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2015 Subaru Forester tS Quick Spin

When Subaru invited me to Japan and the famed Suzuka racing circuit to drive its BRZ tS, there was more on the menu than sporting coupes. The STI buffet also included the Subaru Forester tS. If you caught my BRZ tS review, the Forester follows the same idea: modified for better, more precise handling but without any increase in power. As I shared in the first tS review, and with Subaru's news at the New York Auto Show, the company plans to increase the awareness of Subaru Tecnica International – STI – over the next five years. In the case of the BRZ tS, a similarly-conceived car is coming to the US in the next few years. Such is not the story with the Forester tS. The JDM-only product was on hand to drive as further proof of what STI can do, but not as a preview to an upcoming model for sale in America. Subaru execs wouldn't go so far as to rule the idea out completely, but there was plenty of wink-nudging admitting the limited market for something like the Forester tS over here. Firmly ensconced in the "forbidden fruit" category, then, I still thought it'd be fun to report on the hot-ish, wagon-ish Forester. This one's for the other car nerds like me. Driving Notes So, what's new on this tS? Basically STI made the Forester stickier and less prone to roll under high cornering load. The same type of flexible tower brace previously found under the hood of the WRX is used here, and "flexible draw stiffeners" connect the body to the front and rear subframes for added body stiffness. The braces incorporate a very strong coil spring, and add lateral stiffness with enough give to allow the tires to stay in perfect contact with the road surface. The tires in question are 245-section Bridgestones, riding on attractive 19-inch STI wheels, both increases from the 225-section tires and 18-inch wheels that come standard in the US on the Forester 2.0XT model. The tS also has a more-powerful Brembo braking package; handy when hauling a 3,600-pound vehicle down from straightaway speeds. Subaru benchmarked the tS versus other 'sporty' SUVs and CUVs, including out and out performance variants. (Japanese professional modesty prevented Subaru reps from naming specific names, but suffice it to say that the Germans were involved.) In terms of roll rates, yaw response, slalom time, g-force and more, the Subaru's tS package shows massive improvements versus the standard Forester, and holds up to the competitive targets too.

2019 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe earn highest IIHS safety ratings

Two important crossovers introduced this year, the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe and 2019 Subaru Ascent, have finally been crash tested by the IIHS, with both receiving a Top Safety Pick+ rating. Both crossovers earned the highest score of "Good" in every crash test, including the tricky passenger small overlap frontal test. Each comes with forward collision prevention technology that adequately warns the driver, and can bring the car to a complete stop before hitting an object at speeds up to 25 mph. View 72 Photos One of the other key tests to merit the Top Safety Pick+ award is headlight performance. In this case, each gets a "Good" rating to earn the award, but there's a caveat. Only high-end versions of each vehicle have highly rated lights. On the Subaru Ascent, the "Good" headlights are LED units on the Limited and Touring trims, and the Hyundai's are LED units that come with the Limited and Ultimate trims. The lower trim levels of both vehicles come with halogen headlights. The Ascent's halogens were rated "Poor" for not providing enough illumination while also causing glare for oncoming drivers, while the Santa Fe's lights were rated "Marginal," the next highest rating from bottom, for simply not illuminating enough, but they didn't cause glare. View 65 Photos While this doesn't apply to a Top Safety Pick+ rating, the Subaru Ascent has one additional commendation. The IIHS also evaluates how easy it is to access LATCH anchors for mounting child seats in a car, as well as how many there are. In this case, the three-row, family-friendly Subaru received the "Good" rating and a "+" for having extra anchors for more placement flexibility. The two-row Santa Fe just received an "Acceptable" rating in this regard, the second highest rating from IIHS. Related Video:

Subaru Germany sends off BRZ with 100-unit Final Edition

Both the Subaru BRZ and its Toyota 86 Sibling have been confirmed to have an impending second generation (well, confirmed before the pandemic), which means it's about time to start warmly saying goodbye to the current models. They deserve it, because although many will remember the sports cars for their lack of power, they should be remembered as affordable, sharp-looking, flickable sports cars with rear-wheel drive, manual transmissions, and an extremely fun chassis. As first reported by Motor1, Subaru Germany is sending the BRZ off with a limited-run Final Edition. To start, no, the Final Edition does not have any powertrain upgrades. In Germany, the 2.0-liter remains the same at 197 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual is the base transmission setup, while a six-speed automatic transmission will cost an extra $1,850.  The Final Edition improves where most of the other BRZ and 86 special editions have improved: handling. Subaru added Sachs shock absorbers and Brembro brakes with red-painted calipers. Surprisingly, the BRZ keeps its 17-inch wheels rather than adopting the available 18-inchers. The standard paint for the Final Edition is Crystal Black Silica, not picture here, but the WR Blue Pearl shown above costs the equivalent of an extra $109. And buyers will want to get the blue paint, because the inside has blue accents. The gearshift lever, door trim, instrument panel, and leather steering wheel all have blue stitching. The front leather-and-Alcantara seats are blue and black, while the rear seats are all black, and the floor mats have blue BRZ logos on them. A Final Edition interior badge notifies occupants of its special nature. The most significant part of this release is its limited availability. The Final Edition will be held to 100 units for the German market, which will have an instant collectible on its hands. Before destination, the list price will be the equivalent of about $43,800.