2014 Subaru Forester 4dr Automatic 2.5i Premium Pzev on 2040-cars

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The next Subaru three-row will be the biggest Subaru ever

Subaru's trying to fix what hobbled the too-small, too-odd Tribeca, the company's last attempt at a three-row SUV, with a truly American-sized vehicle that will resemble the Viziv-7 Concept the company showed off at the LA Auto Show. We caught up with Dominick Infante, National Manager of Product Communications, to get the story about what that future SUV will be like. While he couldn't talk about engines ("[W]e'll have big news on that coming up," he said), Infante told us that the production SUV would be based on the new global architecture, a version of which underpins the new Impreza. That car, and its architecture, were "designed to meet crash testing out to 2025, so it's very overbuilt which is why we can go to something as large as this," Infante said. It's also coming soon. Infante told us that the production version be on the road in 2018, which we assume means it'll be a 2019 model year vehicle. Don't expect it to diverge from the company's general styling themes, either. Infante mentioned that the Tribeca, "was a very stylized vehicle ... [it] kind of didn't fit with the brand." We'd say that's an accurate assessment of a vehicle that always stood apart from the rest of the lineup. Subaru will play it safe to avoid that problem, making sure the production version of the Viziv-7 will be immediately identifiable as a Subaru. As Infante put it, "It's not going to be overly fancy or pretty; it'll be rough and tumble. We're going to stick with our Subaru DNA." And it'll also fix the Tribeca's other problem, which was size, particularly in the third row. Infante promised us that adults would fit in the Viziv-7's rear seats, although a quick glance in the Concept didn't confirm this because there wasn't an interior at all. So we'll have to wait and see, and note that there was no discussion of the size of those adults. Infante also promised configurable seating and cargo arrangements that would go beyond anything Subaru's done before – and since Subaru's only done one proper three-row, that means the Tribeca. Since it's debuting in 2018, it's a safe bet we'll see a concept that's much closer to production form next year. Stay tuned.Related Video:

Toyota GT86 engineers explored shooting brake and sedan variants, are they still in the cards?

According to the Toyota UK blog, engineers for the automaker were so excited developing the GT86 coupe that they investigated producing a whole family of models based on the rear-wheel drive sports car. And at least one engineer - product chief Tetsuya Tada - still hopes it can happen, even if not everyone at Toyota is onboard. Tada: "Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: 'What are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupe.'"
Those mooted variants included both a four-door sedan and a shooting brake. Why? Aside from the pure excellence of a lightweight, brilliantly handling hatchback, Toyota was keenly aware of the fact that it may need to spread the cost of development out across several models. Tada says that's part of the reason why it was so easy to create the convertible. The company knew from the outset that a softtop version was in the cards, and built the machine's structure to accommodate having the roof sliced off.
Tada also made mention of the already-announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW. The engineer said that the GT86 was particularly helpful because it demonstrated just how successful a product conceived and designed by two different companies can be. While he didn't say exactly what Toyota and BMW are up to, it's clear the two are looking into a number of possibilities. It's an interesting read with a lot of

Subaru skips the Super Bowl, brings back the driving dogs

Subaru's research shows that 80 percent of owners have a pet. So the company plans to skip expensive advertising during the Super Bowl again this year in favor of being the official auto sponsor of the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. The canine-friendly company also has five new ads starring the Barkleys, a family of Labradors and Golden Retrievers. The commercial above titled Phone Navigation is our favorite of the group because it puts a funny spin on bad smartphone voice recognition. You can check out the other four adorable ads below. Doggie Bag has the pups dealing with an inept valet; Windshield Wiper forces them to cope with a bulldog in a car ahead; Bad Hair Day tactfully handles a rough trip to the doggy salon; and Puppy tries to help a little one get to sleep. With new spots like this practically every year, Subaru clearly has a paw on the pulse of what its customers like. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. THE RETURN OF THE BARKLEYS: SUBARU LAUNCHES NEW "DOG TESTED. DOG APPROVED." TV AD CAMPAIGN, STARRING AMERICA'S FAVORITE CANINE FAMILY Subaru's new advertising campaign brings back the Barkley family for new wave of television spots Cherry Hill, N.J. - Subaru of America, Inc. has launched its new "Dog Tested. Dog Approved." advertising campaign in celebration of the love of pets shared by the brand and its owners. The five spots showcase the Barkleys, the adorable family of dogs featured in the 2013 "Meet the Barkleys" campaign. In Subaru's newest spots, the Barkleys will take on everything from driving their Subaru around town, trying to get their kids to sleep and even dealing with other doggie drivers. The national television spots, created by Carmichael Lynch on behalf of Subaru of America, will air in the coming weeks, and all five ads will be featured on February 7 during PUPPY BOWL XII on Animal Planet, where Subaru of America will mark its sixth year as the event's Official Auto Sponsor. During the event, fans at home will be encouraged to share photos of their own pets using #PuppyBowlSubaru. The "Dog Tested.