DRIVING
42 April 2019 _ PopularMechanics.comThe Subscribeable Wagon
You can pay for the 2019 Volvo V60 like
Netflix. But maybe just buy it.VOLVO IS SETTING itself up as a pioneer in the vehicle -subscrip-
tion business, offering cars like the V60 for a flat monthly fee
that includes everything—maintenance, insurance, wear-and-tear
items, and a new car every 12 months. However—crazy old-fashioned-
idea alert!—you could also actually buy a V60, since it is the sort of car
you’d want to hold on to for a while. I’d go with the base Momentum
model, since that’s the only one that offers the “Blond City Weave Textile upholstery,” a.k.a.
excellent plaid cloth seats. The V60 also comes with Pilot Assist, which can handle speed
control and help out with steering, even in stop-and-go traffic. I got to try it out when
I inadvertently got stuck in the tail end of a parade, and I can confirm that Pilot Assist
really takes the stress out of parades. While the all-wheel-drive versions of the V60 have a
healthy amount of power (316 horsepower from the turbo- and supercharged 2.0-liter four-
cylinder), this isn’t really a sport wagon in the idiom of the old R models. It’s more like a
scaled-down V90, which is to say, a beautifully designed family car that looks more expen-
sive than it is. Whether you keep it for 12 months or forever.New, and Normal
The 2019 Forester is a
Subaru for the mainstream.I STILL HAVE fond memories of a
Subaru Forester in which I took a road
trip perhaps 15 years ago. It had a turbo-
charged f lat four, a manual transmission,
and a yawning hood scoop. It was hilarious
to dust sports cars off the line with that
upright family wagon. Over the years, the
Forester (and Subarus in general) shed some
weirdness in pursuit of broader appeal.
Which must have worked, because Subaru is
on a sales streak that’s seen it move into sev-
enth place on the U.S. sales charts, ahead of
companies like Hyundai and Volkswagen.
So maybe it’s not surprising that the
new Forester ditches both
the manual transmission
and the turbo, which are
weirdo enthusiast items
for a car of this ilk. It gains
standard EyeSight driver
assistance, which uses
stereo cameras to enable
features like automatic
braking. The Forester alsodebuts DriverFocus, which is like Cadil-
lac’s Super Cruise in that it stares back at
you to make sure you’re paying attention,
but unlike the Caddy system, DriverFocus
scans your face and can remember up to
five people, even setting the seat and mir-
rors to your liking when it recognizes you.
Awesome! Disturbing!
Aside from that, the Forester is a little
bigger, a little more powerful (than the old
non-turbo, anyway), and easier to live with—
the rear doors open about 90 degrees,
handy if you’re dealing with a
baby seat or dogs. As for us
enthusiast weirdos, we
still have the WR X.All my life was prologue
to finally getting my license,
and in the months leading
up to that trip to the DMV,
someone in my family,
Iforget who, bought me
a pair of driving gloves.
I figure they saw how much
time I’d spent reading car
magazines and playing
Gran Turismo 2, and cor-
rectly understood that my
hands needed to stay warm
and grippy while piloting
my mom’s Volvo sedan to
the hookah bar that didn’t
check ID. To the friends
who saw my actual gloves
in the glove box: You were
right to call me out. If,
however, you drive some-
thing with a wood steering
wheel, we like the Auto-
dromo Stringback gloves,
which look less chauffeur
and more Paul Newman.
—Alexander GeorgeDRIVING GLOVES: WHY?
Base price: $25,270
Sport trim: Black wheels
and orange accents inside
and out. But no more
power.
AWD system: Delivers
enough traction that we
were able to claw up a
banking with only three
tires touching the groundBase price: $38,900
(or around $750 a
month)
Cross-country
version: 8.3 inches of
ground clearance—
respectable!
Twin-engine hybrid:
Not available in the
U.S. That’s okay!