Fuji Heavy Industries Launches All-new Forester SUV

Dec 26, 2007 20:04 Tatsuhiko Hayashi, Nikkei Automotive Technology

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. launched the fully-remodeled Forester SUV in Japan on Dec 25, 2007.

The third-generation Forester eliminated its square, station wagon-like form and emphasized its SUV taste. The monthly sales target is 2,000 units. The company plans to debut the new model in North America in March or April 2008.

"Our customers tend to think that the Legacy, Outback, Impreza and Forester are all station wagons," said Kazuharu Ichikawa, Project General Manager of Subaru Product Planning Group, who is in charge of the development. "So, we tried to differentiate Forester from the other three models with a design accentuating the SUV style."

The all-new Forester has a platform called SI-chassis that is employed also in the latest Impreza. The new vehicle employs a strut type suspension for the front wheels and double wishbone type suspension for the rear wheels, unlike the existing models that uses the strut type for both front and rear wheels.

The platform is basically the same as that of Impreza, but the wheelbase measures 2,615mm, which is 5mm shorter.

The vehicle body measures 4,675 (L) x 1,780 (W) x 1,675mm (H), being 75mm longer, 45mm wider and 85mm taller than the previous generations of Forester. The increase in the vehicle size stemmed from the demands from many users in and outside Japan requesting for wider spaces around the feet in the backseat and above the head.

The extended 90mm in the length of the wheelbase were entirely allocated to the interior space in the backseat. In view of better maneuverability, the rear overhang was made shorter by reducing the thickness of the bumper. The turning radius was also reduced by 0.1m to 5.3m.

For the power train, the engine may be selected from two types, 2-liter NA or turbocharged engine, which can be mated to either a five-speed manual transmission (MT) or four-speed automatic transmission (AT).

Despite the increased body size, the vehicle weight is lighter than 1,500kg (1,430-1,480kg). The fuel efficiencies of the NA 4AT and turbo 4AT models are 13.8km/L and 13.0km/L, respectively.

The NA engine, employed for the first time from the latest Forester, is a DOHC engine that runs on regular gasoline. Based on Legacy's DOHC high-octane gasoline engine, about 80% of the components were redesigned. Compared to the company's existing SOHC engines, the maximum output is increased to 109kW (148PS) and the maximum torque to 191Nm.

The A/R (nozzle sectional area/effective radius) ratio of the turbo engine was reduced by about 8%. The turbocharger starts to operate in the low-speed region, thereby enhancing the torque in the low- to mid-speed regions. As a result, the engine generates the maximum torque of 319Nm at a rotational speed of 2,800rpm. The maximum output is also enhanced by 10PS to 169kW (230PS).

The new Forester comes only in the 4WD model both in Japan and North America. The antiskid brake system is available as the standard option for all trim levels. The price of the NA model starts from ¥1,995,000. The turbo model is priced at ¥2,520,000 and above.

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