1'owner 2003 Subaru Forester Wagon X Modle Awd 83,487 Miles Excellent Condition on 2040-cars

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Porsche Taycan 4S, Ferrari Roma and a tuned Ford Ranger | Autoblog Podcast #624

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder to recap Earth Day 2020 coverage, including a first drive and range test of the 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S, Tesla and the state of the EV industry, and what we think are the best green cars of all time. Then they shift gears to talk about the Ranger pickup getting a tuning package from Ford, as well as their own dives through the Ferrari Roma configurator. They discuss the cars they've been driving — the 2020 VW Jetta and our long-term 2019 Subaru Forester. Lastly, they reach into the mailbag to help a listener buy a used car. Autoblog Podcast #624 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Earth Day recap 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S Tesla and the EV industry The best green cars of all time Ranger gets a tuning package from Ford Configuring the Ferrari Roma Cars we're driving 2020 Volkswagen Jetta 2019 Subaru Forester long-term update Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

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.

Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.