2003 Subaru Forester X Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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2014 Subaru Forester XT

Hitting The Mainstream Sweet Spot
The Forester does quite a bit of heavy lifting for Subaru. What was once a plucky little all-wheel-drive utility box has matured into a competitive crossover that accounts for a quarter of the company's total sales in the US. With those numbers continuing to swell even in the third generation's twilight hours, engineers and designers found themselves in the unenviable position of being asked to fix what ain't broke. Rather than reinvent the company's workhorse from the ground up, as we say in our first look at the CUV, Subaru honed the Forester to offer better fuel efficiency, more usable space and a more refined drive.
In doing so, the automaker hopes to toe that delicate line between luring in new devotees to the cult of Pleiades and keeping the brand's longtime fans smiling. While the fourth-generation Forester may have lost some of its trademark pluckiness in the pursuit of a more mainstream existence, there's no denying this is a more sorted vehicle than its predecessors. Make no mistake, the 2014 Forester is keen to carve out a larger chunk of the ever-plumping CUV market for itself, and for the first time in its history, it has the muscle to do so.

Xcar rates AWD vs. FWD vs. RWD

With snow and ice blanketing large swathes of the United States over the past few weeks, commuting hasn't been easy. Among some drivers, there's an ongoing debate about how much all-wheel drive really helps when it gets slippery and whether rear-drive is as bad in slick conditions as many people think. Xcar Films puts some of those beliefs to the test in its latest video by showing off three very different cars taking on a trio of low-grip challenges. Xcar's picks for the test include the fairly plebeian, all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza, the somewhat plush, rear-drive BMW 120d and the sporty, front-drive Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy. Things start out easy with a hydraulic plate forcing the back end out on a wet skid pad. From there, the tests get really interesting with a slalom on simulated ice, and the cars finish with a high-speed cornering challenge through a soaked turn. While an obvious winner emerges in the end, keep in mind this is hardly a scientific test of grip. For better accuracy, all three vehicles should be wearing identical tires, and the same driver should be behind the wheel of each one. Still, Xcar's examination is a fun chance to see how vehicles react when things get slick. News Source: Xcar Films via YouTube BMW Subaru Renault Driving Safety Videos xcar renault megane xcar films renault megane rs

2022 Subaru BRZ to debut Nov. 18

The 2022 Subaru BRZ will be officially revealed to the world in production form on Nov. 18, the Japanese automaker announced Wednesday. Like most of 2020's big reveals, the 2022 BRZ will be shown online. We've known for some time that the next-generation BRZ's debut was imminent. After all, disguised prototypes have been testing on public roads in southeast Michigan, and one such prototype was also shown (still camouflaged) to attendees of a charity preview event last month, from which a few images leaked.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. To put it bluntly, we really don't know much else about the forthcoming Subaru BRZ (or its Toyota twin, the 86). In fact, Toyota has been even more tight-lipped than Subaru in this regard. What little we've heard suggests that most of the platform enhancements will come from Toyota's side of the twins' joint development program, while the powertrain will again be sourced from Subaru. This runs counter some rumors we've heard that longitudinal engines from Toyota's portfolio, which includes turbocharged four-cylinders, could potentially make their way under the hood.  An evolutionary engine offering makes more sense than any sort of revolutionary leap forward, as Toyota now has a four-cylinder Supra model in its lineup. This effectively acts as a ceiling for the 86's performance. Subaru has its WRX and STI models to consider too, but that's a fundamentally different conflict of priorities, as the Supra is far more similar to the 86 than the BRZ is to either of its performance-oriented showroom siblings.  Encouragingly, the prototype we saw on public roads was being benchmarked against a turbocharged Ford Mustang. While it would be tempting to jump to the conclusion that Subaru is targeting the Mustang for power output, it's far more likely that the comparison is more holistic, rather than focused on powertrain performance alone. The lighter Subaru and Toyota coupes won't need quite as much power to keep up with the larger, heavier pony car, so expecting the twins to compete with the EcoBoost Mustang's 300-ish horsepower is grounded more in wishful thinking than reality.  Fortunately, we only have a couple of weeks left until we find out for certain. Stay tuned! Related Video: