The Subaru Forester finds itself matched up with heavy hitters like the Rav4 and the CRV which puts it smack in the highly competitive, but high demand compact SUV class. And in this class what do people care about? Style, comfort, space, amenities, and fuel economy. So let’s get behind the wheel and dive in.
Paolo is going to walk you through some of the meat and potatoes in a minute, but this is our first Subaru press loan so I want to walk you through some of the nuance since we haven’t been able to cover much background yet
So here in the US we have the Big 3: Ford, GM, and kinda now Stellantis, but over in Japan they have Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, and Subaru.
Subaru falls on the smaller side of these brands, but that doesnt mean they dont produce strong and compelling products.
Subaru’s brand identity, aside from being the dog lover brand is split into 2 categories which play into each other.
On the enthusiast side, Sub aru has a deep and rich world rally championship heritage. If your shrink said let’s play a word association game and then said “rally” you’d say WRX or STI
This legacy has been accomplished due to a lot of facets but more than anything else their symmetrical AWD system.
This brings us to the second category. Everyone wants an SUV and everyone wants AWD.
The beauty of Subaru is everything they sell has that symmetrical AWD system, even the base models.
And, since that AWD system is symmetrical that means it sends equal torque to the front and rear which means balance but also that’s exactly what a 4WD system does in your trucks and offroaders
So if you live anywhere you might have to deal with something other than sunshine and blue skies, Subaru should definitely be on your list.
This is the Forester Sport, but dont think that gets you a bigger engine. Every Forester gets the same 2.5L boxer 4 cylinder making 182 hp and 176 lbft and takes over 8 seconds to get to 60…so think of the Sport part of Forester Sport as an appearance package, but we’ll get to that
In terms of transmission, you have the brand standard CVT which is fine for the everyday person, but when you really look to test as we have, you start to notice some weird tuning at low speeds.
You also have paddle shifters which a lot of other brands use for their CVTs as well, but like…why?
And then from there your power goes evenly to all 4 wheels like Matt mentioned which is awesome here in WI in the winter and makes this Forester a great softroader
Now aside from a sporty body kit and the badge this really isnt sporty. It uses a fixed spring and damper setting which actually does a good job balancing the car between firm enough to put it through a corner and soft enough to be comfortable on bad pavement
As far as the general behind the wheel impressions, it’s nice. It’s relaxing to drive even if simply for the fact that it feels HUGE in here. The dash is low, the roof is high, and we’ll get into that when we talk interior so let’s meet up with Matt and go over some details.
Forester Exterior
- Looks cool
- Blue paint
- Orange accents – sport onlyl
- Wheels
- Roof rack
- Rear
- Towing 1500 lbs
Forester Interior
- This is the money maker, my favorite part of the car
- Lets start with the space – it’s SO roomy in here
- Now let’s talk personality – the gray cloth
- Seats
- Screens – 8 inch upgraded
- ACP AA, but talk about bluetooth issue
- Suabru Eyesight safety suite isn’t class leading but it’s alright
- The rear seats are very big and comfy
- The trunk is huge
Subaru Forester Final Thoughts
So after spending time with this Forester we’ve found that Subaru’s ads are some of the most honest and real out there. This forester, aside from the name, doesn’t pretend to be sporty, but it does have good space, comfort, and handles tough driving conditions really well
And while the Forester lacks some of the reliability of a Toyota, zip of a Honda, and refinement of a Mazda it starts at 26k which makes it one of the most affordable offerings in this class. As tested our Forester just topped 32k and at that price it would be a great adventure companion.