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2019 Subaru Forester vs. 2020 Honda CR-V Car Seat Test

We've had our long-term 2019 Subaru Forester Touring for some time now, and I've had my large son's car seat in it — and out of it, and back in it — a fair number of times. Installing a car seat over and over is a pain, but the Forester is actually a pretty good car for it. The rear seat is roomy, the door opening is large and the car seat is generally easy to install. For a few short days, though, I also had a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid in the driveway alongside the Subaru. Mostly stuck at home in quarantine, I wasn't getting a lot of chances to drive the two cars back to back, but comparing something like a child's car seat in each car is easy enough without unnecessary trips and potential exposure to coronavirus. So, with my son along for moral support, I lugged his car seat out of the garage and got to strappin'.  In terms of backseat roominess, the Forester and CR-V are competitive. On paper, they're very close, with the Forester offering 39.4 inches of rear legroom and 39.6 inches of headroom, and the CR-V providing 40.4 inches of legroom and 39.2 inches of headroom (the fact that I tested a Hybrid makes no difference). For each, I moved the front passenger seat forward to a reasonably comfortable seating position, keeping a sizeable gap between my knees and the dashboards, and eyed them up. They look damn near the same, each offering lots more space in the second row than my wife's 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK that I'm usually putting the car seat into. Even the openings are close in size and shape, perhaps with the Forester getting a slight advantage in ingress/egress for one's feet, which matters little when installing the boy's Chair Force One (officially a Britax Frontier ClickTight). First, I tried the car seat in the Subaru. It's really easy. There's no angling the seat to wedge it in the door. Just walk up and plop it down. I thought for sure the Forester would take the win here, but when I went to put it in the CR-V, it was equally simple. Once installed, both still offer plenty of room behind the front seat for a child to swing their legs around without kicking the seat back. With just one child, we often find ourselves putting one of the rear seats down to accommodate more items, like when we're hauling gear up to our cottage for a vacation — or just going to Costco. If we're picking a side of the car, we usually put our boy on the passenger side.

Subaru moves to trademark the name ... Evoltis

Subaru's advancing to the electrified frontier, and it's reportedly picking a name for its plug-in hybrid. That name is said to be "Evoltis." While Evoltis sounds about as engaging as "Avensis" (Toyota) or "Magentis" (Kia), at least it's not as clunky as "Levorg" (an Aussie Subaru nameplate). Then again, when naming a child you should always try to picture how their name will be used in playground taunts, so we'll leave your to your imaginations on this one. A mention of the Evoltis name appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office's listings, and the application has been filed as recently as March 26. We don't know yet whether the Evoltis name would stand for the entire vehicle or its hybrid tech — or if it will be actually used at all. Car & Driver reports that Subaru of America didn't comment on the matter when asked. But still, Subaru is said to come up with a PHEV by the end of the year, largely using Toyota's technology from the Prius Prime. We're probably not the only ones to hope for an all-wheel-drive setup, which would best suit Subaru's image and character. Last year, the carmaker said an electrified vehicle should be expected for 2018, but didn't specify whether it would be an EV or a hybrid. Subaru hasn't offered a hybrid in the U.S. since the Crosstrek Hybrid was discontinued in 2016, and it's produced precious few all-electric vehicles in its history. Related Video:

2019 Subaru Legacy, Outback cost more, but get more features

As with the Subaru Impreza, the 2019 Subaru Legacy and 2019 Subaru Outback are seeing price increases for the new model year. The starting price for the base model Legacy 2.5i starts at $23,430, an increase of $375 over the 2018 model. The Outback's starting price of $27,320 is up by $510. These prices are listed with destination charges included. The higher trim levels mostly creep up as well, with the exception of the Legacy 3.6R Limited and Outback 3.6R Limited, which have both dropped in price slightly. The full list of price changes can be seen in the table below. Although prices have gone up, Subaru compensates a bit by now including EyeSight on every single version of the Legacy and Outback, including the base trims. EyeSight includes a suite of driver safety aids such as automatic forward emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist. On the previous 2018 model Legacy, EyeSight was not available on the standard model, and was an option on all other trims. On the 2018 Outback, EyeSight was only standard on the 2.5i Touring and 3.6R Touring, and was an option for Premium, Limited and 3.6R Limited. It wasn't available at all on the base 2.5i. The 2019 Legacy 2.5i Sport also picks up blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert as standard features. Both the Legacy and Outback see a few little interior tweaks, too. All models now get an instrument panel that includes a 5-inch LCD display. The 2.5i trim gets extra lighting and a pair of front USB ports, and Premium and Limited trims get a standard auto-dimming mirror with compass and Homelink garage door opening button. These 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles will be arriving on dealer lots over the summer, so they should be there soon if not already. Subaru Legacy 2018 2019 2.5i $23,055 $23,430 2.5i Premium $25,155 $25,580 2.5i Sport $27,205 $27,680 2.5i Limited $29,955 $30,130 3.6R Limited $32,805 $32,430 Subaru Outback 2.5i $26,810 $27,320 2.5i Premium $28,910 $29,420 2.5i Limited $33,610 $33,820 2.5i Touring $37,405 $37,770 3.6R Limited $36,310 $35,970 3.6R Touring $39,605 $39,970 Related Video: