Subaru Owners Club

Subaru UK announced today that the ever-popular Outback has been awarded the ‘Best Crossover Estate’ category in the 4x4 Magazine annual awards for 2023. ‘There’s never been an Outback we didn’t admire, even back in the days before Subaru had started calling it that. The company knows exactly what it’s doing with vehicles like this. The latest model has more technology than ever before, but on top of that it also has everything you need to make a good, usable family wagon. Things like a roomy cabin front and rear, brilliant flexibility for carrying cargo and, no small matter, world-class safety kit. And on top of that, you can drive it in sloppy, wet, muddy conditions all day long. The Outback’s character and looks remain much as they were before. But with a new platform under the skin, it’s a far safer and more athletic vehicle – and one which continues to move the game forward in the crossover class. It’s often said that once you’ve owned a Subaru, you never want to be without one. And there’s a reason for that. The Outback is all the family car you’re ever likely to need – and, in the real world, it’s all the off-roader you’re ever likely to need too.’ Alan Kidd, Editor, 4x4 Magazine. Subaru UK Managing Director, Pat Ryan commented: “We are delighted that the Outback has won the 4x4 Magazine’s Best Crossover Estate of the Year sponsored by BFGoodrich". This is a fantastic car which our customers love and trust year after year, mile after mile. Subaru customers know what it means to be driving one of the safest, most capable and reliable vehicles on the road today.”

STATEMENT ON SUBARU STI As the automotive marketplace continues to move towards electrification, Subaru is focused on how our future sports and performance cars should evolve to meet the needs of the changing marketplace and the regulations and requirements for greenhouse gasses (GHG), zero emissions vehicles (ZEV), and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ). As part of that effort, Subaru Corporation is exploring opportunities for the next generation Subaru WRX STI, including electrification. In the meantime, a next generation internal combustion engine WRX STI will not be produced based upon the new WRX platform. The Subaru WRX STI and the STI brand represent the zenith of Subaru’s performance vehicles exemplifying Subaru’s unique DNA and rally heritage. As we look to the future, we also look forward to incorporating the essence of STI into our next generation of vehicles.

Since its debut in 1997, the Forester has been a popular choice among customers, establishing its trust as a safe, fun and reliable package Over the last 25 years, the Forester has sold over 357,000 units in Europe, establishing itself as one of the best-sellers in the line-up. Its accumulated global production reach about 4.5 million units. The latest model Forester presents a refreshed version, offering new safety functions, more capability, new convenience features, and improved driving dynamics. The 2022MY Forester is safer than ever, equipped with newly advanced safety technologies available as standard on the latest 4th generation EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. The enhanced safety system features a wider field of view, almost doubled, available with 11 safety functions, and among which 3 new functions were added, such as Automatic Emergency Steering, Adaptive Cruise control with Lane Centering, Lane Departure Prevention recognising also dividing line like grass or road edge. The Pre-Collision Braking System offers now expanded support for collision avoidance at intersections. Driver Monitoring System, Subaru’s facial recognition technology that alerts the driver of fatigue or distraction while on the road, as well as automatically adjusting driver settings for seat position, door mirror angles, and air-conditioning preferences, has been enhanced for the 2022MY Forester with a new gesture control function, allowing the driver to raise and lower the set temperature of the automatic climate control system through hand gestures. It is built on the Subaru Global Platform (SGP) that offers dynamic performance resulting in superior handling and stability, improved hazard avoidance performance, more responsive steering, and exceptionally low vibrations. The improved coil springs and dampers of front and rear suspension provide a more refined ride comfort and more agile handling. The latest Forester continues the model’s tradition of offering a car-like ride and handling with the capability of an SUV. Standard (permanent) symmetrical full-time all-wheel drive (S-AWD), a trademark of Subaru’s vehicles, provides all-weather confidence and capability, while standard active torque vectoring offers improved handling and cornering performance. The MY2022 Forester offers a unique combination of S-AWD with the e-BOXER powertrain. This incorporates a direct-injection 2.0-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor within the customised Lineartronic transmission, achieving a smoother, 30% more linear, responsive acceleration and a highly responsive torque. The Subaru e-BOXER system adjusts the power-split ratio between the dedicated 2.0-litre direct-injection (DI) engine and the electric motor to match the driving condition, changing between 3 driving modes: Engine driving, EV driving, and Motor Assist driving. From standstill, or at low speed, the electric motor alone powers the vehicle, for a quiet and zero-emission driving. At medium speeds, power combined both from the motor and the engine give a responsive, linear and fuel-efficient acceleration, while at high-speed the 2.0L Boxer engine powers the vehicle while recharging the battery. The standard driver-selectable mode (SI-DRIVE), is Subaru’s powertrain performance management system that allows the driver to tailor the vehicle’s throttle characteristics by choosing between “Intelligent” (“I”) and “Sport” (“S”) modes, adds more flexibility for a more convenient and enjoyable drive. With 220 millimetres of ground clearance, it is well suited for off-road adventures, while the dual function X-MODE (“Snow/Dirt” and ”Deep snow / Mud” modes) is now offering improved functions, suited for a variety of weather and road conditions. A control function has been added that restores X-Mode system, with the ability to automatically re-engage once the vehicle speed drops to 35 km/h or less, enabling drivers to concentrate more on driving without needing to operate the switch again. The Hill Descent Control function that automatically maintains a constant speed when travelling down hills with foot off the pedal, has been improved so that the brake is released when the accelerator is pressed further and the brake is applied immediately after the accelerator is subsequently released, so driver can fully focus on steering while driving downhill. Keeping its rugged and capable character known as a workhorse, the 2022MY Forester offers a towing capacity of 1,870 kg. The roomiest, most capable Forester to date, features a high-quality interior, spacious passenger cabin and an expanded cargo compartment with a generous cargo space of 509L (with the back seat up). The luggage volume even increases to 1,779L with the seats down, leading to up to 1.98 metre long loading area. Upper cargo hooks have been adopted to make use of the height of the Forester’s trunk space, to facilitate safe hanging and holding of luggage. The latest Forester model debuts a more rugged style based on the “DYNAMIC X SOLID” design philosophy, with a redesigned front fascia, grille, headlights and fog light covers. New colour choices include “Cascade Green Silica”, “Brilliant Bronze Metallic” and “Autumn Green Metallic”. The 2022MY Forester is available with 8-inch screen navigation featuring the latest infotainment system compatible with Apple CarPlay*1 and Android AutoTM*2. *1: Apple CarPlay is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. in the United States and other territories. *2： Android AutoTM is a registered trademark of Google Inc. in the United States and other territories.

So I decided to go to Topshelf Performance last week during the nice weather in WI. Had a great conversation with Topshelf Performance. Shop was about 2 ...