Motor Image Launches New Subaru Forester In Taiwan
Motor Image, which is the exclusive Subaru distributor in eight countries in Asia, has just officially launched the new Subaru Forester in Taiwan. In this market, buyers have essentially four variants to choose from i.e. the Forester 2.0i-L and Forester 2.0i-S with OR without the EyeSight driving assistance technology.
The all-new Subaru Forester sits on the Subaru Global Platform (SGP) and promises improved refinement and practicality. SGP is touted to have 50% less body roll, improved crash absorption by 40%, highly responsive steering and a quieter and more stable ride. Although looking very similar to the current model, the new Forester has been reengineered, reimagined and redesigned with a host of enhanced features for better handling and usability. The exterior sports updated front grille, headlights, and tail lights. Ground clearance is 220 mm, a comfortable height to clear many obstacles.
The interior of the Forester has been redesigned to incorporate more roominess and comfort. Done away with it, is the conventional parking brake lever, now replace by an electronic one and freeing up console space. The instrument panel is a high-grade multi-function display showing key vehicle statistics. Other notable conveniences include divided seatback pockets, USB charging ports, and rear air vents.
Rear passenger legroom has been improved, as is the rear cargo space with a wider rear gate opening. The rear passenger door sill and seat edge have been deliberately shaped for safer access to the items stowed on the roof rails. The availability of a powered rear gate for one-touch opening and closing also enhances user convenience.
Common features across all variants include headlamp washers, auto-leveling LED headlamps, powered wing mirrors with LED turn signal, roof rails, roof spoiler, active grille shutter, auto vehicle hold, dual zone climate control, idle stop system, cruise control, paddle shifters, PIN code access, rain sensing wipers, reverse camera, reclining rear seat, SI-Drive, and smart entry and start.
Safety features for all variants include Active Torque Vectoring, Brake Override, Vehicle Dynamics Control, Safety Pedal System, SRS front, side and curtain airbags, as well as driver knee airbag. All variants have X-Mode; the higher 2.0i-S is equipped with Special X-Mode which features a mode for deep snow or mud.
The Subaru Forester is powered by a 2.0L boxer engine, with 156 PS and 196 Nm, paired with a 7-speed Lineartronic CVT that sends the power to the wheels via the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system.
The EyeSight driving assistance technology is new to the Forester and includes automatic pre-collision braking, pre-collision throttle management, adaptive cruise control, lead vehicle start alert, lane departure and lane sway warning. EyeSight makes use of windscreen-mounted stereo colour cameras as an extra pair of eyes for the driver.
Additionally, the Subaru rear vehicle detection alert (SRVD) is also available. It uses radar at the rear to detect objects and vehicles behind and alerts the driver with its three main functions i.e. blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert. Viewability is also enhanced with reverse-linked tilt-down wing mirror.
This regional launch is a somewhat of a preview for Malaysia as plans are underway for the local introduction of the Forester and as such what you see and read here may or may not be what we get in its entirety (this version launched is catered to the Taiwanese market). Malaysia will get its own version some time in the 2nd quarter of 2019.
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