Edmunds First Drive of the 2014 Subaru Forester
Jonathan Elfalan, contributor for Edmunds.com, had a chance to drive the all new Subaru Forester (2.0L 4-cyl. Turbo All Wheel Drive CVT Automatic) in the Sonoran Desert recently and reports his experiences below:
Of the new changes implemented in the 2014 Forester, he says the narrower A-pillars are pushed forward while the side mirrors are pulled back on the doors, creating a solariumlike cockpit.
The 2014 Forester handles dirt as well as the road. To quote Mr. Elfalan, he got to "drive over miles of roughly maintained, washboard-sectioned dirt road. In most cases, this is exactly the type of road most crossovers in this segment would avoid, but not this Forester."
Subaru of America, Inc. Photo.
"It's able to crawl over circus rides without trouble. Try that in a CR-V."
Other changes in the redesign he noticed included the stiffer body shell, a reprogrammed Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), and that the manual transmission models swapped the old 5-speed for a 6-speed manual transmission, providing a welcome gain in fuel economy.
Mr. Elfalan also noted that the Forester XT model "now sports an all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that develops 250 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. This is the same basic engine used in the Subaru BRZ sports car, where it makes 200 hp. Subaru redesigned the fuel injection (it's solely direct, rather than a combination of direct and port injection), lowered the compression ratio a notch (10.6:1) and added a twin-scroll turbocharger, good for 17.1 psi of boost when maximum power is summoned," making for exciting news.
Furthermore, this results in "Subaru's highest specific engine output for the U.S. market (125.1 hp/liter) and it's channeled through an internally reinforced, high-torque CVT (23 city/28 highway), and a CVT only. The power figures are achieved on the recommended 93-octane fuel, though Subaru notes that 87 octane will work fine if you're OK with a 10 percent reduction in power," according to Mr. Elfalan, referencing information from Subaru's Product Line Manager Todd Hill.
Although a production Forester is unlikely to be at the next local racetrack event, the Edmunds.com contributor was invited to a private racetrack for a test on the track. The results? "The 2014 Forester builds speed quickly and quietly, has decent cornering and the way the brakes endured 40-something-turns tells us that this Forester isn't likely to disappoint on a highway on-ramp."
About the cabin updates, Mr. Elfalan says "the Touring model Forester features a 6.1-inch touchscreen navigation screen with an additional color LCD above it. Though resolution on the main screen isn't stellar, the system features the latest suite of smartphone-integrating apps, even one called Aha that will text-to-speech the news feeds of any forsaken Facebook junkies."
"The smaller LCD is used to display information for the climate controls, fuel mileage and a fun-over-function AWD animation. Lastly, it also doubles as a rearview camera feed, a feature that is now standard on all but base models of the Forester. The rest of the interior remains delightfully simple considering how much technology is buried with the controls."
"The Forester's exterior footprint expands marginally in every direction, which proves more noticeable inside than out. Rear legroom is up 3.7 inches over the last model, a substantial increase that makes it far more livable in back than before. With the rear seats folded, there are now 74.7 cubic feet of cargo space, an increase of 6.4 cubic feet over its predecessor."
These new and updated features, combined with value pricing, puts the Forester slightly less than the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, but above the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. "Factor in the Forester's standard Symmetrical All Wheel Drive and the equation tilts further in favor of the Subaru," says Mr. Elfalan.
Looks like the 2014 Subaru Forester is the All Around Winner!
Subaru of America, Inc. Photo
The full Edmunds.com review of the 2014 Forester and Road Test can be found by visiting: http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/forester/2014/road-test.html.
Source: "2014 Subaru Forester First Drive" by Jonathan Elfalan, contributor to Edmunds.com. Article URL: http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/forester/2014/road-test.html. Article date: 1/25/2013. Photos from Subaru of America, Inc.
