2022 Subaru Forester Limited 3k Miles Awd, 1 Year Warranty on 2040-cars

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J.D. Power dependability survey is out, but you shouldn't depend on it

J.D. Power has just released its latest automotive dependability survey, which of course has usual suspects Buick and Lexus ranking high. Those are safe and solid findings, surely. But when you look a little closer, there are curiosities. Our Consumer Editor, Jeremy Korzeniewski, offered an explanation a couple of years back for why this survey should be viewed with a degree of skepticism, and his take is worth a re-read. What jumped out at Jeremy were the relatively low spots assigned to Mazda, Subaru and Scion among the ranking of makes. Back in 2016 when he wrote his piece, they were ranked 21st, 23rd and 24th respectively. In this year's survey, Mazda ranks 15th and Subaru 26th, both below the industry average of 142 reported problems per 100 vehicles. (And Scion, of course, is in car-brand heaven.) Now, part of what is going on here is surely the fact that all automotive brands are producing dependable vehicles compared with years gone by, so the degree of variance between the best and worst on the list is not as great as it once was. "For the most part, automotive manufacturers continue to meet consumers' vehicle dependability expectations," Dave Sargent, a J.D. Power vice president, said in a statement. "A 9 percent improvement is extremely impressive, and vehicle dependability is, without question, at its best level ever." That said, when a brand like Subaru, regarded by many as mechanically bulletproof, ranks 26th, it leaves people who know cars scratching their heads. Something there does not compute. The problem, as Jeremy pointed out, is one of methodology: When he wrote his piece, there was no weighting assigned to the problems reported in the survey. And that still appears to be the case. Therefore, a problem with an infotainment system or a loose piece of trim is deemed as serious as a blown engine or leaky transmission. (And yes, infotainment is still the biggest problem across the board.) Jeremy's point: If the categories of problems were weighted, you'd see a different picture. When you look at the Consumer Reports brand rankings (subscription required), you get a very different picture. in CR's rankings, Subaru is No. 6 among brands, which, well, sounds a lot more like it. CR singles out the redesigned 2017 Impreza as a car with some new-model problems. (The BRZ had the fewest.) The two surveys jibe a little more closely when it comes to Mazda, which CR ranks 12th, a drop of six places from previous-year rankings.

Some 2019 Subaru Ascent owners will get brand-new cars due to recall [UPDATE]

UPDATE: After inspection, it turns out that the issue of missing welds on Subaru Ascent models built between July 13 and July 21, 2018, was much smaller than initially thought. A Subaru spokesperson informs us that "none of the customer vehicles included in the recall were affected." According to Subaru, 293 brand-new 2019 Ascent crossovers built between July 13 and July 21, 2018, are missing a series of spot welds on the B-pillar. These welds add strength to the shell of the car right where the rear doors attach, which makes them extremely important to the overall structure of the vehicle. The issue was caused by improper programming of the robots that add these welds as the vehicle rolls down the assembly line. What makes this recall particularly interesting is that 9 of these 293 affected Ascent models are already in the driveways of paying customers, and those owners are going to get brand-new replacement vehicles. The other 284 affected Ascents are either sitting on dealer lots or in transit. All 293 models without the proper B-pillar welds will be destroyed and replaced. If you're the owner of a 2019 Ascent that may be affected by this recall, you can contact your local dealer with your VIN number, or check online to find out if your vehicle is one of the 293 with missing welds. And since it's a very real safety issue, we'd recommend you check your VIN immediately, because the missing welds cannot be identified just by a visual inspection. Related Video:

Subaru WRX STI S209 confirmed for Detroit Auto Show

Subaru teased us a week ago with the possibility that the STI S209 might come to America, and now the automaker has confirmed its debut at the Detroit Auto Show this January. Check out the S209 grille badge in the teaser photo above. The red trim around the edge is a nice accent to go along with the "S." Unfortunately, we don't have any further details on the new variant right now, so we'll have to wait a few more weeks to see what the STI folks have been up to. We hope the S209 will offer even more performance than the limited-edition Type RA. In the past, S20(X) series models packed more power, upgraded suspension and improved aero compared to the standard WRX STI. In the U.S., the current car's EJ25 turbo flat-four engine has been making roughly the same amount of power for a long time now, but in Japan, the S208 from last year made do with a newer 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making more power than our 2.5-liter. It's hard to believe that Subaru will try and certify a new engine for U.S. use, so a further refined STI engine is probably coming our way. We'll find out what Subaru has in store for us on January 14 in Detroit. Until then, feel free to speculate to your heart's content. Related video: