Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Just picked up my white 09 Forester 2.5X w/ Premium Pkg !!!!
Two words: LOVE IT !!!
I traded in a 05 CR-V LX FWD for this. My gosh, how much I HATED driving around in that Honda. I previously had a 05 Forester that we had to trade away in order to make the payments for the family mini-van more reasonable (like Juice, I chose the Sienna btw). So I sorta inherited my wife's CR-V. What a sloppy handling wheel spinning piece of garbage that thing was. Mind you, I did apprecaite the 5spd tranny, and the AC was very powerful, but the actual driving experience of that car was absolutely miserable. If the road had any hint of moisture, those front wheels would spin out if you had to goose the pedal. Going from a dead stop into a turn and need to give it gas? *picture yourself stopped at a intersection with oncoming traffic moving in on you at 50mph, and you have to turn into it* Better give yourself plenty of time or start praying. And forget about ice or snow. We had a big ice storm a few years ago when I had both the V and the Forester. My Subie went right up the iced driveway no problems and parked her right in the garage. The Honda? Had to leave that at the bottom of the driveway and pray the plows didn't hit it. I couldn't even get it to drive up the grass.
Now, my 09? Handles like a dream. QUIET compared to both the Honda and the 05 Forester I gave up. Took it to work in the rain today. The road might as well have been bone dry - didn't have the hangups mentioned above. Just hit the gas and let the car do its thing. It never hesitated, complained, or made me feel unsafe. I SO missed my 05 this 09 is like a dream come true for me again.
Only negative I can find so far, I think they cheapened up the inside a smidge. The plastics and seat felt more substantial in my 05. Not that the materials feel CHEAP CHEAP, but they are just not what the older model had in it. However, I do like the dash much more then the old one. I'm jazzed about the sport shift. I think the vehicle LOOKS better by far then the old one. And I notice more available torque all over the band. So I'll take slightly cheaper interior for all the other positves.
First time buying a 1st model year car - I hope it doesn't bite me on the backside !!!
Jopopsy
So our driveways look identical (Forester & Sienna). They make quite a team. The Sienna can haul anything, and the Forester can go anywhere.
Glad to hear you like it so much more than the CR-V you traded. To be fair, the new CR-V is more refined as well.
My drive in '08 CR-V suggested it had nicer interior and more driver foot room, but little power and less compliant ride. Handling seemed ok though it was rainy night and I was being very careful.
I've tried hard acceleration several times on wet roads in the XT and there's hardly any wheelspin - the car just goes! That's a huge difference from the Saturn ION, Malibu Maxx and other 2-wheel drive cars I've driven/seen which all spin wheels if you try to quickly get going in rain.
Do you find them supportive enough for long trips? How do they compare to the 2005 Outback(leather seats)?
Thanks so much.
It was no match for my former Malibu Maxx LS, for which I could easily drive 2 hours before needing a short rest stop.
However, The '09 Forester XT I drive worked fine for a 300 mile trip. No discomfort after an hour or so at the wheel, though the seat cushions are a little short. Lumbar support proved better than the Maxx.
XT will get another shot at a long trip in about 2 weeks.
I do wish the passenger seat were an inch or two higher (a common complaint), but the seats themselves are just right, especially with perforated leather and heat combined.
I may try to find a way to modify the seat track and raise it an inch or so.
Subaru supposedly addressed the engine gasket issues around 2003.
Has anyone else self-installed the cargo nets on a 2009?
Do you just randomly drill holes in the general location of the net perimeter to screw in the anchors?
They went to a revised gasket material during the 2002 model year, as a running change.
The last generation Forester came out for MY2003 and did not show that pattern of problems, so I believe that issue is well behind them now - a whole generation later.
What exactly have you read and when was it written? As has been pointed out, the head gasket issue was addressed 6 years ago and that's the only "engine issue" that I'm aware of. I haven't seen much in the way of complaints since then.
-Frank
-Frank
Wheelbase, in. 106.9
Overall Length, in. 184.4
Overall Width, in. 71.9
Overall Height, in. 66.1
Curb Weight, lbs. 3715
Cargo Volume, cu. ft. 81.4
Highlander's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine produced 155 horsepower, while the 3.0 liter V6 generated 220 hp
Yes, pretty close to the '09 Forester (Highlander has more cargo space), and smaller than the current Outback.
We live in New England and have never had more competent vehicles for our Winters. We have a long driveway, about 100 ft., that rises to the street. Before our Subarus we had a hard time getting out to the street if there was more than a few inches of show. Now, we just drive right out to the street with no fanfare, even with 8" to 10". The AWD coupled with very good ground clearance makes for an excellent combination. I also have a 4WD truck (Tundra) and it sits most of the Winter. If there were 15" of snow I would take the truck but outside of that the Forester gets the call. The Forester is especially good with changing road conditions, snow, bear, then ice. It just takes it all in stride. No white-knuckle concerns.
My wife currently has a 2005 and she will be up next for a new vehicle. She will not consider anything other than another Forester. She has been very critical of every vehicle she has owned but never has complained about her Foresters. That tells me a lot about the overall value and performance, especially since she is a bean-counter and things tend to be only black or white.
I hope some of this is helpful, and good luck with your decision.
Briefly recapping, you get more cargo room, nicer trim, better sound system, and a Limited slip Diff in the '08 Outback. You get better fuel economy, responsiveness, at-limit handling, rear seat room, ease of entry/exit, and tighter turning radius in the '09 Forester.
