…)
When Subaru debuted its first traditional SUV its radical front-end literally scared off potential customers. The company even attempted to alter the grille just last year. Today, the company announced the 2008 model that not only addressed the cosmetic issue of that eye-offending grille, but also the vehicle’s engine and transmission.
Those major sore points might have offended automotive journalists more than the Tribeca’s looks. The new engine is a 3.6 liter six-cylinder with 256 horsepower. The new five-speed transmission promises faster shifts and reaction times. There are other interior improvements including a new third-row seat. Tomorrow, well have a full report on the main Cars.com auto show page. For now, check out the photos below.
The intrepid web surfers out there might have already seen images of the all new Subaru Impreza WRX sedan and wagon elsewhere on the internet. Today, we’re bringing you everything we have on the highly anticipated — and somewhat controversial — new model.
Car enthusiasts loved the WRX’s turbocharged 224-hp boxer engine powering all four wheels; the look of the vehicle was something of an afterthought. Now Subaru has delivered a dramatic new look, especially in wagon form, for the totally redesigned model. The signature hood scoop is much more subtle, the grille flows into the headlights and the beltline is quite high. Unfortunately, the engine and transmission setup remains exactly the same as the old model.
We’d guess the overhaul to the chassis, body and interior were more important for Subaru at this time and that improvements to the engine and transmission can be dropped in as the design ages a bit. That would be a wise move. Even more importantly, the interior looks vastly improved. The base Impreza 2.5i’s 170-hp engine remains as well, but the important model is the WRX.
We'll have more on the WRX tomorrow from the New York auto show, but for now click below for more photos.
We recently had the 2007 Subaru Forester XT in the Cars.com test fleet, and we all noted how little has changed in the vehicle over the past five years. Of course, no one knows that more than a Forester owner, like our own Brian Neale, director of consumer publishing. He's been living with a 2003 Forester day-in and day-out for almost four years. Here's his report on the 2007.
"I felt a small pang of regret in October 2003 as I was signing the paperwork for a barely used Subaru Forester. The 2004 model was around the corner, promising a new XT trim with a previously unavailable turbocharged engine. But my cheap side had won out, and I settled for a "pre-depreciated" 2003 Forester XS model — the top-of-line trim at the time — with just 2,300 miles.
I'm still driving it today, and probably will until the wheels fall off. Still, in the 40,000 trouble- and ticket-free miles since purchase, my inner speed-demon has always wondered what tire-chirping pleasures I passed up by forgoing the new turbo and sticking with my 2003 and its pedestrian 165-hp engine.
So naturally I jumped at the chance to drive a new 2007 Forester XT Limited, which boasts a 224-hp turbocharged version of the venerable Subaru 2.5-liter boxer 4 that powers my '03.
In Joe Wiesenfelder’s review of the 2007 Subaru Outback wagon, he spends some time breaking down how the company’s new SI-Drive works. When I first heard about the feature I thought it sounded like yet another gimmick that an automaker would say changes driving dynamics at a turn of the knob, but in reality there would be no noticeable difference. After I took it for a spin I agreed with Joe that it indeed alters the overall driving experience.
Besides two different sport settings — one is the default — there is an Intelligent mode that decreases power and torque to help with mileage. Since Subarus have never been the leaders on fuel efficiency – mainly due to their standard all-wheel drive – this is a welcome feature that supposedly boosts mileage by 10%.
Check out Joe’s full review of the 2007 Subaru Outback to find out more about SI-Drive and, of course, what he thought of the rest of the car.
Subaru used this year’s SEMA show to debut two new Sport trims of its popular Forester SUV. We think of it as more of a wagon, but that’s not stopping Subaru from giving the boxy hauler a sleeker appearance via a new grille, larger 17-inch wheels and other slight body modifications.
The Sport X comes with the same 173-hp four-cylinder as the standard Forester, and the Sport XT comes with a turbocharged 224-h