By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Safety is a big concern for new-car shoppers and modern safety technology such as automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert, lane keep assist and blind spot monitoring with cross traffic alert can be found as standard or optional equipment in virtually every car sold regardless of segment.

By David Finkelstein

Competing in the arena with compact sport utility vehicles is the two-row, five passenger imported 2016 Subaru Forester. Subaru Motors has raised the bar with their addition of new safety enhancements for this model year. It's referred to as their Subaru Starlink safety and security system.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

If we had to offer up an example of automotive technology trickle down we would use the 2016 Subaru Forester, one of the best small family crossovers on the market. It can be purchased with cutting-edge safety and convenience features generally not available in other mainstream vehicles at any price, and accessible only as expensive options in many higher cost cars and trucks.

By David Finkelstein

Subaru Motors introduced the newest generation of its WRX and WRX STI models in 2015. The sedan was featured with a newer styled body design including a significantly reworked underside chassis. This helped to set the stage in order to reach out to a broader customer base that welcomes a performance four door automobile.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The Outback, the best-selling Subaru through the first 11 months of 2014, debuted in 1994 as a derivative of the second-generation mid-sized Legacy, making Subaru one of the first automakers to turn the out-of-favor station wagon into an SUV of sorts adding side body cladding — a SUV styling statement of the '90s — and raising the suspension to go with its standard all-wheel drive format. Call it a crossover if you wish, but it has come to epitomize the rugged all-weather go-anywhere modern version of the station wagon.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Despite hints of futuristic styling with the Legacy Concept last year, Subaru took a more conservative approach with the design of the new-for-2015 Legacy mid-sized sedan. While styling tweaks have given the new car an updated look, it still carries a strong resemblance to the 2014 edition. Likewise, Subaru elected to retain the same two-engine alignment it has used for several years.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Soon after completing our first trip in a 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid crossover we headed straight for the press materials to discover why we were experiencing a noticeable difference in low-end performance compared to the standard gas engine version we tested last year.