«

»

2014 Subaru Forester

ADVERTISEMENT

The 2014 Subaru Forester has been designed and it will soon go on sale. This is the fourth major overhaul done since the car was introduced in 1998. The CUV will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show later this month, but it will not enter the U.S market until next year.

ADVERTISEMENT

2014 Subaru Forester redesign
Styling was the last thing on the designers’ minds when designing this new vehicle. According to the auto making company, the new Subaru Forester is an evolution, not a revolution. The previous generation was a car enthusiasts’ favourite and this fourth generation model was only slightly tweaked to win more fans; just some few changes are noticeable in the styling.

The Subaru Forester 2014 model was developed with Subaru’s Motion-V strategy to have a much improved fuel consumption and emissions. Although the size remains similar to the previous model, its appearance was polished to look newer. It was designed to be bolder, more contemporary and sportier. The wheelbase was increased by an inch and the length and height by 1.4 inches. The curb weight was increased by 46 pounds. It has a higher clearing of 8.7 inches, the aerodynamics was improved upon, and it features a new front grille and a flatter front end. It rides on either a 17- or an 18-inch wheel.

Inside, the new Forester has an ample seating space for five passengers with more front/ rear-seat space and shoulder room. The centre tunnel became less-intrusive. There is a deeper dash with a new dual graphic displays and instrument panel. There are also some feature upgrades such as a programmable lift-gate, 440-watt audio system with a smart-phone app and an optically controlled adaptive cruise control. Subaru Forester 2014 looks more attractive than the previous model, thanks to the LED-infused light and other expensive looking features.

Two engine options are offered on the new Forester. The base engine is a 170 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque rated 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine (a carryover from the previous model). The new turbo models are powered by a direct-injected turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that delivers 250 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Thanks to a new CVT which replaces the conventional four-speed, and a six-speed manual transmission used in some 2014 Subaru cars, the historical weakness of low fuel economy has been solved. According to Subaru, the new vehicle will have EPA ratings of 24 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway for the standard all-wheel drive. It also predicts that the vehicle will post the best 0-to-60 mph time in its segment.

Just like other 2014 Subaru cars, the Forester got a high crash rating in the IIHS tests. The stiff body structure allows it to have a high suspension-damping force and this helps its response and stability.
The Forester has consistently outsells other similarly sized vehicles such as Jeep Compass, Acura RDX, Volkswagen Tiguan. Although the technology and features have slightly changed, the crossover’s basic and the appeal have not changed and I expect the Subaru Forester 2014 to be a hit in the dealerships next year.

Related posts:

  1. 2013 Subaru Tribeca

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>