2021 Subaru Forester Premium on 2040-cars

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Car owners getting more irritated with their repair experiences, study says

The J.D. Power U.S. Customer Service Index Study (CSI) is a barometer of a vehicle owner's happiness with the service experience. While it wasn't all bad in the 2023 study, the overall owner satisfaction score dropped. This year's tally of 846 out of 1,000 is two points down from 2022, the 43-year-old study's first decline in more than 28 years, and one point down from 2021. However, the overall score remains well up from the pre-pandemic scores of 821 in 2018 and 837 in 2020. The study claims the stumbling block is the horde of BEV launches. The flood into the new energy space has created a recall rate among EVs that's more than double the rate for ICE vehicles. Furthermore, dealership service department knowledge of EVs isn't on par with internal combustion engine expertise, leaving EV owners less satisfied with service advisors compared to ICE owners. Chris Sutton, VP of automotive retail at J.D. Power, said, "As training programs for service advisors and technicians evolve, EV service quality and customer experience must address both the vehicle and the unique customer needs. The EV segment has the potential to spur massive convenience improvements in how customers service their vehicles — but weÂ’re not seeing the benefits yet." Matters are slightly worse for all owners, though, with labor and parts shortages contributing to longer wait times for service appointments. The CSI study surveys owners and lessees of one- to three-year-old vehicles to gauge their happiness with service at franchised dealer or aftermarket service facilities for maintenance or repair work. The criteria in order of importance are service quality (32%); service advisor (19%); vehicle pick-up (19%); service facility (15%); and service initiation (15%). Lexus retains the top spot for luxury brands, giving it three wins in four years. The Japanese automaker won in 2020 as well, its run interrupted by Porsche in 2021. Cadillac, Infiniti and Acura complete the luxury top 5.  For mass-market cars, Mitsubishi wins again after a victory in 2021 and falling to fourth last year. It's followed by Mazda, Buick, Subaru and Mini.  Considering the different service needs and service experience of different body styles, the study has broken results out by segment for the first time. Lexus earned a second victory thanks to winning the premium SUV segment, and Mitsubishi earned a second victory by winning the mass-market SUV/minivan category.

Subaru teases Viziv Adrenaline Concept crossover for Geneva

The latest installment in Subaru's Viziv line of concept vehicles is set for a reveal at the Geneva Motor Show next month. It's called the Viziv Adrenaline, and it'll add to a pair of electrified "e-Boxer" models on display, possibly the e-Boxer version of the Forester and a Crosstrek plug-in hybrid, which is branded as the XV in Europe. We're limited to this darkened, front three-quarters view for clues about the Viziv Adrenaline. It appears to be a two-door, raised crossover with bulging quarter panels, an interesting undulating belt line and plenty of creases for a rugged look. It also appears to sport futuristic-looking rearview cameras in place of conventional mirrors, and the LED headlights look pretty close to the ones found on last year's Viziv Tourer. Also, two cutouts at the top of the hood may indicate the presence of a combustion engine. Given that this is called the Viziv Adrenaline, are we looking at a performance model? Viziv is Subaru-parlance for "Vision for Innovation," so there are doubtless more details in store for us in Geneva. Last year's Viziv Tourer Concept presaged a production WRX wagon, and the Viziv Performance Concept from 2017 previewed a possible future WRX (don't forget the Viziv Performance STI Concept from last year's Tokyo Auto Salon). While Subaru has given us reasons to be wary about its concepts' ties to future production models in the past, don't forget the Viziv-7 did indeed become the Ascent three-row SUV. The Viziv Adrenaline debut is scheduled for March 5. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Subaru STI S209 Drivers' Notes | An old-school sports sedan unites two of our editors

The 2019 Subaru STI S209 is peak Subaru for America. It’s the most powerful and most expensive vehicle with the Subaru badge on it, and there will only ever be 209 of them sold. ItÂ’s put together in STIÂ’s small shop in Kiryu, Japan, where workers build approximately 2-3 cars per day.  SubaruÂ’s long-used 2.5-liter EJ25 turbocharged flat-four is back for another round, but itÂ’s been modified to make more power than a regular WRX STI. The redesigned intake, larger HKS turbocharger and better-flowing exhaust system ramp output up to 341 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque, gains of 31 and 40 respectively over a regular STI. It can hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and tops out at 162 mph. A huge number of changes were made to the suspension, steering, aero and brakes to make the S209 drive better and produce quicker lap times on track. You can read a full deep dive into all of the intricate changes in our First Drive story here. A couple of Autoblog staffers, News Editor Joel Stocksdale and Senior Producer Chris McGraw, happened to spend some time in S209s in their respective portions of the country. Check out their thoughts in the discussion below. Chris McGraw: So how was the 2019 Subaru STI S209? Joel Stocksdale: When the S209 showed up, I was excited to drive such a special car, but I was also unsure I would like it. It's massively expensive, and I already had mixed feelings about STIs to begin with. They have an ornery, old-school nature that has frustrated me before, especially the slow-spooling engines. But man, I'm in love with this thing.  CM: That's interesting to hear. For those who don't know, you and I rarely see eye to eye when it comes to cars, so I was eager to hear your thoughts on the S209. I drove this back in early November, and it had been awhile since I had driven an STI in general. The frustrating, ornery, old school nature is something I love about the STI, and I adored driving it from the start, especially in the mountains. Though I wish it had been on winter tires for the cold weather at the time.  JS: That's totally understandable. The summer tires on this thing are not happy with snow and cold. But thankfully it's been dry and warm enough here that they're still good. And that's one of the things I love about this car. Between the tires and the all-wheel drive, it has astounding grip. Turn the wheel, put the hammer down, and let it claw you around corners.