Now ask me what really ticks me off about the Forester. Ask anyone at the office and they will tell you: “Matt hates the 4-speed automatic transmission”. It works, yes, fine. But it only has four gears. In 2011, this is unacceptable. Unacceptable because the 'box drones on at 60 km/h in forth, revs at over 3,000 rpm at 110 km/h, must hold third (or second) until the cows come home when accelerating and all this negatively affects fuel economy (as tested: 13 L/100 km). Unacceptable also as Subaru has a perfectly good CVT up its sleeve. I say flush the 4-speed yesterday and give us the CVT.
The Forester's other saving grace is its potent 2.5L H4 Boxer engine. Putting out 170 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque, this motor's got the proper amount grunt to save the Subaru off the line. It'll run out of breath at higher rpm, which is what the 'box does as it falls short numerically in cogs.
With any Subaru, traction is never an issue. The famed Symmetrical AWD system never fails to get the vehicle moving. Be it wet, snow-covered or icy, the road surface condition will never beat the Forester unless you push it too far. You'll know when you've done so.
Despite all the previously noted positive attributes, all of which make to Forester a compelling product, I could never call one my own. I would say the same in the case of Honda's CR-V: neither does anything for me aesthetically. Let's not forget that Toyota's RAV4 is no handsome Prince Charming either...
And there's that 4-speed too.
Then there's the issue of price. At roughly $28k, the Forester is no bargain. Charging big supplements for AWD was once unobjectionable when Subaru was the only player in town. Now that every manufacturer can play the same cards, regardless of how good Suby's system is, it's not worth the premium. Same goes for the other Japanese. The Koreans have a good hand.
So there; I love it but I hate it more. My fingers have been crossed since November of 2010 and the advent of the Impreza Concept. Worse case scenario for Subaru is that I love the next Impreza and Forester but the buying public doesn't...
The Forester's other saving grace is its potent 2.5L H4 Boxer engine. Putting out 170 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque, this motor's got the proper amount grunt to save the Subaru off the line. It'll run out of breath at higher rpm, which is what the 'box does as it falls short numerically in cogs.
 |
| Putting out 170 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque, this motor's got the proper amount grunt to save the Subaru off the line. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
With any Subaru, traction is never an issue. The famed Symmetrical AWD system never fails to get the vehicle moving. Be it wet, snow-covered or icy, the road surface condition will never beat the Forester unless you push it too far. You'll know when you've done so.
Despite all the previously noted positive attributes, all of which make to Forester a compelling product, I could never call one my own. I would say the same in the case of Honda's CR-V: neither does anything for me aesthetically. Let's not forget that Toyota's RAV4 is no handsome Prince Charming either...
And there's that 4-speed too.
Then there's the issue of price. At roughly $28k, the Forester is no bargain. Charging big supplements for AWD was once unobjectionable when Subaru was the only player in town. Now that every manufacturer can play the same cards, regardless of how good Suby's system is, it's not worth the premium. Same goes for the other Japanese. The Koreans have a good hand.
So there; I love it but I hate it more. My fingers have been crossed since November of 2010 and the advent of the Impreza Concept. Worse case scenario for Subaru is that I love the next Impreza and Forester but the buying public doesn't...
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Convenience
2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Convenience
Article Gallery