Subaru Forester named car of the year

NEW YORK – Motor Trend Magazine names the 2014 Subaru Forester the SUV of the year.

The publication credits its driving dynamics and off-road capability. Other contenders include the Acura MDX, Kia Sorento, Dodge Durango and Mitsubishi Outlander.

"It's important to understand that Motor Trend's SUV of the Year award program is not a straight ahead comparison test,” Edward Loh, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend said. “What we do is we survey all of the new or significantly updated Sport Utility vehicles that are available for the 2014 model year and this year there were 13 of them. And because they range from everything from luxury SUVs like a Range Rover Sport to economy crossovers like the Toyota Rav 4, we can't compare them directly against each other. What we do is we put them against our awards key 6 criteria which include value, safety, and fuel efficiency, advancement in design, engineering excellence, and performance of intended function."

The 2014 Subaru Foresters start at $24,000.