The top 6 safety features on a new Subaru Forester
Safety is a pillar of the Subaru brand and it wants to become as synonymous with the concept as Volvo is. Winning safety awards and achieving high-scores in crash tests has become fairly common for the brand, so it seems to be well on its way to this position.
The youngest car in its local line-up, the Forester, exemplifies Subaru safety. In the US it received the highest possible safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent organisation dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and damage from motor vehicle crashes.
In December 2019, the Forester achieved the following stellar scores in Euro NCAP tests: 97% for adult occupants, 91% for child occupants, 80% for vulnerable road users (people around the car) and 78% for safety assist (e.g. lane-keep assist).
Let’s take a look at the top 6 safety features that enable these achievements.
Related: Watch the review of the 2019 Subaru Forester here
1. EyeSight
Subaru worked for 20 years to develop the EyeSight image recognition system, to prevent collisions. It works by capturing 3D images through cameras behind the front windscreen.
These cameras monitor the road ahead, recognising potentially dangerous driving situations and assisting the driver to reduce the risk of forward collisions or avoid them completely.
The system detects the presence of pedestrians, cyclists, motor vehicles and other potential hazards up to 110m in front of it. If it identifies anything that might be of danger, it sounds a warning, urging the driver to reduce speed or step on the brake. If he or she does not react, EyeSight applies the brakes. It also has the following three functions:
Adaptive cruise control
It adjusts the speed of the Forester in in relation to the speed of the vehicle in front of it. This can make bumper-to-bumper driving in rush hour much more bearable.
Pre-collision throttle management
It reduces engine output to help reduce the severity of a collision.
Lane departure and sway warning
It monitors the vehicle’s position within road lane markings and sounds a warning to the driver if the vehicle sways within or moves out of its lane unintentionally.
2. Seven airbags
No matter which variant of the Forester you buy, it will be fitted with seven airbags. One of these is a knee airbag for the driver, because knees and legs are close to the steering column and dashboard, and therefore vulnerable in a crash.
Knee airbags deploy below the dashboard to prevent injury to front occupant’s legs and knees. It is common in collisions for a driver to have his leg(s) caught between seat and dashboard. This can cause acute injury and lead to paralysis or amputation. The kneecap is a delicate part of the body best preserved.
Related: We compared Subaru Outback engines, and the efficiency crown goes to…
3. Lower-positioned boxer engine
If a severe frontal collision occurs, the Boxer engine will slide below the cabin – not through it. Its rearward movement and contact with the road surface also absorb more impact energy, which contributes to the crumple zone action and further reduces the risk of injury.
4. Rear cross-traffic alert
Reversing into a busy street is one of the most stressful things motorists regularly face, particularly around dusk or dawn and when the sun is close to the horizon, turning cars into silhouettes. Luckily, there are eyes in the back of your (Forester’s) head to scan for vehicles behind you, approaching from the left or right. If it detects such an approaching vehicle, it will alert the driver with audible and visual warnings.
5. Reverse automatic braking
Humans are fallible creatures, so it’s not uncommon to hear of a driver who thought the transmission was in Drive, when it was actually in Reverse… Or the concrete structure behind you, in a poorly lit basement, could be hard to see while you’re reversing. If the Forester ‘realises’ the driver is about to plough into this obstacle, it will apply the brakes.
6. Outward visibility
Subaru is resisting the urge to have function follow form. What does that mean? Only that cars like the Toyota CH-R, FJ Cruiser and (new) Mazda3 hatchback have poor rear outward visibility, because attractive design trumped common sense. The Forester’s ‘greenhouse’ is of a simpler design, with an emphasis on good visibility all round.
This also makes it an excellent game-viewing vehicle and allow children and other short passengers to see the outside world.
Sources: Subaru.co.za, Euroncap.com, daseuropeanautohaus.com and IIHS.org
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