2009 Subaru Forester Review

Specifications

When it comes to building cars, few companies stick to their guns more than Subaru. Excluding its fringe vehicles – domestic Kei cars and badge-engineered GM products – it’s always been horizontally-opposed engines, and symmetrical all wheel drive systems as far as I can remember, and despite the odd arrangement, it’s worked in their favor. Subaru doesn’t seem to care about passing trends or fads either, a character trait that continues forward with the new Forester. Practicality, visibility, drivability and fuel economy – these are the things that matter most, not racy styling or high-tech gadgets, and what the new Forester is built around. On the surface it may look like a completely changed vehicle, and for this eclectic Japanese brand it is totally new, with all the benefits that come from living with the old one, but it’s still a Subaru at it’s heart and therefore not all that different at its core.

It’s hard not to notice how much bigger the new Forester is than the outgoing one. It has a significantly wider footprint than the one it replaces, mostly due to a hefty increase in width. But its 1.8 inches of added width is paltry in comparison to the 2.7-inch gain in overall length, or extra height, which is up by a massive 4.3 inches. And here’s where things start to look like they’re going awry. The new Forester is most certainly bigger, but is bigger better? Nowadays, compact SUVs are trying to get smaller and sleeker in order to reduce their susceptibility to the anti-SUV brigade. Subaru, however, is moving in the opposite direction, which I find particularly odd because it’s been a consistent provider of SUV alternatives over the years. The icing on the cake being this model’s stature and styling, which is boxy instead of sleek like Saturn’s Vue or the latest CR-V. In fact, no offense to its design team, but at first glance I thought it was a Mitsubishi Outlander.

But sheetmetal has never been about flair or sex appeal to Subaru, SVX aside. No, it’s always been about functionality, a mere wrapper to the frame. In terms of proportions, it carries on where the old car left off, just on a larger scale, and while its overall shape is a little more generic, I prefer the wraparound treatment of the nose to the previous car that looked angular and a bit angry.

Instead of getting worked up over Subaru’s stance and styling, I can’t help but admire how much input the brand’s engineers had into making the car a whole better, and I’m talking about the things that aren’t necessarily obvious. Things like pulling the B-pillar back to improve over the shoulder visibility, or lowering the window line for the tailgate, which improves rearward visibility to such a dramatic degree that the need for parking sensors has been completely eliminated. One Subaru tradition, frameless door windows, has gone the way of the dodo. They didn’t add any positive benefit to me, and now that they’re gone the car rides along with reduced wind noise at speed. And so you see, when it comes down to the nuts and bolts, philosophically very little has actually changed.

The old Forester was built on the Impreza platform, and so too is the new one. Besides being stiffer to better ward off crashes, the Forester adopts the new double wishbone rear suspension setup, while the front MacPherson struts are now mounted directly to the unibody instead of on a separate subframe. The latter reduces weight by some 44 pounds and improves the Forester’s ability to absorb impact in a frontal crash, while the former offers up gains in everything from the cargo area (the distance between the wheel arches is greatly improved to nearly 3.6 feet, and cargo space itself is huge), as well as ride and handling. Subaru is owned by Fuji Heavy Industries, so you’d expect that win-win decisions like this are the only types that are made.


Minor tweaks in tuning aside, there aren’t any major changes under the hood. Your choice remains a 2.5-liter flat-four that puts its naturally aspirated or turbocharged power to the ground through all four wheels. I tested the non-turbo model, which makes 170 horsepower and equal amounts of torque, and when mated to the standard five-speed manual I found it to be more than adequate. It isn’t astonishingly quick off the line, but it’s swift enough to remain competitive and its free-revving characteristics make it a good match to its stick shift. While toned down, it still has that burbly, flat-four warble that’s completely unique to Subaru.

The five-speed manual is also unchanged and that means the usual Subaru imperfections; a rubbery, long throw, poorly defined gates and a mushy clutch. But let’s not be too harsh, as it’s still amazing that Subaru offers a manual at all; most of its mainstream rivals stopped offering manuals in their utes. It’s part of also what makes it so fun to drive. But, if you’re looking for a do-it-all sleeper, you’ll probably wish to get your straight-line thrills elsewhere. The 2.5 XT model with its 224 horsepower and 226 lb-ft of torque is only offered with the four-speed automatic, which blunts acceleration severely. You won’t be getting to 60 mph in less than six seconds anymore.

And speaking of the gearbox, shouldn’t Subaru be investing some more money into updating them? Four speeds are too few for something of this size and type, and it would certainly help fuel efficiency without resorting to extra-long gearing. A five-speeder, the one used in the Legacy, is on the way. As of right now, Subaru doesn’t have the production capacity to build more, so if you want something more efficient you’ll need to wait a bit. A funny aside – Subaru offers the Forester with a manually-operated low-range and self-leveling suspension for off-roading and towing in certain markets. In many ways, it’s really the ultimate off-roading Subaru.

