The Subaru Forester has quite the reputation as one of the safest SUVs on the road. It’s been a longstanding characteristic and Subaru drivers everywhere love it. So what makes it so safe on the roads? A lot. Subaru has combined occupant-protection features with the benefits of good visibility, all-wheel drive and some amazing accident avoidance features to give you the safe drive you expect when you get behind the wheel.
EYESIGHT GIVES YOU THE BEST VISIBILITY
The Forester boasts camera-based EyeSight system to help you see road hazards up to 80 metres, braking when it sees an imminent collision. With two cameras mounted at the top ofo the windshield, you also get adaptive cruise control and lane departure warnings giving your vehicle the intuition you need if your attention is ever drawn away from the road at a bad time.
The IIHS named Subaru’s EyeSight the highest-performing accident-avoidance systems out there and calls the Forester’s collision warning and lane departure systems as “Recommended Technologies.”
SPEAKING OF VISIBILITY…
Beyond EyeSight technologies, the Forester offers great visibility without assisting systems. The 2014 Forester was redesigned along the same lines as the previous model, but with better visibility in mind. With higher seating, a repositioned dash, a new windshield angle and well-placed pillars, the 2014 Forester has fewer blind spots, making it easier to park and change lanes safely than other vehicles in its class.
TOP IIHS CRASH RATINGS
The IIHS has given the 2014 Forester top “good” scores in all crash-testing categories. That means in small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength and seat-based rear-impact tests have all been conducted and prove the Foresters outstanding safety features adding up to a Top Safety Pick+ rating this year. Only 22 vehicles had been awarded this rating so far (including two other Subaru models — the Legacy and the Outback)!
SUBARU’S FAMOUS ALL-WHEEL DRIVE, OF COURSE
If you already drive a Subaru, you can vouch for the safety that comes with driving our famous AWD system — especially after this past winter. It doesn’t rely on the electronic stability system for power distribution (although they work well together), making it a safety asset. Coupled with the new X-Mode and Hill Descent Control, you get unparalleled confidence at slower speeds and on slippery slopes.
UNPARALLELED SAFETY AMONG SMALL SUVS
Sure, we can through numbers at your from crash-test ratings, but about about in the real world on real roads? Well, according to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute, the 2010-2012 Forester is the only vehicle in its class to have achieved “better than average” scores in all injury-related categories — personal injury, medical payment and bodily injury. There are no stats yet for the 2014 Forester, but with a history like this, you can’t deny that Subaru engineers with safety in mind.
