Latest news with #ForesterSUV
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
I've just bought my 26th car in 30 years from this overlooked motor brand - here's why I love it so much
A UK driver has displayed an outstanding level of loyalty to one car brand by buying his 26th model from the manufacturer in a three-decade spell - but it's far from a household name. It's not a popular, volume-seller like Ford, Volkswagen or BMW. Instead, it's a brand that represented just 0.12 per cent of new car registrations last year and was 34th overall in terms of sales by manufacturer. Bill Nunn, 65, a project manager from London, has become this car maker's most dedicated British customer by snapping up almost one new model a year on average for the last three decades. His incredible history with the brand dates back to 1995 and he's not steered towards another marque since. While more than halfway down the list of the UK's most popular motor brands, the Japanese maker has a long-standing reputation for producing practical and reliable vehicles as well as a few standout performance cars - particularly around the its heyday in the World Rally Championship in the 1990s and early 2000s. While Bill has experienced most of the cars from its back catalogue, he returned to his local dealer last month to collect his 26th example with the same badge. But why does he keep coming back to this relatively niche brand? Nunn is Subaru's longest-serving UK client, having collected a brand new 2025 Forester SUV in April, his 26th model with a six-star emblem on its bonnet. He acquired his first Subaru – a Legacy Estate – in 1995, just three years after legendary rally driver Colin McRae won his only WRC crown in an Impreza, which helped put the marque on the map as a boy racer's favourite. Since then, Bill has collected the keys to another 25, of all them bought from a local dealership, Adams Brothers in Aylesbury. Subaru's footprint in the UK automotive marketplace can be traced back to 1977, when it arrived with the all-wheel-drive Leone estate. It has earned a formidable reputation for making robust, fault-free vehicles, scoring well in various reliability surveys where owners are asked to rate their cars for their dependability over the years. This legacy continues to this day, with Subaru named the top manufacturer in Auto Express's Driver Power customer survey in 2024. However, it's still far from a volume seller. In fact, Chinese maker Omoda - which only launched in the UK in August last year - sold more cars in five months than Subaru did over the entire year (Omoda shifted 3,629 units, which is 1,210 more than Subaru). Jaguar, a brand that ceased sales of new models mid-way through 2024, accrued almost seven times the registrations racked up by Subaru last term. But despite their relative unpopularity, Bill can't get enough of them. He has owned a wide range of Subaru models over the years, including various Legacy and Impreza wagons. However, his favourite choice is the Forester SUV. He's owned various models from early 1990s variants to the turbocharged XT of the 2000s - and his 26th and latest purchase is a sixth-generation variant in Field specification. The Forester is a car that has gone down in UK history; it was the last model sold in the UK with a CD player. When the SUV received a facelift in early 2024, the 'old hat' feature was replaced by Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, much to the annoyance of petrol heads everywhere. Why buy 26 Subarus in 30 years? Bill said: 'It is a pleasure to take delivery of my new Forester, the 26th Subaru I've bought over the past 30 years. 'Since buying my first Subaru, the cars have certainly become more modern, capable and spacious, but the core values that set Subaru apart have remained.' He added: 'Subarus are just great cars: always a pleasure to drive, comfortable, reliable and safe. 'In 30 years covering hundreds of thousands of miles for both work and private use – in all manner of conditions - Subaru has never let me down. 'Over three decades, the dealer experience has been just as reliable.' Bill also owned this 2004 performance Forester XT with a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine. It would have produced 208bhp at the time and been good for a 0-60mph sprint in of 6.1 seconds Speaking about the dealership who has enjoyed his business for 30 years, he said: 'The team at Adams Brothers have always been attentive, honest and trustworthy; they're a family business filled with friendly, familiar faces. 'I couldn't recommend them highly enough. I'll certainly be back for more.' Dane Adams, managing director at Adams Group, said Bill had been its most loyal customer, and in the intervening years has become a 'great friend', too. And we can imagine why, if he's bought one car almost every year since 1995. 'He's always a pleasure to deal with, and we look forward to supporting him with all his Subaru needs for many years to come,' Adams said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Gets Genuine Off-Roadability
