New info on 06' impreza

[Driver72]

Regarding the Forester:

By the "logic" used by some in this thread, the Forester has no reason to exist at all, since the Impreza wagon existed before the Forester was even created. And yet the Forester sells quite nicely, and did so before the introduction of the XT. The Forester and the Impreza appeal to different people. Subaru obviously understood this, since they decided to create the Forester in the first place.

 

 

You are still missing the point.

 

The Forester DID have a reason to exist, since there was an Impreza Wagon.

That was for offroad ground clearance that the Impreza wagon couldn't

give you.

The Outback Wagon was pricier then and was more luxurious.

 

Now, with a Forester and Forester XT, people were offered a vehicle that

not only had ground clearance ability over the Impreza wagon, but the

power advantage as well.

 

With an Impreza WRX 2.5T wagon, the power advantage is no longer.

And with the new, and nicer Outback XT, you get it all in one:

Power

Ground Clearance

Luxury

Acceleration

all for about a grand more than a Forester XT.

 

I just don't see too many people buying Forester if the WRX becomes a 2.5 liter engine. There MAY still be a few people who want a base Forester

for the ground clearance of gong down rough roads, but don't care about the power. But let's be honest....those would be VERY few and far between.

And most of those people would just get a small SUV anyway.

[05LegacyGT330Ci]

 

There has been plenty of great handling sports cars that are no where near 50/50. The Porsche 911 being the most obvious example.

 

 

Theres a big difference when the weight is on the opposite end. And yes the Audi S4 may handle pretty well still beecuae of very well set up shock and struts and front suspension tuning. You can still feel the difference instantly between a balanced car and non balanced. I would still rather the car be balanced before more weight be thrown up front.

[Driver72]

I agree a nice balanced car is sweet. And the LGT does have a "big nose"

and think they could extend the front wheels forward and inch or so.

This would give the car a better stance, probably darn close to 50/50 weight distribution

for optimal handling, and then allow for the heavier H6, even turbo charged and still

stay within acceptable weight distribution ranges.

[SC GT]

I'd get the facelifted Forester XT over a WRX 2.5T wagon in a heartbeat. The new XT looks sweet. Plus, I haven't measured, but I'm guessing more cargo room. Plus nicer dash layout.

 

I thought I read somewhere that the facelifted Forester will be the last of the Forester. Subaru will then come out with a true SUV rather than a tweener. Not sure where I read that though.

[kage]

You are still missing the point.

 

The Forester DID have a reason to exist, since there was an Impreza Wagon.

That was for offroad ground clearance that the Impreza wagon couldn't

give you.

The Outback Wagon was pricier then and was more luxurious.

 

Now, with a Forester and Forester XT, people were offered a vehicle that

not only had ground clearance ability over the Impreza wagon, but the

power advantage as well.

 

With an Impreza WRX 2.5T wagon, the power advantage is no longer.

And with the new, and nicer Outback XT, you get it all in one:

Power

Ground Clearance

Luxury

Acceleration

all for about a grand more than a Forester XT.

 

I just don't see too many people buying Forester if the WRX becomes a 2.5 liter engine. There MAY still be a few people who want a base Forester

for the ground clearance of gong down rough roads, but don't care about the power. But let's be honest....those would be VERY few and far between.

And most of those people would just get a small SUV anyway.

Yes, the Forester does indeed appeal to those who are shopping in the small SUV segment. A segment that the Impreza wagon doesn't address. A segment that seems to be growing by the day. So how does more power in the Impreza WRX address that segment? Actually going down rough roads has NOTHING to do with why most SUV buyers buy SUVs. The Forester never offered a power advantage over the Impreza until the introduction of the XT. The XT is the anomaly here. There were a few motorheads who bought the XT because they wanted a Q-Ship. But here in an area where Subarus are abundant, I primarily see grey hairs in XTs. The same grey hairs who buy the Forester in droves. It offers superior packaging to the Impreza (boxy = interior space), better head room, a more arthritis friendly ride, and better interior amenities. At the same time, it's smaller and more compact than an Outback, and is easier to park. Being powerful is just the icing on the cake. The WRX getting the 2.5 engine will only affect those buyers who bought the XT because of its Q-Ship status. The rest of the Forester buyers will still prefer the Forester over the Impreza.

