Subaru Takes New, Roomier Forester Out of the Box
November 18, 2008
The Subaru team assigned to come up with a new, improved Forester might have thought for a fleeting moment that the task was roughly like being told to rewrite Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.
After all, Subaru’s modestly sized 2008 station wagon — excuse us, crossover — was deemed “sensible, practical and affordable” by Consumer Reports, earning high marks for reliability from that bastion of bias-free evaluation. It also racked up a “Top Pick” designation from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
Well, the sequel is out. And while the basic Forester DNA remains intact — high seating, 2.5-liter Boxer engine and standard symmetrical all-wheel-drive — the third-generation Forester is bigger and … (OK, Subaru diehards, get a tight grip on your inner quirkiness…) a bit more stylish.
The Forester’s new shape isn’t just easier on the eyes. A stiffer platform stretches the wheelbase 3.6 inches to 103. Forester fans wanted more room, according to Subaru’s Dominick Infante, and the 2009 redesign provides more space for passengers and gear.
Flipping down the rear seats opens up 68.3 cubic feet; the 2008 offered 65. Cargo compartment access is easier, thanks to a more practical opening, as well as a larger rear window.
The driver and occupants generally have more room, as well. For instance, legroom for back-seaters now totals 38 inches, up a significant 4.3 (although the 41.6 inches up front offer a half-inch less legroom than the 2008). These dimensions are for the five-speed manual XT premium package for both years, without moonroof.
Front and rear headroom specs for the 2009 Forester are 41.6 and 40.4 inches, respectively, up from the previous generation’s 39.1/37. Ditto for the shoulder room, now 56.1/55.6 inches compared to 53.5/53.6 in the 2008.
The 2009 Forester has been prettied up, but the solid competence and practicality remain. You definitely feel the XT’s 54 extra horses, but the naturally aspirated 2.5X coupled with the five-speed manual seemed perfectly adequate. In fact, unless you regularly commute in congested urban areas, you may enjoy the connectedness of shifter and clutch pedal over the quaint four-speed automatic. A five-speed auto is sorely needed.
Lonely winding canyon roads and a brilliant Southern California morning compelled us to flirt with the Forester’s handling limits. After confirming that the Forester can be flung through corners at speeds north of prudent, we settled down and held our canyon-carving to 20 mph or so over the posted limit — because even the most gorgeous of days can be ruined by an ugly speeding ticket.
The 2.5X’s 2.5-liter horizontally opposed aluminum head/block four delivers 170 horses @ 6,000 rpm and 170 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm, thanks to a switch to dual mufflers and improved intake port design.
The turbocharged double-overhead cam four in the 2.5XT models produce 224 horsepower and 226 lb.-ft., thanks in part to a new intake and modified turbocharger and intercooler. Both engines have been tweaked to deliver a broader torque range. If you’re considering the turbo, you should know that Subaru recommends premium fuel.
The Forester represents good value. The base 2.5X with manual trans has an MSRP of $19,995 — $1,200 less than in 2008. The top-of-the line 2.5XT Limited is $28,195. Tack on $665 in destination charges.
With fuel costs now rivaling monthly payments in some scenarios, prospective buyers should know that the EPA’s city/highway ratings for the 2.5X Forester with five-speed manual are an estimated 20/26, while the 2.5XT’s with automatic are 19/24.
The 2008 2.5X was a tad better at 20/27, but that outgoing model had a curb weight of 3,140 pounds compared to the 2009’s 3300. Perhaps a modern five-speed automatic, as in Honda’s CR-V, would make the Forester peppier and less thirsty.
To show its prowess off the beaten path, Subaru arranged for journalists to explore beautiful Santa Catalina Island. When we managed to tear our eyes from the gorgeous vistas or take a break from looking out for the elusive and oh-so-cute Catalina Island fox, we confirmed that the new Forester can boldly go off-road as well as its predecessor. In fact, for 2009, manual transmission models come with Subaru’s Incline Start Assist, which can keep the Forester from sliding after a hard climb. In short, this baby can take out anything the normal driver or party animal is likely to throw its way.
Even Hemingway — an ambulance driver, war correspondent and avid outdoorsman — would no doubt approve.
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Wow, they didn’t tell me they were doing car columns. Cool.
Car columns, Art?
And Jeff Yip is a monster columnist at that.
But, Art, now that Joe Lieberman, never mind Joe Suixpack, is back in his saddle, may I call your exuberant attention to today’s Google News headline trumpeting the UN denunciation of Israeli embargos? or other Palestinian palookaisms as “anti-human rights”?
It’s a beginning, no?
And, unless Obama REALLY REALLY jogs further “right,” it may represent a modest beginning to tossing the gauntlet at the neo-Zionists, and me a “Chinese” “Jew” at that.
Meanwhile, how are all you “Vietnamese” capitalists doing?