When manufacturers move from year to year with their vehicles there are often not too many big changes from the previous year's model.
A lot of the time there are small changes, tweaks or additions, but generally nothing major unless it is a re-design or new engine.
The 2012 Subaru Forester sticks pretty much to this tradition with additions like the rear roof spoiler, added height adjuster for the passenger seat, turn signals on the outside heated mirrors and several other minor changes. After all, if something isn't broken why try to fix it.
However, there is one thing Subaru has changed in the Forester, something you won't see from day to day, but it could have a major impact on the vehicle as it gets a little older.
This year Subaru has changed the timing belt and put in a timing chain instead.
There are two ways to look at this.
The timing belt would normally have to be replaced at around 168,000 kilometres, which is a fair amount of road use. But considering Subaru owners usually have their vehicles for a long time this is something they would have to do as part of the regular maintenance, and it is not very expensive to replace.
With a timing chain, under regular usage, the chain should never have to be replaced.
So we have established that under normal use going from a belt to a chain may save you a few hundred dollars.
But if you look at this another way, the
difference can be much greater.
So I will use an example of what happened to me. My wife used to have a 16-year-old Plymouth Laser with a timing belt.
Driving home from work one day the car just stopped. I had no idea what had happened, but I was stuck at the side of the road not going anywhere. Luckily I was not far from home, so I just hoofed it the rest of
the way.
Upon having the vehicle towed to the mechanic I was told the timing belt had gone.
What this can result in is the pistons hitting against the valves, which means they would have to be replaced, and hopefully there is no damage to the pistons.
As I said earlier the belt may have cost a couple of hundred bucks to replace, and some may balk at that, but consider this, it was going to cost $3,500 to fix my wife's car
after the timing belt broke.
If there had been a timing chain we most likely would never have had this problem.
Even though it may seem like a small or cosmetic change to the Forester, it can make a huge difference down he road.
The 2012 Forester continues on the tradition of previous Foresters in that it carries its passengers in a comfortable cabin with plenty of leg and head room and offers good storage space in its hatch trunk and the all-wheel-drive (every Subaru comes with all-wheel-drive) will come in handy no matter what terrain you are driving on.
The two outer rear-seat passengers have a button on the side of their seats, which when pushed allow the seats to recline for more comfort on long drives, and the front part of the seat where the middle passenger would sit flips forward to reveal two cup holders.
There is also a fold-down armrest that is high enough to be at comfortable elbow height.
Some sit low and rest on the seat cushion and can be too low for your arm making them virtually useless.
Drop the back seats and the storage space becomes huge. There is also storage space under the floor if you want to hide anything.
On the road the Forester's ride is comfortable and generally quiet unless you really hammer it.
Handling is not bad for an SUV and the seats are at a nice height for entering and exiting without having to hold on to the door to help pull your self up.
Options in the Forester include windshield de-icer, satellite radio, Bluetooth controls on the steering wheel, USB and AUX jacks, heated seats, ABS, EBD, BA and a manumatic transmission so you can decide how and when to shift gears.
Although the changes to the Forester may not seem big, they could have a big effect on your wallet.