[ADirtyLegacy]

cheap rexes' for auto-xing....YES YES YES!!! now maybe i don't have to do a motor swap to my car, although something about ULTIMATE sleeper is very appealing!

 

Kenda

[Driver72]

Yes, the Forester does indeed appeal to those who are shopping in the small SUV segment. A segment that the Impreza wagon doesn't address. A segment that seems to be growing by the day. So how does more power in the Impreza WRX address that segment?

 

More power in the Impreza doesn't address the small SUV segment, but it

REMOVES potential buyers...those "motorheads" you speak of below who bought the XT over the WRX Wagon, SIMPLY for the sleeper affect.

With a 2.5T WRX Wagon, that will no longer be the case. People who bought the XT over the WRX Wagon simply for the more power 2.5T engine, won't be doing that anymore. That takes sales from the Forester.

 

 

Actually going down rough roads has NOTHING to do with why most SUV buyers buy SUVs. The Forester never offered a power advantage over the Impreza until the introduction of the XT. The XT is the anomaly here. There were a few motorheads who bought the XT because they wanted a Q-Ship. But here in an area where Subarus are abundant, I primarily see grey hairs in XTs. The same grey hairs who buy the Forester in droves. It offers superior packaging to the Impreza (boxy = interior space), better head room, a more arthritis friendly ride, and better interior amenities. At the same time, it's smaller and more compact than an Outback, and is easier to park.

 

Well, here's part two of my argument why Forester's sales will suffer.

The current "gray hairs" you speak of driving Forester XT's bought them because:

1. They didn't want the boy racer looks of the WRX Wagon

2. They needed hauling ability plus the ability to go off road if necessary

3. They wanted power, more than the torque-less WRX Wagon (especially in the auto transmission that 98% of them buy). BUT keep in mind, when the Forester XT came out the Outback did not offer a turbo model. It offered only the 2.5 NA motor which wasn't powerful enough for them, and the H6 model, which was too pricey and still didn't offer a ton of power.

 

You say the "gray hairs" bought the Forester over the Impreza for superior packaging. But that's my point. The superior packaging NOW comes from the Outback.

The Outback XT offers more ground clearance than the Forester XT

(8.4 inches to 7.5 inches), OBXT offers nearly the same headroom in front, a tick more in back, the OBXT offers more legroom in front and back than the Forester. It offers more luggage space with the seats up, and more overal cargo space with the seats down. The OBXT offers 300 pounds more towing capacity. As for parking, the OBXT has a turning radius that's a measly 6 inches more.

All that, plus better styling, better interior, better ride, new/better chassis, more standard features, for about $2K-2.5K more!

 

These two things combined are what's going to kill the Forester:

1. The "motorheads" that won't need to buy the FXT anymore for sleeper

performance that betters the WRX Wagon

2. The "gray hairs" that won't need to buy the Forester anymore for

"superior packaging" over the WRX, but at a drastically reduced price from

the old Outback

 

Being powerful is just the icing on the cake. The WRX getting the 2.5 engine will only affect those buyers who bought the XT because of its Q-Ship status. The rest of the Forester buyers will still prefer the Forester over the Impreza.

But again, not over the slightly more expensive, but now much superior Outback.

[rc0032]

I have not been following this thread in depth but how many Foresters do you see on the roads? A lot around here ~14 per day (0 new Legacys, ~10 WRX for comparison) and and I have only ever seen 1 XT, ever. The forester market in not the performance market of the WRX. Its soccer moms (from what I see).

 

 

Just my .02

[gurpman]

I bet at least 95% of Forester buys couldn't care less whether their 4 cylinder engine was a 2.0 or 2.5. Even more don't care what's in a WRX. The WRX changes will have next to zero impact on Forester sales.

 

Why does Joe Average buy a Forester over an Outback? A few grand cheaper, more headroom, and looks like an SUV.

[ADirtyLegacy]

i see more foresters than i see anything else, especially when driving through yuppy Davidson. i am starting to see a few more new LGTs (saw a kick ass blue wagon at lunch yesterday with like 5% tint..i was like w0w!!) and only see WRXs when i'm hanging with my local scoobie peeps. i think foresters are a dime a dozen around here!

 

Kenda