CATEGORY WIN FOR NEW SUBARU FORESTER IN WOMEN’S COTY
The all-new Subaru Forester has scored a category win in the important 2013 Women’s Car of the Year awards. The competition, which sees members of the public as well as an established jury of female motoring journalists cast votes in various categories, sees the Forester bag its second category win, this time in the ‘Mom’s Taxi’ class.
Launched in South Africa in February this year, the new Forester has been making waves in the media thanks to its innovative engineering, efficient new engines, class-leading safety features, wide range of appeal, clever versatility and superior quality. The five-model-strong range sees a mix of normally-aspirated and turbocharged petrol Boxer® engines mated to a permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive™ system – two defining features of the Subaru brand – and a manual or Lineartronic™ CVT automatic transmission.
Highlighted features include the powered tail gate on selected models which features an adjustable height-memory function, a capacious 505-litre boot, excellent storage areas within the spacious cabin, roomy seating for five and a commanding driving position with exceptional all-round visibility – a feature upon which many women place a large amount of importance. The new Forester also boasts a phenomenal level of safety equipment, including Subaru’s Ring-Shaped Reinforcement™ structure, seven airbags including a driver’s knee airbag and five star safety ratings from ANCAP and Euro NCAP. The Forester was also awarded the Top Safety Pick+ award from American safety giant IIHS in 2013.
Along with prominent female motoring journalist judges – including Janine-Lee Gordon (Media 24), Mabuyane Kekana (Sunday Independent), Sukasha Singh (Mail & Guardian) and Charleen Clarke (Women on Wheels Editor and convenor of the Women’s Car of the Year competition), the 2013 rendition of the Women’s Car of the Year awards saw the judges and over 30 000 women cast their vote for their favourite cars.
Says Ashley Lazarus, Marketing Manager at Subaru Southern Africa: “The huge response to the 2013 Women’s COTY competition gives everyone a very good idea of what women want to drive. The new Subaru Forester has bagged this deserving win thanks to many exemplary facets of its design, packaging and safety – this achievement just goes to highlight its broad-based appeal even further.”
