First New Subaru Forester Models Are Arriving; When Can You Get One?
Forester fans have been waiting for the all-new 2019 Subaru Forester SUV to arrive and Subaru of New England is one of the first dealers to get one. They received one of the first fifth-generation Foresters shipped from the factory in Japan. Even though the first redesigned models are starting to arrive, the 2019 Forester won’t be available for customers until October across the U.S.
Subaru of New England, owned by Ernie Boch Jr., CEO of Boch Enterprises, is an independent distributor for 64 Subaru dealerships in the six New England states, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. His dealerships will likely sell more new Foresters than the countries of Canada and Australia. Last year, Boch Enterprises sold close to 65,000 vehicles of the brand's U.S. total of 647,956.
In other Forester news, Subaru Corp announced the new 2019 models will ride on Falken tires. The small SUV will come fitted with Falken ZIEX ZE001 P225/55R18 - 98H, manufactured at Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.'s (SRI) plant in Rayong, Thailand. They will be shipped to Subaru's factory in Gunma, Japan where the Forester is built.
This is the third Falken OE fitment with Subaru in the past 11 months. The new 2019 Subaru Ascent 3-Row SUV and the 2018 Crosstrek crossover also ride on Falken tires. The ZIEX ZE001 features four circumferential grooves that Falken said evacuate water and enhance hydroplane resistance and stability in wet conditions. The Falken tires are also OE equipment on the Nissan Rogue SUV.
The Falken tires should work in concert with VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) technology that comes standard on the new Forester. Originally developed for the aerospace industry, VDC helps prevents skids. Subaru says the system uses sensors to let the small SUV know “exactly where you want the vehicle to go, where it's actually going and makes sure those two places are the same.”
In a curve, you know where you want to go, but wet road conditions could cause the wheels to move laterally, sending the car into the ditch. If this happens, VDC will reduce engine power and/or apply the brakes to slow down individual wheels, pulling Forester back into your intended path through the curve.
New for 2019, the Sport, Limited and Touring models come standard with a dual-mode version of X-Mode that offers Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes for even more all-weather capability. The all-new 2019 Subaru Forester will be available in October across the U.S. and Canada.
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Photo credit: Subaru of New England