By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I read a newspaper article reporting about a rollover accident involving a Volvo XC90. Thanks to its rollover sensing system and curtain airbags covering all the three rows, no one was seriously injured, just a few scratches.
Had it not been for the curtain airbags, their heads might have been injured.
If you usually have more than three people in your vehicle, it's always better to have extra head protection.
-Frank
IRT AWD systems, Subaru’s full-time systems beat the RAV4’s part-time setup hands down. As to the differences between Subaru’s MT and AT versions, both do an excellent job but go about it differently. The AT system is more sophisticated but the MT one provides a constant 50/50 split and is a study in simplicity (less to go wrong).
-Frank
So, my XT is an automatic. Do I miss the power and control of the manual transmission? Sure, but I also appreciate the ease of the automatic.
Kevin
-Frank
I wholeheartedly agree that a great many people subject driving to a secondary or tertiary priority with respect to other activities like talking on a cell phone or watching their in-car video. I've also seen a great many considerate drivers who purposefully avoid those distractions until they've stopped their vehicles. It may only be that the disinterested drivers are more obvious, but there are certainly enough of them to notice.
Kevin
RAV4 looks nice, I checked one out the other day (Fitz in Gaithersburg has a Toyota dealer back-to-back with a Subaru dealer.
It's a lot roomier than before, and bigger than the Forester. Lows were poor visibility, the rear mouned spare only making it worse, and a gate that opens to block curb side loading at the grocery store or Costco.
I didn't get to drive it but the AWD is part-time and that's not ideal, they actually downgraded from the last generation. Interior has some cheap parts, but it's about par for the class. OK at $25k but not at the $33.4k Edmunds noted (as-tested).
Still, though, it's very competitive if you want something a little roomier than a Forester. I'll drive a V6 once they come out. Power/efficiency balance is impressive and there is a lot more room than Subaru offers.
-juice
Matt
Why don'cha take a test drive at the Subie dealer? Bring the bike along plus a blanket or bedsheet to put under it. Take a test drive, and if you still like the Forester, then ask the sales guy if you can see if the bike fits.
Am I the only one who thinks the Forester is a bit lacking in the interior layout? Everything seems decent but after looking at all the storage options in a CRV and RAV4 I start to look at the Forester pictures and scratch my head. I appreciate a clean design like the next person but it would be nice to be able to store a few CDs, my coffee, my cell phone, and an Altoids can for my drive to work. And that's not counting useless junk I'm sure I'll collect. Seems like Subaru doesn't think a driver needs stuff like that which is odd considering they do come standard with 6 disc cd players.
Yea, I'm being picky now but I'm driving myself crazy trying to decide.
It makes sense (to me at least). If the front wheels are getting power and provide the steering, those are the wheels you want to have the better grip on the road.
For my 04 Forester, it's in the owner's manual section on snow tires but not in the index.
Kevin
The ones without the 6 disc changer have a storage bin below the stereo head unit also, I believe.
It's a little tight, sure, but you probably won't find much more room in any other vehicle built on a compact frame, as they're not wide enough to house the cavernous storage bins you'll find in F-150s and the like.
The face lift will last only a year or two. In 2007, an all-new vehicle will bow with the corporate schnoz from the recently introduced B9 Tribeca SUV.
Does that mean the Forester is due to be cycled out or redone or replaced?
Yes after 8 years and a couple of facelifts of the current model, the next generation Forester should arrive in 2007 or 2008. No one knows yet what the new model will look like. There's speculation that it will get bigger like the new RAV4 but it's only speculation at this point.
-Frank
They can't be sure about the face, too, they are probably making a final decision on the design direction right around now.
-juice
-Frank
I'm thinking of a base Forester but one thing I'd like to upgrade is the stereo. I'm wondering if it's worth doing via the dealership or if I should investigate an aftermarket store like Tweeter or the like. I've never done an aftermarket stereo upgrade so I have no history on the places that do these changes and no knowledge if the Forester would present unique problems because of it's design or something. Basically, I don't know what I don't know.
