As part of its ongoing attempt to move itself up a few rungs on consumers' automotive buying ladder, Subaru Canada will upgrade its Forester sport-cute lineup this spring.
In explaining the changes to the mid-size vehicle for 2006, Subaru Canada makes use of such words as ''refined'' and ''sophisticated'' to help guide consumers to this new level of appreciation for a brand largely known for being sturdy and reliable.
Should this image transformation succeed, it will mean that Subaru will be able to charge more money for its products and consumers will be happy to pay it. That is the thinking, at any rate.
It doesn't hurt that the Forester already has a solid fan base in Canada thanks to its pre-existing nature. As Norio Osakabe, the chairman, president and CEO of Subaru Canada puts it, ''Forester has been a favourite with Canadian drivers since its introduction in 1997.''
This reputation has ''steadily increased with each new accolade it achieves,'' Osakabe says, ''from its excellent crashworthiness to its numerous recognitions for reliability and performance.''
To keep that ball rolling, Osakabe promises that the 2006 Forester arriving in June ''will continue to surprise and delight customers.'' The motivators for this feelings will be a ''rugged exterior styling, more powerful engines and a host of enhancements to driving performance, comfort and utility.''
Most of the facelift work involves Forester's front end, which is the source of that new-found sophistication. This new front fascia design includes a new grille, four-lamp headlights, bumper, hood and fenders.
At the rear, says Osakabe, Forester is ''distinguished by new taillamps and an aluminum trim panel that prominently displays the Subaru six-star brand emblem. All models also get new larger body-colour side mirrors with integrated LED turn signals.''
Real-world drivability and performance, as well as improved fuel economy, are the result of adding active valve lift technology to the Forester models with the 2.5-litre, horizontally-opposed, four-cylinder, non-turbo engines, says Osakabe. Horsepower goes to 173 from 165, and there is said to be more responsiveness at all rev ranges.
For the engine that use the turbocharger and intercooled version of that engine, Osakabe promises ''a serious boost for 2006.'' To be specific, the horsepower rating goes to 230 from 210 as the result of a higher compression ratio and a redesigned intake manifold.
Along with providing the Forester 2.5XT model with more power, Osakabe adds, this new engine also delivers improved fuel economy and meets more stringent emission levels. For those who keep track of such things, the turbo engine gets Low Emissions Vehicle II (LEV II) status.
For those moments when acceleration is more important than the environment, the turbo engine is supposed to be capable of taking the 2006 Forester from 0 to 96.56 kmh in less than six seconds.
In such situations it probably helps that the 2.5XT model will be the first Subaru sold in Canada to offer High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps for ''improved night-time driving visibility.''
Osakabe points out that revisions to the manual and automatic transmissions ''help improve performance and responsiveness in all Forester models.''
In explaining the changes to the mid-size vehicle for 2006, Subaru Canada makes use of such words as ''refined'' and ''sophisticated'' to help guide consumers to this new level of appreciation for a brand largely known for being sturdy and reliable.
Should this image transformation succeed, it will mean that Subaru will be able to charge more money for its products and consumers will be happy to pay it. That is the thinking, at any rate.
It doesn't hurt that the Forester already has a solid fan base in Canada thanks to its pre-existing nature. As Norio Osakabe, the chairman, president and CEO of Subaru Canada puts it, ''Forester has been a favourite with Canadian drivers since its introduction in 1997.''
This reputation has ''steadily increased with each new accolade it achieves,'' Osakabe says, ''from its excellent crashworthiness to its numerous recognitions for reliability and performance.''
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| 2006 Subaru Forester (photo: Subaru Canada) |
Most of the facelift work involves Forester's front end, which is the source of that new-found sophistication. This new front fascia design includes a new grille, four-lamp headlights, bumper, hood and fenders.
At the rear, says Osakabe, Forester is ''distinguished by new taillamps and an aluminum trim panel that prominently displays the Subaru six-star brand emblem. All models also get new larger body-colour side mirrors with integrated LED turn signals.''
Real-world drivability and performance, as well as improved fuel economy, are the result of adding active valve lift technology to the Forester models with the 2.5-litre, horizontally-opposed, four-cylinder, non-turbo engines, says Osakabe. Horsepower goes to 173 from 165, and there is said to be more responsiveness at all rev ranges.
For the engine that use the turbocharger and intercooled version of that engine, Osakabe promises ''a serious boost for 2006.'' To be specific, the horsepower rating goes to 230 from 210 as the result of a higher compression ratio and a redesigned intake manifold.
Along with providing the Forester 2.5XT model with more power, Osakabe adds, this new engine also delivers improved fuel economy and meets more stringent emission levels. For those who keep track of such things, the turbo engine gets Low Emissions Vehicle II (LEV II) status.
For those moments when acceleration is more important than the environment, the turbo engine is supposed to be capable of taking the 2006 Forester from 0 to 96.56 kmh in less than six seconds.
In such situations it probably helps that the 2.5XT model will be the first Subaru sold in Canada to offer High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps for ''improved night-time driving visibility.''
Osakabe points out that revisions to the manual and automatic transmissions ''help improve performance and responsiveness in all Forester models.''