2008 Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Subaru Forester

• Competes with: Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Saturn Vue
• Looks like: Subaru has gone the way of other SUVs
• Drivetrain: 2.5-liter four-cylinder, or turbocharged four-cylinder. automatic or manual transimssion
• Hits dealerships: Spring 2008

The all-new Subaru Forester is definitely a new look for the company. Out is the completely boxy – some would even say frumpy – look of the current model and in is a sleeker front end attached to an otherwise generic SUV body. Before, when looking at the Forester the term SUV didn’t always come to mind. This new look should correct that problem.

The new Forester has a longer wheelbase, all-new sheetmetal, 8.9 inches of ground clearance and a revised version of the current 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Subaru hasn’t said how much horsepower it produces but promises more power throughout the engine’s range. There will also be a Forester XT right from the start with a turbocharged version of the same engine. Details on horsepower will emerge closer to the Detroit auto show next month.

What we do know is that all trims of the 2009 will have a new interior, standard all-wheel drive, stability control, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS and side-curtain airbags.

No prices have been announced, but when the 2009 Forester arrives this spring we’d expect prices to remain close to the current range of $21,195 to $27,895. More photos below.

Comments

This new Forester reminds me of a Mitsu Outlander, but better looking. If I was in the market for a wagon I would definitely consider it, however I hope they bump the hp to make up for the additional weight of the awd system. I've noticed the Legacy wagons I've received through Hertz are underpowered.

good to know, Ian. our '04 Forester XS has an automatic; it really wants to keep the engine as long-lived as possible and refuses to rev or downshift, making it feel even more underpowered. sounds like the Legacy, since it has the same powertrain essentially, drives similarly...

hope the new Forester is slightly more fun to drive (although i guess one does have the choice of the legacy wagon which is supposed to be somewhat more sporty). otherwise the frumpy Forester has been great in Boston winters

Ugh... although I bemoan the passing of the blocky design, I must say the Forester's interior looks amazing... but then again, the entire thing looks awful in the blue/white exterior/interior color scheme.

Is it just me? It looks like a breed between the Impreza and the Tribeca.

I think this is unfortunate--I was hoping to recommend the Forester to my grandparents because it wasn't too big but wasn't too small, and had sufficient cargo space. Now that it's as big as their current Santa Fe, what's the point! Off my list...

To me it looks like Subaru has finally gotten a design where they wanted it. The B9 tanked, so they rushed yet another facelift out (Subaru= Facelifts R Us?) then redid the Imprezza in the 11th hour. If the B9's wacky features would have looked good on ANYTHING it would be a sporty entry level car. But the upmarket SUV was too radical, and the entry car was too conservative.

At least they got this one right.

don’t get veggie-burgers. If something didn’t actually die for my dinner, I reckon it should at least have been pretty severely inconvenienced. What’s more, a good burger is always bad for you (arterial distress on a sesame-seed bun). So it is with the Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sport Wagon