Really? I didn't think it was all that noisy during my two test drives. I'll have to try another test drive and keep my ears out for that. I certainly don't like the idea of sound dampening materials in the doors.
I think I'll stop by a local store that does car stereo stuff and see what they say. The problem is that, since I have no experience with aftermarket stereo installs, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was afraid the guys would tell me everything would be easy in order to just try to make a sale. I don't think I'd want anything fancy, but maybe just a simple upgrade. If it was something complicated or pricey then I might consider the factory installed option.
-Frank
On the upside, however, the current model is proven to be very reliable and has all the bugs worked out; something the redesign might not accomplish until the second year.
Doug
Even the silver looks the same.
Hyundai seems to be making a practice of copying success stories.
John
They kept adding equipment, too. First cruise, then power mirrors, then an LSD, then bigger rims, then 2 odometers, then a 2nd sunglasses holder, then a turbo engine option, etc.
The list goes on, but I bought the best option for me available at the time, and that's what matters.
Sure, the new one is almost always better, but it also will cost more, and you might argue yours is a better value (relatively speaking) as long as it meets your needs.
Also consider this - I've had no car payment for 8.5 years. In fact it lasted long enough that I bought a second car ('93 Miata, used), and then saved up for a down payment on a beach condo!
I'll take that over a shiny new model any day.
-juice
-Frank
But I don't want to drive a vehicle the size of Godzilla, either, nor do I want the gas mileage associated with them. And it has to be relatively nimble.
The roomiest vehicle so far that meets this criteria is the Mazda5, but it lacks AWD.
I hope that Subaru offers the next Forester in tow lengths, I'd get the LWB version and I'm sure Frank would be shopping for the smaller one.
-juice
-Frank
It might actually make more sense to RENT a minivan once a year for a week, then drive something smaller the rest of the time.
As for packing light - now that we can leave all our stuff at the beach (since we now own a condo), that's much less of an issue. I have the wife down to just 9 suitcases.
Just kidding. She's down to 8.
-juice
Now that's stuffed to the gills with stuff bungy corded on the outside too.
John
Pete
BTW I regularly get 27-28 mpg per tank in my '03 with a combined 80%/20% highway/city. EPA ratings were 23/28 for my MT.
John
The epa even admits as much because they are changing the way they measure mpg by using real cars on real streets.
Matt
Adding sound damping material is either a labor intensive job that many owners won't want to tackle or an expensive one if you pay to have it done.
-Frank
HP: it won't go down, it's just using a different scale so the numbers will be adjusted up or down. But it's not making any more or less power, it's just measured differently.
Example - the Accord V6 went from 240hp to 244hp. Honda said the old one was actually making 234hp, so it gained +10hp compared to last year's engine, though on paper it only appeared to gain 4hp. In tests it has been quicker, so that confirms that the real gains were more than just 4 horses.
I bet the 173hp base engine is downrated, but I bet the 230hp turbo might even be uprated.
-juice
I hate to say it but one thing that really appeals to me is the mp3 player connection. It's stupid but when I see that in a new car I get interested. I assume you can add a new stereo to do this after but the wiring to your center console (for example) doesn't seem like an after market option.
You are right. In any event, the fact that I'm quite satisfied with my 2006 Forester is what counts, that and the fact that I will do my best to keep it in good condition; the fact that it may not look like the current models come MY08 really doesn't matter.
-Frank
* driving it is as fun as watching paint dry
* depreciation is a serious concern
* reliability scores that I've seen are Poor
* AWD is not full-time (may as well get a minivan, then)
I might actually consider a used one as a beater if they drop down to $10 grand in a year or two. But only with an extended warranty.
On 2nd thought, I've watched paint dry before, and I may have been unfair to Painters.
I prefer the Mazda5, it's a lot more fun, just no AWD. But it's closer to what I'd want.
-juice