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However, it's surprising there's so much disparity over the XT's auto trans. Nearly all the reviews [non-permissible content removed] over it being only 4 speed, then many go on to say it works ok. What they _don't_ mention is the autotrans torque converter's adjusting within each gear range, especially on cruise control to avoid gear changing on small hills.
Still, I wonder if Subaru will bow to the wind and put a 5AT into Forester for '10?
If it is any consolation I am also in New England and have not had any significant problem with it icing up to the point of it being no help.
See you there!
A wet floor will help things slip, but the tires would still be fighting the AWD system, especially the viscous coupling on a manual-equipped model. If the front wheel is fixed, and the rear wheels are forced to turn, something has to give.
I'd hand wash it anyway. :shades:
Out in the real world, i.e. on pavement, this is my favorite automatic transmission; best I have ever driven. Far better than Toyota's U151E 5 speed.
Shifts are quick, smooth, intuitive, responsive. I can't say enough nice things about it.
A CVT transmission? Have not a clue.
I'm telling you, Subaru 4EAT > Toyota's U151E 5 speed.
Tomorrow I'll drive to work with the rear windows open so the interior doesn't warm up. If doors are still buzzing when I get to work (3 miles) I'll have better idea what's going on.
Is it normal for a 09 forester and is it due to the difference of AWD and FWD?
Although what it really could use is a taller gear for hwy cruising, I bet if Subaru added a 5th gear in the middle (where none is needed) 90% of the people bashing the 4-AT would immediately become satisfied. I believe that's called the placebo effect :P
-Frank
At first my XT needed gas just to roll down a slight hill, and its mileage was not all that great at around 17 in town and 24 on the road. At just over 5000 miles, and with Nokian tires, it now rolls down the same hill w/o needing any throttle, and has improved its mileage by around 2 - 3 mpg.
Other possibilities are your parking brake is dragging, tire pressure is too low, etc.
However, an AWD car will never do as well wrt MPG as a similar FWD car, due to loss of power and additional frictions within the AWD mechanism.
-Frank
If I drive my '09 XT really hard (sports car style), which is rare, it'll lean. But in normal to moderate driving, including a very twisty mountain road, XT leaned far less than the '08 Outbacks or '04 Malibu Maxx I drove.
Then again, XT's nearly 9 inches off the ground.
better handling + better acceleration = more fun :shades:
If I need to accelerate hard in the XT (not often, but sometimes), it just goes. It does not spin tires, drift sideways, blow clouds of smoke, etc.
Also on rainy days, they'll be less of spinning driving wheels when you accelerate from a stop sign, on a hill, etc.
By comparison, my former Malibu Maxx, a (I am told) popular car down in Texas, loved to spin its tires whenever the road got marginal, giving me several nasty surprises.
better handling + better acceleration = more fun
Hmmmm, what a coincidence, that's exactly what I'm driving
0-60 in 5.3 secs.... YeeHaahhhh!!!!! :shades:
Does somebody have a trick?
Thanks, excuse my english,
Michel
Last March, dealer in Portland OR had only 2 out of around 20 Foresters they got; they got mine from trade with dealer 40 miles away (was the only white XT in Oregon at the time).
Now they have none.
Other dealers I searched in Portland have 1 or 2 XT's out of 30 - 40 Foresters in Inventory.
Perhaps now that CU and Motor Trend's top-rated XT, supplies are getting tight? :confuse:
I could have swore that there was some sort of stop sale on Turbo models when the model first came out. Don't quote me on this, because it might have been the WRX's that were issued but since the motors are the same maybe it got carried over to the Foresters?
Although with the thing racking up the kudos and ever increasing sales, it may be just be that they're selling as quickly as the plant can crank them out. :shades:
I don't know about Subarus specifically, but I suspect any automaker that wants to not have sales fall 30-50% is going to have to introduce some incentives very soon , if they haven't already.