That said, both the 2.5 and the 2.5 XT’s engines have been tuned for maximum efficiency, which have resulted in some pleasing fuel economy figures. I managed to extract 27 mpg in my usual driving route, which is really quite good for its class. According to the EPA, the Forester 2.5 X with a manual is rated at 20 mpg city and 27 highway.

I think the other part of what makes the Forester so good is that despite being bigger and more overtly crossover-like, the driving experience has pretty much remained the same. Sure, you sit 1.2 inches higher than before, but the seating position is much like a car. Of course, it helps that the entire dash assembly has been pulled directly from the Impreza. There’s also much more room in here than you’d expect to find, especially in the rear quarters. I was surprised that you can actually stretch out – even cross your legs – without brushing your shoes up against the front seatbacks. The rear seats also recline in a genuinely comfortable manner, and there’s a neat little fold-out table tray for drinks. Combined with its big, wide side windows, skinny pillars and panoramic sunroof that dwarfs most residential skylights, the Forester will keep all of its passengers in the best of moods on journeys.

Getting back to the whole engineering bit, the reason why Subaru has stuck hard and fast to its unconventional layout is because it really works. Flat fours have a low center of gravity, and combined with an even lower mounting location means that the Forester’s cornering abilities are better than ever, despite offering the most ground clearance in its class (there aren’t any skirts or aero spoilers to tear off either). Hit a corner at speed and yes, there’s lots of body roll, but it’s progressive – you’ll never topple one of these over, despite what the warning label on the sun visor might say. It settles in well, as if it’s riding in a groove in the road, gripping and holding on tightly. Truly, its capabilities are well beyond what I expected.

Even better is that it doesn’t come at the compromise of ride quality. Some small SUVs are harsh and choppy to provide good body control, but not the Subaru. Using generous wheel travel as an ally, its soft springs allowing it to deal very well on dirt roads, washboard gravel and at lower speeds. There’s never any heaving or pitching that you get from something designed specifically for urban areas. This approach also happens to work well in the city. Roads broken by frost, potholes or neglect, as well as railway track crossings are all absorbed by the suspension’s sponge-like qualities. This means that you’re able to drive out in the wild a little faster, while still remaining in perfect, comfortable control. It may not be an STI, but you can certainly feel that it’s got a bit of rally car in its blood.

As I mentioned, the interior is pretty much straight out of the new Impreza, and while it’s been a source of criticism in the compact segment, I think it suits the Forester well. Yes the plastics are a bit on the hard side, but in this segment few get the premium soft-touch stuff? In addition, the Forester feels strong and assembled well, and its layout is friendly and simple; storage space is also much improved, with many more cubbies and pockets to stow things like iPods and cell phones. The Premium’s “Premium Fabric” seats are well formed for the long haul; comfortable but very soft thanks to its memory foam cushions, and trimmed in a material that resembles a soft-shell jacket, the kind of outerwear a Forester driver is most likely to have in their closet. Limited models come blessed with leather-trimmed seats and xenon headlamps too, if you want more luxury. Nav and push-button start are available in Japan and Europe, but you won’t find them here anytime soon, due to the need to keep the final price out of BMW territory.

On this note, Subaru has slashed the asking price for the new Forester by a significant amount. Pricing starts at $19,995, which is $2,000 cheaper than last year’s model, and for a further twenty-five hundred you can have a 2.5 X Premium model, such as this, with the giant sunroof, alloy wheels, a 10-way powered driver’s seat, a wipe-down rubber cargo mat, and more. It’s especially good considering the amount of safety gear you get standard; front, side and curtain airbags, anti-whiplash head restraints, and the IIHS’ gold seal for class-leading crash performance. ABS brakes come as standard equipment too, but strangely VDC stability control, standard in other markets like Canada (the snow and ice might have something to do with this… but Michigan is a lot whiter than Vancouver mid-winter), is not available at all here in the US. Still, as a package, the new Forester is not only competitive, but for the most part it’s complete. Go for the L.L.Bean Edition, which gets leather, and the price climbs a bit to $25,995. Add turbo power and the Sport 2.5 XT goes for $26,195, while 2.5 XT Limited (with leather and a turbo as well) starts at $28,195.

Subaru buyers are a pretty loyal bunch to say the least, and they tend to really love their cars. I think that despite looking a bit different and being bigger, the Forester’s changes are for the better. The new vehicle is much improved without compromising its abilities. That’s what’s going to earn it respect with current owners, while its more spacious cabin, strong safety equipment and competitive pricing will lure in new buyers, which will help the brand grow. Management might have had an influence on Subaru’s decision making process for the new Forester, but it’s the engineers that have come out victorious, and I must say that it’s made for a great little SUV.

Specifications (Forester 2.5 X Premium):