Autoblog

I own a 2003 XS Premium. I bought it as a used vehicle almost two years old with 16,000 miles on it. This vehicle is bomb proof. The only issue I've had with it is a noisy heat shield that has been taken care of. It's not sexy, but this new one isn't either. The thing about this car is that I don't want it to be sexy. I don't want it to be a full-fledged SUV. I want excellent handling, sure-footed AWD, heated leather, a gigantic moonroof and a decent stereo, seating for five, room to haul my crap, and I want it to last longer than anything in its class while taking a beating. This new Forester is certainly more handsome, which is nice. I like that the tailgate is a little less quirky looking (although, when, oh, when will we see automakers get rid of that tacky silver crap all over the tail lights of every car?). I like the functional looking seats. I'd like to see the IP in pictures, though. I'm hoping it looks nothing like the new Impreza. The Impreza's shrunken version of the Tribeca silver seagull swooping across the dash just doesn't work for me. I want clean, straight lines dressed in the brushed metal look. Something that says, "I'm meant for business. But who says business has to look garish?"
Bottom line, if this thing performs like Foresters of the past, they'll have no problem selling a ton. The only vehicle I'd cross-shop this with is a Mitsubishi Outlander. Can't see myself bothering w/ a Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, or a Chevy Equinox...