I have a question about the 2010 Forester that I can?t seem to find an answer to. It?s related to the PZEV or low emission feature. Is it possible to purchase a new Forester in New York State without PZEV? I have read a number of owner comments that complain about this feature causing problems. The dealer sales person told me that this feature is not an option and I can only buy the car with PZEV. Is this true? What is PZEV anyway? Will it really help the environment? (If so, I will reconsider.) Does it cause problems?
Your opinions and suggestions are sought.
Thanks.
A PZEV is one of the tiers of vehicle cleanliness invented by the state of California. It means it’s a car that meets the Super Low Emissions Vehicle tailpipe standard, but also has special evaporative emissions equipment that make it so there’s zero gas vapor emissions. I suspect then that only difference between the PZEV version and the non-PZEV version of the Forrester is the more elaborate EVAP system.
I am pretty sure though that the states that have adopted the California emissions standards (including New York) do require them now, so yes you probably do need to get it. Part of the PZEV classification is that there has to be a very long warranty on the emissions equipment (something like 10 years/150,000 miles), so I really wouldn’t worry about it too much.
Yes, you are over-thinking this. Just check out local dealer new car inventory on line. If they have cars without PZEV, they you can buy them.
PZEV stands for “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle”, and it means that the vehicle will emit less than a non-PZEV vehicle.