Chicago Auto Show

Just got back from the Chicago Auto show and talked to a couple of reps and my wife and I took a new 2014 Forester out for a test drive.

First off, the Outback is due for redesign in 2015 but both reps said Subaru has been mum about what is coming.
There is a "Special Edition" Outback coming out that is available in 3 colors, White Pearl, Black and that Brillian Brown Pearl.

The rep we had going for the test drive was from the UK. He had no word on the 2015 Outback but said several things about the Boxer Diesel. He said that SIA does know about requests for a diesel here in the states. The things he said about it were:

1. Fuel quality and availability. He said that the diesel fuel quality here at several outlets wasn't as good as Subaru needs. How true, I don't know.

2. Manufacturing capacity. He claimed they sell just about every car they make as is. He stated that they were looking at expanding the SIA plant in Indiana which could lead to potential capacity for diesel models.

3. Demand. Subaru isn't sure there is enough demand for a diesel here like in Europe. He said the diesel boxer there gets about 50 mpg.

We tried the eyesight on the Forester in actual traffic. It works in tandem with the cruise but once you stop, the cruise and eyesight turned off and you had to reactivate them again once you got going. He said they were working on a "resume function" for Eyesight.

It is really weird using Eyesight and having the car brake by itself!
It also worked where the car in front changed lanes and another came in and took it's place in that it picked up the second car and applied the brakes.