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2019 Subaru Forester: Refined by evolution

Here it is, the all-new 2019 Subaru Forester, a lot like it was before, and a lot different. Spy shots clued us in to evolutionary exterior on this fifth generation, which Subaru dubs "a more rugged style." Taking cues from the Ascent, instead of bodysides decorated with a couple of character lines, Subaru designers stressed the sculpture of the entire span. In front, A larger, black gloss-finish grille cuts deeper into the bumper from the top. The headlight housings carry over in shape, but now hold LED lamps standard on all trims. Along the sides, punched-out wheel arches frame an angled shoulder that cuts into the C-pillar and wraps around the side glass. Design tweaks and the move to Subaru's Global Platform bring a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase and 1.4 more inches of rear legroom. Occupants up front sit in new, more comfortable seats and enjoy more space in the center tunnel thanks to an electronic parking brake. In back, wider rear door openings and a steeper C-pillar allow easier ingress. The tailgate opening increases by 5.3 inches in width, onto a squarer cargo area with a flatter floor and a standard cargo tray. An interior LED illuminates the load bay when the tailgate's open, an exterior floodlight shines outside the rear of the crossover. Lower the rear seats and access 76.1 cubic feet of loading room, 1.9 cu. ft. more than before. The carmaker says you can put golf bags in the car sideways without needing to tilt them, an arcane, yet commendable, achievement. A trim shakeup adds a new variant, the lineup being Base, Premium, Limited, Touring, and a new Sport model. Base and Premium ride on 17-inch wheels, the others get 18-inchers. All Foresters are powered by an "enhanced" version of the present 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder with direct injection, higher compression, and active exhaust valve control. The engine now makes 182 horsepower, a 12-hp improvement, and 176 pound-feet of torque, a 2-lb-ft improvement. For you Forester experts, that means yes, the 250-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine vacates the premises. Every trim gets a Lineartronic CVT and stop/start. Touring and Sport models get a manual mode and paddle shifters, mimicking a seven-speed gearbox. The Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-DRIVE) offers Intelligent and Sport drive modes (Sport Sharp on the Sport trim); Intelligent prioritizes fuel economy, Sport maximizes thrills. Fuel economy reaches as high as 33 miles per gallon on the highway, depending on trim.

Toyota to boost its Subaru stake to more than 20%

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp plans to raise its stake in Subaru Corp to more than 20% from around 17% now, a deal that would also see the smaller firm invest in Japan's top automaker, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday. The deal is due to be approved at a Toyota board meeting on Friday, the people said, declining to be identified because the information has not been made public. The investment would come a month after Toyota and another smaller Japanese automaker, Suzuki, said they would take small equity stakes in each other. Such tie-ups highlight how automakers are scrambling to chase scale, manage costs and boost development. Traditional car makers, especially smaller ones like Subaru and Suzuki, are struggling to meet the fast pace of change in an industry being transformed by the rise of electric vehicles, ride hailing and autonomous driving. Toyota's investment is likely to cost more than 70 billion yen ($650 million) based on Subaru's stock market value, said the Nikkei business daily, which first reported the news. Subaru is likely to reciprocate with a stake in Toyota that would roughly equal the value of Toyota's additional investment, one of the people told Reuters. The companies have long worked together on projects such as the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins. At one time, Subaru built Toyota Camrys in its Indiana plant. Representatives for both Toyota and Subaru said the news was not something that had been announced by their companies. "The plan appears to be to ultimately make Subaru a fully owned subsidiary, to help create a 'mega Toyota.' This is the first step towards that," said Takeshi Miyao, managing director of Carnorama, a consultancy. "It's all about building scale." Subaru is particularly strong in sport-utility vehicles (SUV) and all-wheel-drive technology. The two automakers in June said they planned to jointly develop an electric sport-utility vehicle on a platform produced together, to split costs. Car markers around the world have been joining forces to slash development and manufacturing costs of new technology. Ford Motor Co and Volkswagen AG have said they will spend billions of dollars to jointly develop electric and self-driving vehicles. Toyota seems to be particularly keen to build scale now by investing in smaller, domestic automakers, rather than forging cross-border tie-ups like some of its rivals.

Subaru profit climbs 48% on strong crossover sales in first quarter

TOKYO — Subaru reported a 48% increase in first-quarter operating profit on Monday as global sales grew, led by demand for the Ascent and Forester SUVs in the United States. The smallest of Japan's major automakers posted an operating income of 92.2 billion yen ($870 million) for April-June, versus 62.1 billion yen a year earlier and an average estimate of 65.6 billion yen from eight analysts polled by Refinitiv. Sales in the United States, by far Subaru's biggest market, rose 20%. It accounts for about 60% of Subaru's overall sales. The maker of Legacy sedans and Forester SUV crossovers maintained its forecast for operating income at 260 billion yen for the year to March 2020, up 45% from a year earlier. The previous fiscal year was marred by a string of recalls, production stoppages and inspection improprieties that cut the automaker's earnings in half. Subaru reiterated its annual forecast for global sales of 1.06 million vehicles. It also left unchanged its assumption that the yen will average 110 against the dollar over the course of the fiscal year, versus 111 last year. A stronger currency eats into profits because cars exported from Japan become more expensive and the value of earnings made overseas decreases.