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Can we fool the facial recognition system on our long-term 2019 Subaru Forester?

Subaru’s DriverFocus system in our 2019 Subaru Forester long-term tester serves multiple purposes, but its facial recognition abilities are especially intriguing. If your face is registered in the carÂ’s system, the infrared camera will recognize you and adjust your seat and mirrors to the position initially chosen during the setup process. ItÂ’ll store up to five faces, automatically adjusting everything to the personÂ’s face it sees. The camera can recognize you in the dark or with glasses on, according to Subaru. It looks for the points on a personÂ’s face, but doesnÂ’t remember a specific person. This gave us an idea for a test. Can we trick it by using a photo of somebody elseÂ’s face? Check out the video above to see what happened. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lexus tops JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study again, Buick bests Toyota

It shouldn't surprise anyone, but Lexus has once again taken the top spot in JD Power's Vehicle Dependability Study. That'd be the Japanese luxury brand's fourth straight year at the top of table. The big news, though, is the rise of Buick. General Motor's near-premium brand beat out Toyota to take second place, with 110 problems per 100 vehicles compared to Toyota's 111 problems. Lexus owners only reported 89 problems per 100 vehicles. Besides Buick's three-position jump, Scion enjoyed a major improvement, jumping 13 positions from 2014. Ram and Mitsubishi made big gains, as well, moving up 11 and 10 positions, respectively. In terms of individual segments, GM and Toyota both excelled, taking home seven segment awards each. The study wasn't good news for all involved, though. A number of popular automakers finished below the industry average of 147 problems per 100 vehicles, including Subaru, (157PP100), Volkswagen (165PP100), Ford/Hyundai (188PP100 each) and Mini (193PP100). The biggest losers (by a tremendous margin, we might add) were Land Rover and Fiat, recording 258 and 273 problems per 100 vehicles. The next closest brand was Jeep, with 197PP100. While the Vehicle Dependability Study uses the same measurement system as the Initial Quality Survey, the two metrics analyze very different things. The VDS looks at problems experienced by original owners of model year 2012 vehicles over the past 12 months, while the oft-quoted IQS focuses on problems in the first 90 days of new-vehicle ownership. Like the IQS, though, the VDS has a rather broad definition of what a problem is. Because of that, a low score from JD Power is no guarantee of extreme unreliability, so much as just poor design. In this most recent study, the two most reported problems focused on Bluetooth connectivity and the voice-command systems. The former leaves plenty of room for user error due to poor design (particularly true of the Bluetooth systems on the low-scoring Fords, Volkswagens and Subarus), while the second is something JD Power has already confirmed as being universally terrible. That makes means that while these studies are important, they shouldn't be taken as gospel when it comes to automotive reliability. News Source: JD PowerImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL Buick Fiat Ford GM Hyundai Jeep Land Rover Lexus MINI Mitsubishi RAM Scion Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Auto Repair Ownership study

2019 Subaru Forester Long-Term Update | I can see clearly now!

One of the biggest complaints among drivers is that visibility is getting worse in cars. In the neverending pursuit of better crash test ratings and rakish aggressive styling, pillars are getting thicker, and the view out is getting ever more tank like. Some of the worst offenders include the Chevy Camaro and Toyota C-HR. But one car has miraculously bucked the trend: our long-term Subaru Forester. I took it out for a night recently after a lengthy hiatus, and I was stunned by what I could see: everything! The Forester has shockingly thin pillars all the way around, even at the back. The tall roof facilitates equally tall windows. Add in extra low window sills and a high seating position, and the feeling is like being a fish in an aquarium. It makes merging lanes and parking a breeze. Not only that, but the cabin feels so airy and bright, especially with the Forester's extra-huge sunroof. It's a breath of fresh air, you know, if your eyes could breathe. Most of the rest of the segment has adopted the aforementioned thick pillars and low roofs that counter this freeing, open feeling. Look no further than the best-selling crossover in the compact class, the Toyota RAV4, which has prioritized an aggressive exterior design at the expense of having a comparatively claustrophobic cabin. The Forester's amazing visibility doesn't come at the cost of safety, either. It's an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for getting the best-possible ratings for crash protection and prevention, as well as "Good" or "Acceptable" headlight ratings. NHTSA gives it a top five-star rating overall, and it has a low risk of rollover. One other minor side note to all this: The Forester is a great vehicle for senior drivers. The visibility, and of course the good safety ratings are a big part of that, but there are other factors. I realized the Forester is really easy to get in and out of, almost like a minivan. The doors open wide, the floor is low, and the seats are at a comfortable hip height, so you simply step in rather than climbing up or lowering down into it. It's a small crossover that's easy to maneuver. The large cargo space would be handy if needing to bring walkers or wheelchairs around. And the standard all-wheel drive would be a nice extra layer of security in bad conditions. It's maybe not an exciting way to market the Forester, but it's true.