Wrt reliability, I've owned many first year cars and the '09 Forester, though it has glitches (some rattles, a few recalls for early production XTs), has proven far better than others (Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Chevrolet).
If you go by Consumers Union, Subaru is not the best in reliability, but that appears due to pre-'03 models having some serious engine glitches. Their ratings suggest you'll get 5-6 years out of a Subaru before serious problems arise.
I expect to keep mine for 4-6 years.
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f139/09-forester-side-cargo-net-how-inst- all-40353/
You also must change the engine oil every 3750 miles. If you do not, Subaru will invalidate your engine warranty (their warning to me was ALL CAPS).
If possible you should drive both X and XT and see if the X's aspired engine has enough power for your needs.
I plan to take out the dome light and investigate, wanted to see if somebody has already gone down this path.
Thanks!
Debating getting the Satellite radio thing going in my new Forester. Dealer price for the Subaru branded unit is north of 300 beans (not sure about installation).
Has anybody tried a aftermarket unit that works w/ the stock Subaru head (no NAV)? Ideally I'd like something I can take in and out of the car so I can use it in more places, but I'm not sure you can buy something like that (at least, not with the head integration).
Anybody tackle this yet? I did a search but did not find much.
Thanks,
Jopopsy
Actually the Forester has only experienced two significant issues (head gaskets & wheel bearings) and then only from its introduction in 1998 to 2002. The 2003 redesign addressed both those issues and since then there have been no major mechanically issues.
-Frank
1. Seat tilts as it lifts, which gives very little support to thighs unless you are willing to put seat way back, which means your arms are straight.
2. Steering columm only tilts, which makes it harder to get comfortable,
3. Engine is more responsive off the line than the XT is (I think the rear gear ration is different), but runs out of steam quickly. I'd be uncomfortable trying to pass anyone in this car.
4. X leans more in turns than the XT does.
Also noticed the small bump harshness again (that went away in the XT once I replaced the Geolander tires with Nokians.).
No rattles, though.
They also asked if next time they could replace my license plate surrounds with _their_ dealership's surrounds (guess they need the advertising ?? )
Unfortunately they left some small scratches in the interior door frame (and apparently the touch-up peral white for the exterior doesn't work on the white inside of the doors - it comes off a different color).
I also noticed the same little creaks I occasionally hear in the XT also showing up in the X. They seem to be dash related.
Also noted that X had a problem with its fuel gauge; a full tank only made it read 7/8th full.
There's another one of those things that make little sense: the Foresters in Canada get tilt/telescope at every trim. I note from the US specs that not even X Limiteds get it.
Engine is more responsive off the line than the XT
Big part of that is the base compression ratio is lower for the turbo. Less oomph off the line inevitably follows until the turbo spools. It's not the gear ratios as they are the same until 4th according to Cars 101.
I'm assuming you had a lower trim level, as the power seat on the X Limited is identical to the XT L. That would probably account for the handling difference too, namely 16" tires on the X versus your lower profile 17"s. Suspension is identical for all trim levels, so tires are the only potential source of that difference. IF you'd driven the X Limited, it should have erased half of the differences.
What I was driving as loaner was an X-Premium. It had moonroof and reclining rear seats, but no power seat. The X-P's tires, Yoko Geolanders, appeared similar to what I used to have on my XT-L.
The X-P's acceleration felt linear. Not the XT-L, which got busy once the revs got into the low 2K's. Neither one, though, gave any noticeable tire spin when accelerating on our currently wet roads.
Some of the reviews are pretty detailed, and somewhere back there I've compared the '09 Forester to the '08 Outback XT, which I test drove at least 4 times and sorta liked, but became also-ran after 2 test drives in the '09 Forester XT.
-Frank
That said, I like the 09 Forester better than I thought I would. It's not as snazzy looking as perhaps the CR-V or the Outlander. But it is much more fun and easier to drive. I like the AWD much better than I had anticipated. I like wide expanse of the windows, the way the tires stick to the pavement while driving in the rain, the back seat configuration, the big 'trunk' area space, the way the interior lights go on when you close the passenger doors.
For awhile, I thought the lower front passenger seat was weird, but now we've adjusted all the seats in front. The stereo could be much better.
I had the Forester next to a CR-V in a parking lots recently and was surprised to compare that the Forester had much more 'trunk' area. I brought home an 8 ft ladder recently and had no problems fitting it in. :shades:
I keep wishing that General Motors had built a car like this with safety features, decent gas mileage, $10,000 cheaper than the Arcadia, and all the other 09 Forester features.
Yes, 2009 Subaru Forester is a very good car, I live in Quebec Canada and with the snow that we have here, it is a must. My wife has also a 2004 Subaru Impreza.
Have a nice day,
Excuse my english!
Well stated; I could not agree more. I mentioned to my wife that I am interested in a WRX or XT come our next Subaru go-round, but she just looked at me. You know, that look. I'm not sure it will happen....
Did most of that gain came from one model, the '09 Forester?
Check out Subaru's report/press release at http://www.subaru.com/common/news/article_details.jsp?cat=current&fileName=news2- 008.xml&date=20081103
Here's a similar report from the Lafayette, Indiana, newspaper (where Subaru has a plant)
http://www.jconline.com/article/20081103/NEWS09/81103035/-1/ARCHIVE
I wouldn't mind having that engine in my Outback 3.0R.
Bob
Better is a 2005 Ford Escape
Better is a 2007 Santa Fe
Better is a 2008 CRV