The pics I posted above are of the JDM spec Forester.

Here is the US spec version. Only cosmetic difference (well, that I can see) is that litte mirror up from isn't there and the hood is a bit different.

 

What does that mean? Big and fat?

 

The U.S. version also doesn't recieve such luxuries as headlamp washers or push button start. Thats right, the executives at Subaru of America have no clue what Americans want. Even a damn Corolla can be had with a 5 speed auto nowadays. Not this car. Idiots.

 

Show me a Corolla with AWD, heated seats and lower-windshield electric de-icers for the wipers, though, which are available on some Foresters....and all Foresters have AWD.

If the new Corolla does offer these as options, I'll stand corrected, but I haven't seen a Corolla with them yet.

 

Come on, you see my point. Other than the Legacy and Tribeca, Subaru hasn't paid all that much attention to the Impreza, the Forester, and what was the Baja as far as technological innovation goes. Sure they added Nav. but honestly, who uses a 4 speed auto in a car that has more than 200 horsepower anymore? No one. And with the Legacy GT churning out 243 hp, and customers always wanting more and here again Subaru is not delievering. That goes for the Spec.B too. Let me shell out an extra $5k for a 6MT, billsteins, and 18 inch. wheels. And then they wonder why their cars aren't selling.

 

A "damn corolla" also does not have AWD or an available turbo engine with ~225 hp. Subaru markets their cars to a different set of buyers. IMO you should either go and buy a corolla, or learn to drive a freaking manual transmission. The one thing that keeps Subaru a contender in my book is that it offers a manual transmission on every car they offer (sans tribeca not even subaru car anyways). If you want a smooth and comfortable ride, go hop on a train.

 

mmarshall seal of approval no but really, wow it does say alot if you say that. Air Runner, bodykit and some Work/AME rims

 

We'll have to wait for the final specs on the American-market version, but, for the last several years, the flat-four Subaru turbos and the non-turbo sixes (there is no turbo six) have used the five-speed automatic. Only the non-turbo fours still use the four-speed.

Which, IMO, is the reverse of what it should be. Larger engines, which produce more torque, don't NEED a larger number of gears or closer ratio spacing, but automakers usually do that anyway......they use a lower number of gears with the lower-powered engine, which NEEDS more gears because of torque multiplication, and then put a larger number of gears with the larger engines that DON'T need them. Go figure.

 

Thanks, llamboiz.

I have a very high opinion of Imprezas, Foresters and Outbacks and the Subaru boxer engine/AWD combination.....enough that I bought one myself a few years ago, and may end up with another one. However, I have an equally high opinion of some of the new Hyundai products, too, in value and quality per dollar.

 

No, thats not correct. The only Subaru turbo that uses a five-speed auto is the Legacy GT. The Forester XT, the WRX, the Baja Turbo all use the 4EAT (4 speed electronic automatic transmission) and continue to. Well not the Baja, since its not produced anymore.

While the 4EAT is a fine transmission, it isn't the same as the 5EAT. The feeling isn't there. So you can tiptronically row through 4 gears. Meh. Not to mention this adversly effects gas mileage. For example, the Baja turbo with 210 hp only achieved 23 hwy mpg. Thats before the EPA revised the testing methods. Thats awful.

 

Detroit Auto Show pics

 

I had to resurrect this thread because I looked at this SAME vehicle yesterday at the D.C. Auto Show....they brought it down from Detroit. Same one with the light green-gray paint. Unlike at Detroit, here they had it out on the floor, unlocked. It was th top-line, L.L. Bean model.

Guys, I hate to say this as a Subaru fan, but, though it is embarassing, I have to be honest. I sat in this car for some time and examined it stem to stern....and it is a MAJOR disappointment. Upon seeing the car in person, I have to change my mind about what I said earlier in the thread about considering one as my next car.

Subaru has done massive cost-cutting with this new Forester. Not only does it share the new dash with the entry-level, $17,000 Impreza, but the temperature gauge has been removed, just like the Impreza.... blue "COLD" and red overheating lights takes the place of the former gauge. The nice two-tone paint is gone, replaced by monotone. The pull-cover for the cargo area to hide what's back there is gone. The formerly tank-solid rear doors have been replaced by much thinner, tinnier-sounding ones. The wood trim inside is gone. Compared to the present 2008 Forester, this car, IMO, is a joke....yes, even on the top-line L.L. Bean.

Is it a total disappointment? No. The chrome and grille on the front end is nice and well-done. The now-thinner doors now have fully-framed windows that will not let the glass pop out of its channels as easily as the old Forester. There seems to be some nice paint colors...one of which is the feature color here. And, of course, underneath, the Old Faithful boxer-engine/AWD combo remains.....one of the best AWD systems in the buisness.

But this car, IMO is nowhere near the bargain or solidness the present-generation Forester is, and has obviously been sacrified to the bean-counters. At this point, I would not even consider a purchase...... I sure hope they don't screw up the next-generation Legacy and Outback like this.

It makes me all the more likely to keep my own Outback another year or so (maybe less) and get a new one before they are redesigned. I dearly love the present Outback series, and don't want to see it messed up like the Forester.

I talked to the Subaru reps about this...and expressed my concern about the huge decontenting. Some of them seemed clueless. One rep said it was done for two main reasons. First, he complemented me on my powers of observation in noticing these things (as if a moron couldn't have noticed ). Second, he said that although I noticed them, the average customer wouldn't, and Subaru felt that with the last Forester, it offered TOO good a deal and gave out TOO many features for the money....it was only adjusting the content and design of the new Forester to more closely offer what Toyota and Honda were offering in comparable vehicles.

Guys......does this take the cake.....or what? I was ready to take one my size 15 shoes and plant it right up the back of his pants, and I almost DID. I actually banged my fist on the display counter and used a four-letter word in anger. It was only by an extraordinary effort on my part that I was able to control my temper and not have a public confrontation that might have involved the show's security people as well.

 

I liked the Frameless windows. This thing is ugly, the Impreza is ugly, the Tribeca was ugly.

And not being to get this thing with both a turbo and a MT is ridiculous.

 

Well, I wouldn't say it is ugly, but its decontenting and cheapening is an insult to one's intelligence.

And I'll be going back to the show again either tomorrow or Sunday afternoon. I'll check on turbo/MT availability for you........but manual transmissions are something that are gradually being phased out by a lot of manufacturers on all but entry-level cars. Most people today simply don't want them.

 

Already confirmed over at LGT.com. No manual option with the turbo.