The only problem is we don't have front plates in our state and the state we bought it in does. The dealer drilled holes right through the front bumper! I need to cover them up so I'm looking for a clean license plate 'delete' solution. I don't want to put a novelty plate on the front if I don't have to. Anybody have a good source for a small subtle black 'bar' plate that will just cover where the plate goes?
-Frank
Back in 2003 when I was looking at getting my XT, I also considered getting the WRX wagon but while it was a great ride, it didn't really meet my needs for a more versatile vehicle with lots of utility. Getting the XT version of the Forester was my compromise between functionality and fun
-Frank
The utility advantage you talk about of the F-XT over a WRX 5 door is minimal and was even less back in 03. Better ground clearance and slightly larger cargo area are all I can think of, and not once in 4 1/2 years has the WRX failed to perform in any situation it's been needed. The WRX wagon still offers terrific utility - in the past 2 months alone I've hauled 10x8' fence posts, two 5'x3' display cabinets, the two dogs multiple times (seats were down, but the two don't fit in the cargo area of the forester either) and hauled an old hot tub in my trailer to the city dump. In that last case, I did wish I had taken the truck instead because the last kilometre was severely rutted dirt and mud, but the WRX powered through with no complaint.
Either of the Forester or the WRX will meet my day to day needs so lucky me I get to let emotion decided here. I have the advantage of already owning a much larger family vehicle which is more capable in the cargo and off-road realms anyway and which is called to task in the limited cases in which that's needed. Even so, I can't think of a single situation where I left the WRX at home but would have taken a Forester. So for me, at this stage it's about staying with a car which is more fun to drive, or one which offers more refinement. Bolstering the WRX chances are the fact that I'll be leasing, and the payments are actually $70 lower per month for the WRX versus a Forester Limited and I get to keep using my current winters which have lots of life left in them.
However, $70/month less for the WRX certainly changes the equation unless higher insurance cost for the WRX eats the difference. Dop you have insurance quotes for each?
I got the perrin one. You can install it perrin side in, so it's just plain black. I put the perrin side out, even tho I don't have any perrin parts installed. Dumb, but I like the plate regardless. I did have to get some plastic plugs to put into the holes to install it correctly. But it looks nice.
aj
-Frank
BTW you got me to follow up on insurance costs and the WRX now is $25 per month more. Add in my estimated $25 more per month in gas and the TCOO becomes basically a dead heat.
I also wonder about the entry/exit for the back seat especially...how easy is it to get in and out without bending or straining too much? Been looking a this model and I'm thinking down the road a year or so.
Thx in advance for your input!
-Karen in AZ-
-Frank
Rear entry/exit's pretty easy. Plenty of room for the legs to slide past the seat; far better than the '08 Outback, the latter of which has virtually no toe space.
-Karen-
I've been reading that the double wishbone suspension in the new 09 Forester handles more 'sloppy' then the outgoing strut design. I took a 09 for a test drive and really couldn't tell a differance in the handling from my old 05.
Does anybody notice sloppier handling? Does the newer Forester handle more poorly then a CR-V? I always associated Subaru's with handling - this would be a first for me if the Honda does it better.
???
I haven't spent much time driving previous Forester models, nor the CR-V - but have owned/driven many performance cars/SUV's over the years. My opinion is that the 09 Forester handles quite well. Not a lot of body roll, etc. It especially handles solidly driving over the street speedbumps and storm grate dips near my house.
I would definitely not say it handles "sloppy"...in fact, if anything the response to
steering input is [almost] overly quick & precise. When I first bought mine, I had a mild complaint that the steering feel was too light and reactive. Then I learned the tire pressure had not been properly adjusted (they were running about 50 psi coming off the boat)...once the tires were properly inflated, it was much better.
So - no complaints from me in regards to 09 Forester handling.
I would just find some short screws to plug the holes - maybe some with a hex bolt pattern. It could even look good.
As for handling, within the norm of the compact SUV class, the Forester is not sloppy at all.
When you start comparing to a WRX, well, lower a Forester 3 inches and chop off some weight, and then you end up with...well, a WRX.