2014 Forester redesign (merged thread)

[YoGeorge]

Seats are like arch supports in shoes--they gotta fit YOUR anatomy. I am 6'2" and have had a bad back forever. I love the seats in my '09 Foz specifically because they do NOT have an exaggerated lumbar hump. They don't have the under-thigh bolsters that extend like the OEM sport seats in my '91 BMW 318is (which are ideal) but for some reason the Foz seats work great for me on long trips. On the other hand, I drove an '08 Outback when I was buying my Foz and the huge lumbar humps on those seats gave me numb feet from sciatica within 15 minutes of starting the test drive.

Had the seats in the Foz and the Outback been reversed, I would be driving that Outback right now.

I did have a triple spinal fusion (L2-L5) last year, and I am now less sensitive to car seats (I had a hard time with my wife's '07 Civic before the surgery but it's pretty decent now).

George

[Woody '04]

hmmm ... looking through this some more, the XT seems to have the extra black plastic below the center grille ... and no top hood scoop! ... what were they thinking?

the X has body color going all the way across, looks a lot better imho.

seeing front shots of all generations lined up, I like mine best. hope to have it a loooong time.

[good dog]

Originally Posted by Woody '04

hmmm ... looking through this some more ... and no top hood scoop! ... what were they thinking?

Probably that after years of research and testing the new scoopless hood works better than a hood scoop, maybe.

[Soukaitsu]

Originally Posted by Woody '04

hmmm ... looking through this some more, the XT seems to have the extra black plastic below the center grille ... and no top hood scoop! ... what were they thinking?

the X has body color going all the way across, looks a lot better imho.

seeing front shots of all generations lined up, I like mine best. hope to have it a loooong time.

Subaru is going mainstream and they believe the hood scoop is an image opposite of a mature looking vehicle. I'm pretty sure Subaru themselves have said that already. I can't remember which review I read that said that. I've read almost all of the reviews for the 2014 Subaru Forester but I do recall someone within Subaru saying as much.

[Loscaldazar]

Originally Posted by Soukaitsu

Subaru is going mainstream and they believe the hood scoop is an image opposite of a mature looking vehicle. I'm pretty sure Subaru themselves have said that already. I can't remember which review I read that said that. I've read almost all of the reviews for the 2014 Subaru Forester but I do recall someone within Subaru saying as much.

Aerodynamics are probably a part of it too.

[staryoshi]

Originally Posted by good dog

Probably that after years of research and testing the new scoopless hood works better than a hood scoop, maybe.

Hopefully they realized that only the Subaru- diehards like the look of the scoop. Mainstream aesthetics plus Subaru heart = success!

[maverickar15]

What was that the Enzo Ferrari said? Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines?

Seriously though, (functional) hood scoop is such a symbol for Subaru turbo cars, I wonder why Subaru dropped it. But then again, I see how the demographics for Forester buyers changed over the last decade and I can understand Subaru's decision. That whole segment that wanted performance and utility at the same time are now left to either buy WRX/STi hatch or go somewhere else.

In fact I will go the other way and buy taller hoodscoop even though I don't need one for my 04.

[pleiad7]

Originally Posted by maverickar15

Seriously though, (functional) hood scoop is such a symbol for Subaru turbo cars, I wonder why Subaru dropped it.

I think it's because Subaru is trying to distance itself from its motorsports history and/or performance heritage. In the past the scoops have always been a nod to the WRC rally cars, dating back even to the non-functional scoops on the GC8's and Outbacks of the late 90's, before any of the turbo models were ever introduced in North America. It's too bad, really, that they're trying to sweep all of that under the rug now. I wonder how many of the newcomers to Subaru have ever even heard of Colin McRae, Petter Solberg, Richard Burns, or Tommy Makkinen.

[Woody '04]

it's not just the scoop that looks different ... it's that extra expanse of black plastic in the center below the grille (lower grille).

[waggaclint]

Originally Posted by Loscaldazar

Aerodynamics are probably a part of it too.

I think i read somewhere that Subaru have dropped the scoop for safety reasons..

[TimmayXT]

I actually really like the look of this new style (S?) better than the SH. Subaru looks like they're going back to the aggressive type styling like the SG. One question though, after reading the Car & Driver review of the new XT, where is the cooling air for the top mount coming from? There's no visible scoop. Don't tell me they're doing what Mazda did with the first gen MS3 and putting a top mount with no scoop. Maybe I missed something somewhere down the line or are they somehow running something from the front grill up to it?

[Philistine]

when are they going to start taking orders for these?

[Soukaitsu]

Originally Posted by Philistine

when are they going to start taking orders for these?

Not soon enough.

[good dog]

Originally Posted by TimmayXT

I actually really like the look of this new style (S?) better than the SH. Subaru looks like they're going back to the aggressive type styling like the SG. One question though, after reading the Car & Driver review of the new XT, where is the cooling air for the top mount coming from? There's no visible scoop. Don't tell me they're doing what Mazda did with the first gen MS3 and putting a top mount with no scoop. Maybe I missed something somewhere down the line or are they somehow running something from the front grill up to it?

2014 Forester redesign (merged thread) molded air duct running from the grille back

[TimmayXT]

Not having a hood scoop is dumb. As said above, it's what makes the Subaru turbo stand out from the rest. I understand fuel economy and all that, but come on. It's what we all love haha. It's too bad they are trying to erase their racing history and be more bland. Keep being unique. Maybe someone will come up with an aftermarket replacement....