Subaru adds a hybrid drivetrain to the Forester SUV, with some shared Toyota hybrid components and its own take on all-wheel drive. The new setup proved quite capable off-road. On-sale now, the Forester Hybrid ranges from $36,045 to $42,495. There are a lot of improvements to the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid, only the third hybrid in the Subaru lineup after the 2014 Crosstrek and 2019 PHEV Crosstrek paved the way for electrified powertrains for the marque. The first and most obvious improvement to the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid is the all-new two-motor/one engine hybrid powertrain shared at least in part with the Toyota RAV4 and other Toyota models. Hybridizing the Forester is good for 14 more peak horsepower, up to 194 hp, while efficiency is up to 35 mpg city, 34 highway, and 35 combined. Together with its standard 2.5-liter internal combustion flat-four, operating on the Atkinson cycle for greater efficiency and making 162 hp, and the two AC synchronous motor-generators making 118 hp, you can now go 581 miles between fill-ups in your Forester. It also gets improved comfort, refinement, and driving dynamics, thanks to greater torsional rigidity and more sound deadening. Its standard all-wheel drive is improved with a new center differential that distributes torque faster as a result of improvements to that unit's electronics. Pretty good for what might not even be a mid-cycle facelift for a model that was all-new just last year. But the most impressive thing about the new Forester Hybrid was that it can actually go off-road a respectable amount. As part of the new crossover's introduction, we took Forester Hybrids to Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area about an hour southeast of San Francisco. This area, one of several throughout the state, is like a gym for your 4x4. There were wild whoop-dee-doos and purpose-built sections of terrain that would require a short-wheelbase Wrangler—or a tank—to get over. We didn't try those sections. This is still a family-haulin' suburban grocery getter, after all, in addition to its other talents. So we goofed around on a few steep dirt hills just so we truly believed in the power of symmetrical AWD, and then off we headed to the highest point in the whole SVRA, a peak called Hector Heights Overlook. Granted, it was mostly graded dirt road, but there were sections with semi-washouts and some steep rocky parts that might give you pause when you thought that this was a basic street vehicle at heart. There were actual Jeep Wranglers on this road we were climbing. In fact, Jeeps were the only other vehicles we saw all day. But the Forester Hybrid's 19-degree approach angle, 19.3-degree departure angle, and 24.6-degree breakover angle—combined with 8.7 inches of ground clearance and the aforementioned all-wheel drive—got us up a mountain we might not have thought a Subaru built for the street could have climbed. When we got to the top, the Wranglers followed, somewhat amazed to see a couple mere Subarus there. 'Do you think you have big enough tires?' a colleague asked them, with just a little good-natured sarcasm. The Jeeper got out, doffed his cap, and gave a curt bow. 'Congratulations,' he said. 'I wouldn't have thought you'd make it.' And yet there we were. On the way down, we utilized Subaru's X-MODE with Hill Descent Control a few times but, this being California, we didn't need Snow or Deep Snow/Mud modes. You can get Yokohama Geolander 235/60R-17 A/T tires on the Wilderness trim level of the Forester Hybrid. That will be a good idea for anyone planning to go off-road at all. Not only will the tread bite into the dirt and mud better, but the more robust construction of the A/T tire will be more resistant to punctures, which you don't want when you are far from AAA coverage. If you're not going off-road, the other Foresters get all-season rubber. The latter will be quieter on pavement. It does have a CVT like so many competitors, including the top-selling Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Honda CR-V Hybrid. Maybe most people won't notice, but if you do, you'll be longing for the days of the automatics. Regardless of whether you go off road or not, you'll appreciate the new digital gauge cluster and 11.6-inch infotainment control screen. There's even a MySubaru Concierge service that integrates everything from NAV to scheduling service appointments. And you get 69.1 cubic-feet of cargo space with the rear 60/40 seats folded down. Does a Forester Hybrid make good business sense? Ward's Intelligence said that combined sales of hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles increased from 19.1% of total new light-duty vehicle sales in the United States in the second quarter of 2024 to 21.2% in Q3. Subaru cited an S&P forecast that said by 2036 electrified vehicles will make up 95% of sales: 58% EVs, 28% PHEVs, and 10% Hybrids. And if you're going to go electric, you might as well be able to go ff-road, too. While you still can. Are you ready for electrification? Let us know below.
