2002 Subaru Forester S Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Driving the Ford Explorer ST and Volvo V60 Cross Country | Autoblog Podcast #613

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick. First they talk about driving the Volvo V60 Cross Country and Ford Explorer ST, with some thoughts about the Subaru Outback and Super Bowl commercials as well. Then they dive into the mailbag, answering questions and following up on the outcomes of previous "Spend My Money" segments. Finally they wrap things off with a new "Spend My Money," in which they help a listener pick a new car that will accommodate a new, tiny family member without sucking all the fun out of driving. Autoblog Podcast #613 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars We're Driving: 2020 Volvo V60 Cross Country 2020 Ford Explorer ST 2020 Subaru Outback Super Bowl ads Mail bag Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Best. Year. Ever. Subaru breaks yearly and monthly sales records in 2017

After a generally good sales year for most car manufacturers, one company had a spectacular year: Subaru. The company reported with its end-of-year sales that 2017 was it's best sales year of all time. The total was 647,956 vehicles sold over the 12 months. Not only that, but December was also the best month of sales the company has ever seen with 63,342 cars sold. That's nearly 10 percent of the annual sales in one month. As far as individual models go, the Impreza and Crosstrek each had their best month in December and 2017 was each model's best year. The Impreza's year was especially impressive with sales jumping more than 55 percent compared with 2016. It was also the best year for Outback. Subaru credits some of its strong December to its "Share the Love" promotion that donated $250 of each new car purchase to one of a selection of charities. But a big part of Subaru's sales success has to be due to the fact that most of its products are in the hottest car market around: crossovers. The fact that its products are highly competitive against other similar vehicles certainly helps too. This is partly evident by the fact that year-to-year, every crossover model with the exception of the aging Forester saw a sales increase. Meanwhile, every traditional car (Legacy, WRX/STI and BRZ) with the exception of the redesigned Impreza had lower sales for the year. So if you ever wonder why companies aren't racing to release new sedans and coupes, this is why. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Subaru Ascent Deep Dive | 15 fast facts, 3 rows of seats and 8 golden retrievers

The 2019 Subaru Ascent three-row crossover is a big deal — both in literal size and metaphorical importance. The large Subaru plugs a gap in the company's crossover lineup that hasn't been filled since the company's previous attempt, the B9 Tribeca, fell flat on its weird-looking face. And by "plugs a gap," we don't mean in terms of market segments. Rather, it fills a gap among Subaru's band of fiercely loyal customers. Currently, Subaru's Crosstrek, Forester and Outback serve young singles, couples and parents with recently arrived children. They also have older empty nester types who effectively "come back to us." But for those customers in their "child-raising years," they've had no choice but to leave the brand in favor of one that sells a larger, three-row model. They don't need the biggest thing around, but something larger than an Outback would be nice. It is for these people that the 2019 Ascent was created, a "right sized" crossover, according to Subaru, designed to deliver the high functionality and ease-of-use expected of the brand. It was "sized to overwhelm the Outback," which it most definitely does when viewed side-by-side, while still looking very much like the Outback. Really, the Ascent is intended to keep Subaru buyers in the family, so to speak. Any conquest buyers would seem to be gravy. Here are some other takeaways from our first look at the 2019 Subaru Ascent during its unveil last night prior to the L.A. Auto Show. — The Premium and Limited trim levels will provide customers with a free-of-charge choice of second-row bench (eight-passenger) and second-row captain's chairs (seven-passenger) configurations. This is unique in the industry, giving customers the option to outfit their Ascent in a way that best suits their family. Subaru expects the captain's chairs to be a bit more popular. — We have our doubts about Subaru's official cargo capacity figures. The published maximum cargo volume, which represents both the second and third rows folded, is a meager 72.8 cubic feet. That's actually less than the Outback (73.3) and the Forester (74.7)! That's also considerably less than other three-row crossovers like the Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot. Having seen the Ascent in person, however, that's extremely hard to fathom. It doesn't look that small in the least. Far from it. It has a big, boxy interior with a third row that fit a pair of 6-footers behind a second pair of 6-footers in the second row.