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2019 Subaru Forester Long-Term Update | A (mostly) trouble-free 12,000 miles

Our long-term 2019 Subaru Forester has been a real workhorse in our fleet from the time we took delivery late last year. We’ve managed to rack up over 12,000 miles in the first five months — itÂ’s been east and west of Michigan so far, but nowhere further than a dayÂ’s drive away. WeÂ’ll take it on a longer road trip soon. Since Subaru calls for 6,000-mile service intervals, our local Subaru dealer just finished up the second service call on the crossover. Both services have housed mini-events on top of the scheduled work. Subaru changed the oil, replaced the oil filter, rotated the tires and performed a multi-point inspection on both occasions. However, the first service also involved a windshield replacement. Days before our appointment with Subaru, one editor met with a rather large stone that was kicked up on the highway. This caused a large chip in the windshield that quickly developed into a crack meandering across the passenger side of the glass. After the new glass was installed, the Subaru techs had to recalibrate its Eyesight technology so the adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping tech would work correctly. It wasnÂ’t cheap — Subaru charges $250 for an Eyesight calibration after a new windshield is put in. The second visit called for everything else, plus a new cabin air filter. There was a little more to the second visit than what we had planned for, though. Just a week or so prior to taking it in, the driver door window switches quit working. None of the four window switches functioned. This lasted for a few days, but it miraculously fixed itself just before our appointment with Subaru. But we noted the issue to the Subaru dealer. The techs couldnÂ’t find anything amiss after disassembling it, and they sent us on our way. As of this writing, the windows are still functioning without issue. WeÂ’re keeping a close eye on them. Other than the head-scratching window problem, our Forester has performed admirably. We havenÂ’t noticed any egregious squeaks or rattles developing yet, and the 2.5-liter flat-four continues to hum along to its rather loud and thumpy beat.  Our winter tires and gold Sparco wheels have been getting attention around Michigan, too. Compliments are lobbed our way at gas stations, and one individual even asked us if we were selling. The ForesterÂ’s exterior design isnÂ’t as interesting as it used to be, but adding gold wheels to the equation has upped the cool factor tremendously.

Subaru, like Nissan, admits improper checks on Japan cars, expects recalls

TOKYO — Subaru on Friday said it had failed to follow proper inspection procedures for vehicles for the domestic market, an issue likely to result in a product recall and adding to a list of compliance problems at Japanese companies. The automaker said for more than 30 years, final inspections of new vehicles at its main Gunma complex north of Tokyo were sometimes conducted by inspectors who were not listed as certified technicians, violating transport ministry requirements. The automaker said it was therefore considering recalling about 255,000 vehicles including its Legacy, Forester and Impreza models produced at the complex and sold at home, at a cost of around 5 billion yen ($43.86 million). Chief Executive Officer Yasuyuki Yoshinaga at a news conference said inspectors in training for certification to sign off final checks had been approving the checks under the names of their trainers, a process the automaker followed for over 30 years without realizing it did not meet ministry requirements. "The final inspection process is very important and we acknowledge that we did not meet requirements," Yoshinaga said. "It's always been my goal to make this company good. This issue shows that we're not there yet." Subaru said it would report details of an internal investigation to the ministry on Monday, and that it needed to better communicate requirements to workers. "It's always been my goal to make this company good. This issue shows that we're not there yet." The revelation followed a similar oversight at Nissan, while Kobe Steel has been grappling with a data fabrication scandal, tarnishing Japan's reputation for quality control. Yoshinaga said the issue was discovered during an internal inspection ordered by the ministry after Nissan late last month revealed similar violations on inspections governing vehicles sold in Japan at its domestic factories. The ministry requires certified technicians to sign off on paperwork for final inspections for vehicles produced in Japan for the domestic market. The extra step does not affect product quality and is not needed for vehicles exported overseas. Toyota, Honda and other Japanese automakers on Friday said they have reported to the ministry that they found no issues with their respective inspections. Subaru shares closed down 2.6 percent on Friday after falling more than 3 percent following media reports of the improper inspections. The broader market rose 1.2 percent.

Subaru Viziv 2 presages Tribeca replacement with diesel hybrid tech

Subaru is in the middle of a new product bonanza. It has recent replacements for the Impreza and Forester at dealers, and soon we're getting the WRX, Legacy and if rumors are right the new Outback as well. Now, there are rumblings that there could be two more models from the Japanese brand on the way with styling inspired by the Viziv 2 concept from the Geneva Motor Show.
According to a company insider speaking with Motor Trend, the crossover concept shows the way for the brand's future design language. The shape would be used on a smaller CUV that is still being kept quite secret, and a second, larger one that would replace the recently axed Tribeca. The bigger model is the first priority and is planned as a new technology showcase.
It's rumored to use a turbodiesel, four-cylinder boxer engine that would be boosted with one electric motor on the front axle and two at the rear, with a plug-in hybrid system sourced from Toyota. It should provide a great mix of torque and fuel economy. A smaller flat-six engine would be a second powertrain option. Though the Viziv 2 concept only seats four, the production version would probably offer three rows.