Subaru Forester named Motor Trend 2014 SUV of the Year [w/video]

From AB

SUBARU FORESTER SCORES SECOND MOTOR TREND SPORT/UTILITY OF THE YEAR® WIN

-Subaru is first (and only) manufacturer to win SUOTY three times

-Most wins in Sport/Utility category

-Only automaker with back-to-back wins in category

Cherry Hill, N.J. - Motor Trend announced today that the Subaru Forester won Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year for 2014.

Subaru is the only manufacturer to win this title three times, the most wins in the Sport/Utility category. In the past six years of competition, Subaru has had three winners ? the 2014 Forester, 2010 Outback, and the 2009 Forester. The 2013 XV Crosstrek also ranked as a finalist in 2012.

MOTOR TREND editor-in-chief Ed Loh, said, "The 2014 Subaru Forester beat a highly competitive field of SUVs because it best met our award's six key criteria. Smart design, thoughtful engineering, and a compelling performance on road and off were the keys to the Forester's win. Our editors were particularly impressed by the powerful yet efficient turbocharged engines, the intelligent and sporty CVT transmission, and the excellent visibility and interior package found within the Forester. Practical, affordable, efficient and fun-to-drive - Forester truly ticked every box".

In addition to the Subaru Forester, the 2014 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year competition included twelve other all-new or significantly updated SUVs:

Acura MDX Audi Q5 BMW X1 Buick Encore Dodge Durango Hyundai Santa Fe Jeep Grand Cherokee Kia Sorento Land Rover Range Rover Sport Mini Paceman S ALL4 Mitsubishi Outlander Toyota RAV4

"We are honored to receive the MOTOR TREND Sport/Utility of the Year award for the third time," said Thomas J. Doll, president, and chief operating officer, Subaru of America, Inc. "Our product, engineering, sales and marketing teams all work hard to provide the best products and experiences we can for our owners. Receiving this distinction from MOTOR TREND truly adds credence to our mission."

MOTOR TREND's Sport/Utility of the Year is not a comparison test, and is only open to all-new or substantially upgraded vehicles that have gone on sale in the 12 months from November 1 of the previous year.

To judge contenders for the award, MOTOR TREND's editorial staff conducted an exhaustive three-phase testing process. Phase one includes a full tech check and weigh-in, then full track testing to establish baseline data for acceleration, braking, and handling. Phase two involves three days of road loops offering a range of road surfaces and traffic conditions to evaluate ride and handling, engine and transmission smoothness and responsiveness, wind and road noise, and ergonomics. A dirt-track section tests traction, stability, and braking control systems. In the third phase the judges debate and deliberate. The judging criteria include the following categories:

Design Advancement - well-executed exterior and interior styling; innovative vehicle packaging; good selection and use of materials.

Engineering Excellence - total vehicle concept and execution; clever solutions to packaging, manufacturing and dynamics issues; cost-effective tech that benefits the consumer.

Performance of Intended Function - how well the vehicle does the job its planners, designers, and engineers intended it to do.

Efficiency - low fuel consumption and carbon footprint, relative to the vehicle's competitive set.

Safety - a vehicle's ability to help the driver avoid a crash, as well as the secondary safety measures that protect its occupants from harm during a crash.

Value - competitive price and equipment levels, measured against those of vehicles in the same market segment. Priced from $21,995, the Forester is offered with a new 250-horsepower

2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged BOXER engine or a 170-horsepower 2.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder BOXER engine. A Lineartronic® CVT (continuously variable transmission) is standard in the 2.0XT models and available for the 2.5-liter models, which features a standard 6-speed manual transmission. The Forester jumps to the head of its segment in all-wheel drive fuel economy, with the 2.5i model achieving EPA estimates of 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway/ 27 mpg combined (with CVT).

The 2014 Forester has received a Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Forester is the first vehicle to ace every aspect of the challenging small overlap front crash test conducted by the IIHS. The Forester is the only one of 13 small SUVs to earn an overall rating of good in the test.

The recognition from MOTOR TREND validates the sales success of the

2014 Forester, which is up 46% year-to-date over 2012. Forester's strong sales performance mirrors the growth of the Subaru brand overall, which is on track to achieve its fifth-consecutive year of sales increases and top 400,000 vehicle sales in the US market in 2013.
Reply to
MummyChunk
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Does Subaru ever refer to the Outback as an SUV? I've seen them refer to the Forester that way, but not the Outback. My car registration calls it a station wagon.

Patty

Reply to
Patty Winter

funny, I was just about to say, "the Forester is a station wagon, not an SUV"

GW

Reply to
Geoff Welsh

According to the Merriam Webster website ...

Definition of SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE A rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis Also called sport-ute, sport-utility, SUV First Known Use of SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE 1978

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I don't think there is any real standardised rules for the description. Car makers just make the decision themselves, and these days most makers are trying to cash in on the fad for these "school-run tanks".

Reply to
Your Name
[unneeded quotage deleted]

Which is why it's interesting that Subaru *doesn't* refer to the Outback as an SUV.

Aren't there also implications for the costs of car registrations and insurance policies?

Patty

Reply to
Patty Winter

I refer to my Outback as my 'shooting brake' or my 'estate car'-- it sounds so much more posh.

Reply to
John McGaw

That's certainly dating you

Reply to
bugalugs

I wouldn't be surprised if it is due to money - no doubt labelling a car as an "SUV" allows them to whack on another $5000, while leaving the Outback as a "station wagon" allows them to fit it into a cheaper price bracket.

I did find a review which said this ...

Designed with the North American market in mind, the Subaru Outback wagon provides many popular SUV traits without the associated drawbacks.

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although it doesn't say what those "traits" and "drawbacks" actually are (at least not that I could see in a very quick skim through).

Reply to
Your Name

Yep, that's possibly another reason. I don't know if they sell this particular model in the UK, but there the slight difference in naming may also impact on things like Congestion Charges (inner city road tolls).

Reply to
Your Name

In some moneyed circles, the terms are still accepted and quite current. Not my circles you understand, but in some.

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and on and on and on...

Reply to
John McGaw

By "them" do you mean Subaru? If so, how do you explain the fact that the car they sometimes call an SUV costs *less* than the one they don't?

Patty

Reply to
Patty Winter

I meant anyone making an SUV, but there are cars and SUV in various prices and options, so there's bound to be some overlap (e.g. the cheap version of one being under the price of the expensive version of the other).

Reply to
Your Name

....

from that def'n no Subaru is an SUV

GW

Reply to
Geoff Welsh

Depends on how you define "light-truck" (or "station wagon" and "rugged" for that matter). ;-)

It's just another area that gets confusing and has no official rules / standards. Many of the small (and often weird!) Japanese "trucks" are actually built on regular car chassis.

Reply to
Your Name

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