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2015 Subaru Forester tS Quick Spin

When Subaru invited me to Japan and the famed Suzuka racing circuit to drive its BRZ tS, there was more on the menu than sporting coupes. The STI buffet also included the Subaru Forester tS. If you caught my BRZ tS review, the Forester follows the same idea: modified for better, more precise handling but without any increase in power. As I shared in the first tS review, and with Subaru's news at the New York Auto Show, the company plans to increase the awareness of Subaru Tecnica International – STI – over the next five years. In the case of the BRZ tS, a similarly-conceived car is coming to the US in the next few years. Such is not the story with the Forester tS. The JDM-only product was on hand to drive as further proof of what STI can do, but not as a preview to an upcoming model for sale in America. Subaru execs wouldn't go so far as to rule the idea out completely, but there was plenty of wink-nudging admitting the limited market for something like the Forester tS over here. Firmly ensconced in the "forbidden fruit" category, then, I still thought it'd be fun to report on the hot-ish, wagon-ish Forester. This one's for the other car nerds like me. Driving Notes So, what's new on this tS? Basically STI made the Forester stickier and less prone to roll under high cornering load. The same type of flexible tower brace previously found under the hood of the WRX is used here, and "flexible draw stiffeners" connect the body to the front and rear subframes for added body stiffness. The braces incorporate a very strong coil spring, and add lateral stiffness with enough give to allow the tires to stay in perfect contact with the road surface. The tires in question are 245-section Bridgestones, riding on attractive 19-inch STI wheels, both increases from the 225-section tires and 18-inch wheels that come standard in the US on the Forester 2.0XT model. The tS also has a more-powerful Brembo braking package; handy when hauling a 3,600-pound vehicle down from straightaway speeds. Subaru benchmarked the tS versus other 'sporty' SUVs and CUVs, including out and out performance variants. (Japanese professional modesty prevented Subaru reps from naming specific names, but suffice it to say that the Germans were involved.) In terms of roll rates, yaw response, slalom time, g-force and more, the Subaru's tS package shows massive improvements versus the standard Forester, and holds up to the competitive targets too.

US Army tests Subaru-powered hybrid truck

The military has been studying the implementation of alternative drivetrains for years, a tiny sampling of which includes the diesel-electric hybrid technical hauler and L-ATV from Oshkosh Defense and the Aggressor from Quantum Technologies. There was also ADA Technologies' work with ultracapitors, General Motors' focus on fuel cells and the roll out of electric motorcycles for Special Forces. In the Ultra Light Vehicle (ULV) prototype vehicle pictured above, we have the latest developments in the Department of Defense's hybrid interest combined with a need to develop a lightweight replacement for the AM General Humvee.
In 2010 the Office of the Secretary of Defense put the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in charge of developing a personnel carrier that could "balance payload, performance and protection," and do so without exorbitant cost. Armored Humvees can weigh more than seven tons, and while the ULV is just under 14,000 pounds, the new vehicle can do a lot more with its weight.
The Subaru turbodiesel under the hood puts out 175 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That's not much for pulling 13,916 pounds, so it's assisted by two Remy 410HVH HT electric motors each capable of adding 268 continuous hp and 369 peak hp, along with 844 lb-ft of continuous torque or 1,221 ft-lbs at peak. They're only limited by the 14.2 kWh lithium-ion battery rated at 65 kW of continuous power and 180 kW of peak power, but still, TARDEC says the ULV can do 21 miles on electric power and on the flats has a combined range of 337 miles at 35 mph.

Subaru investing $400 million for Impreza production in Indiana

As a part of a goal to increase its US sales tally up to 500,000 annual units by the end of the decade, Subaru is investing $400 million in its Lafayette, IN assembly plant in order to start building the Impreza in 2016. According to Automotive News, about half of that investment will be for a new paint plant while another big chunk will be used to extend the assembly line to allow for the increased capacity.
Currently, Subaru's Lafayette plant is responsible for building about 200,000 Legacy, Outback and Tribeca models each year (not including around 100,000 Toyota Camry sedans), but Subaru-specific output will be increased to 300,000 units, requiring an additional 900 new hires as well. Although a previous report suggested the Forester and Impreza would be moving Stateside, this AN article only mentions the hatchback and sedan versions of the Impreza being added to Lafayette - and no mention of the closely related XV Crosstrek.