TheCarConnection.com's editors read all the competitive reviews on the new 2009 Subaru Forester to produce this conclusive review, and to give our recommendations on it. Editors at TheCarConnection.com also drove the car to provide you an expert opinion on it, and to help you understand why other car reviews might differ.
Likes:
Improved styling
Reduced interior noise
All-wheel drive
Carlike handling
Dislikes:
Still not a great-looking machine
No manual gearbox on turbo models
Only four speeds on automatic
Lots of silver plastic in the cabin
Subaru's Forester is one of the original crossover vehicles--as are all Subaru wagons. Derived in part from the Subaru Impreza, the Forester blends a useful, cargo-friendly body with standard all-wheel drive. It's a bit more prosaic than its competition. It's gotten better in this new edition, but the basic exterior and interior style are cautious updates of the previous edition.
The 2009 Subaru Forester comes in two editions: a normally aspirated four-cylinder engine puts out 170 horsepower, while XT models have a turbocharged four with 224 hp. A five-speed manual transmission complements the Forester's user-friendly handling, but an available four-speed automatic seems a little behind the times, even though it works well enough. Handling is a strong point, and fuel economy is good. For those who value stability over style, the Forester continues to be a good choice in crossovers.
The Bottom Line:
It's significantly improved this year, but the 2009 Subaru Forester remains a unique all-wheel-drive crossover with less power and fewer features, but better carlike handling, than its competition.
Other Choices
If you like the 2009 Subaru Forester, also consider:
Dodge Journey
Saturn Vue
Honda CR-V
Toyota RAV4
Reason why
The 2009 Dodge Journey crossover is in its first model year, and in its base form sports plenty of room, though its powertrain and interior quality leave much to be desired. Saturn's Vue was new in 2008 and is the handsomest crossover in this group, and offers a big V-6 for plenty of power. Honda's CR-V is the class leader in sales but was updated with a controversial front end recently. Toyota's RAV4 is the only vehicle in this group to offer a third-row seat; it also can be ordered with a V-6 engine.
Buying Tip
The less expensive versions of the Forester are a great bargain. While the L.L. Bean special editions can cost as much as $30,000, the base Forester with a manual transmission, air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, and a four-cylinder engine costs right around $20,000. Along with the base Dodge Journey, it's one of the best deals in the small crossover class.
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