Ever since New Coke, I’m leery whenever someone decides to "improve" something I like. So when Subaru said it was redesigning the Forester, I knew I had to drive it, but I was a bit afraid of finding out what had changed. The old car was a gem. I’ve rented one several times and it took me to many cross-country ski trails and races. The new model had a lot to live up to.
There are a total of 37 Top Safety Picks. 20 are SUVs, but only two other small SUVs — the Honda CR-V and Honda Element — rank that high. Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays recently reviewed the new Forester and came away impressed.
Usually when end-of-month incentives sales are announced, they come with some pretty inflated rhetoric: The Year-End Event, The Tent Sale to End All Others, The Event of a Lifetime (that’s our favorite), and so on. The hyperbole can get a little tiring.
Kudos to Subaru for avoiding that, calling its modest, 10-day incentives boost what it really is: kind of small or at least short. The Small Tent Big Event begins today, and until March 31 Subaru will offers customers 0.0% financing plus $1,500 cash back on the 2008 Outback, or 0.0% and $2,000 back on the outgoing 2008 Forester. Customers can also get 0.0% financing on a lease deal ($179 a month for 36 months) on the 2008 Impreza. The financing teamed with cash back is impressive, especially on these two models. The Forester is a Cars.com Best Bet and the Outback was our 2008 pick as Best Car for Weekend Athletes.
Subaru Small Tent Event (Subaru.com)
Last week Kelsey Mays delivered his first thoughts on the all-new 2009 Subaru Forester. For the most part, he was impressed. Today he’s put together a photo gallery from the test-drive event he attended. We’ll bring you his full review later this week. Until then, check out the 50-plus photos below. If you have any questions for Kelsey, leave them in the comments.
Despite being 6 years old, the outgoing Subaru Forester is still a Cars.com Best Bet. Naturally, we had high hopes for the redesigned model that debuted at January’s Detroit auto show. Subaru invited journalists to Southern California to put the SUV through its paces on- and off-road, and I can attest that the updates keep it as competitive as ever.
The engines — a regular or turbocharged four-cylinder — carry over with few changes. What’s improved is the highway experience: Efforts to quiet the cabin have paid off, and at 65 mph the Forester seems on par with most small SUVs for road and wind noise. That isn’t something I could say about the previous model.
Subaru says the vast majority of Forester buyers will get the non-turbo engine, and I can see why. Its 170 hp moves the SUV to highway speeds with acceptable oomph, especially with the smooth-shifting manual transmission. I actually preferred that engine’s gradual whine to the turbo’s choppy roar. The turbo engine’s extra grunt (224 hp worth) moves the Forester with authority, but its power comes and goes in patches. Prod the gas on the highway enough to prompt the automatic to downshift, and the SUV surges forward. Putter around town with anything short of concerted acceleration, and the extra power never feels apparent.
We first saw the all-new 2009 Subaru Forester last month at the Detroit auto show. Subaru has just released pricing for the new Forester, and the base model comes in $1,200 under the 2008 Forester’s base price.
Starting at $19,995 — not including a $665 destination charge — the 2009 Forester is larger than the outgoing model and has ditched its station wagon appearance for a more traditional crossover SUV look.
There are additional standard features on the 2009, including side curtain airbags and an electronic stability system. Sticking around are all-wheel drive and the turbocharged XT model. The base 2.5X ($19,995) comes with a manual transmission, while an automatic 2.5X starts at $21,195. Low-emission versions with Partial Zero Emission Vehicle status add $200 across the lineup.
The new Forester is expected to show up at dealerships in April. Keep reading for a full pricing breakdown.
Cars.com managing editor — and KickingTires’ own Suburban Dad — Patrick Olsen takes a close look at the completely redesigned Subaru Forester. There’s no longer any question the Forester is an SUV, not a wagon, but is that a good thing? Check out the video to find out.
Our Suburban Dad has already taken a gander at the 2009 Subaru Forester and decided the new design gives it a distinctly small-SUV feel, rather than its old large-station-wagon aura. Be sure to check out all the coverage over on the main Cars.com site, including the photo gallery with new live shots of the Forester.
It's gotten taller, a little fatter (at least to my eye) and a little roomier. Subaru's new version of the Forester shakes off the station wagon feel that it had and becomes more of a small SUV or crossover.
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