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Comments
XT's have liquid filled engine mounts and more sound insulation than X's, so they tend to be a little quieter inside. But: XT's can have rattles in doors, headliner, rear seats, and rear cargo area. I drove one X whose center console squeaked and chirped over every bump.
The Forester will not get as good gas mileage. Most reports I've seen range around 22 in the city and 28 on the highway. The XT will get around 18 - 20 in the city and 27 or so on the highway.
As for 2010, rumors at this point say Forester may get CVT or possibly 5 speed Auto. XT might get the exhaust system enhancements the WRX got for 2009.
As Subaru couldn't sell XT's with 5-speed manuals previously (one reason why that option disappeared in 2009), I doubt we'll see an XT manual for 2010
on my 09 Forester X Premium.
After noticing (thanks to a heads up in this forum) that my Forester had
chipped paint in the rear fender areas (just in front of the rear wheels), I printed out
the TSB and made a service apptmnt at the dealership in Portland where I purchased the vehicle. The service mgr confirmed that I had paint chipping inside (but NOT outside!) the area of the larger clear plastic film fender protectors that were phased into production in Q1 2008, and requested warranty repair authorization from SOA. About 2 weeks later, the dealer had the auth and the repair
work was scheduled. It took 5 days to prep, repaint, dry, and install new, larger
plastic film protectors. The dealer gave me a loaner car at no charge for the week.
The repair work seems to have been done properly (ie the paint match is good and
the plastic film has no bubbles, etc).
Bottom Line: I wish it hadn't been necessary to have my brand new car in the body shop getting painted...and I maintain my reservations concerning the quality and
long term durability of the Forester's sheetmetal and paint finish. BUT - at least
Subaru recognized there was a problem, fixed it for future production, and stepped up and did what they could to make my early production vehicle right. I give them
praise for that, and barring any additional issues, my brand loyalty remains on
the plus side with Subaru.
What seems to work for me is (warning: this is suggestion only - am not responsible for any damage that may happen):
Open the glove box door and disconnect the damper on the right side of the door (illustrations are in manual)
Close the door a bit (but not completely) and then pull straight up and slightly back until the door's hinge clamps pop off their hinge rails. This popping off will be pretty abrupt.
You can access the cabin air filter by squeezing 4 tabs inward on the front of the filter's cover.
The filter will then slide straight out.
I cleaned mine with a trusty vacuum cleaner (it's only a pleated mesh screen).
Reverse steps to put everything back together.
Or you can ask your friendly service tech to show you how.
Ideally I'd like a Forester XT Premium with stick.
Any chance of this for 2010? Or anything beyond an X Premium with stick?
However, the year-long howl of enthusiasts may bring stick back for 2010 :shades:
There's the X-Limited, which has everything the XT has, minus fog lights and turbo.
Unfortunately, Subaru won't be putting the six-speed manual and CVT into the Impreza and Forester for 2010. Company officials tell us the switch might not come until those models get full redesigns.
Once you go Limited with Leather it switches to auto tranny. :-(
Looks like X-L equipment list changed (some time back it didn't have fog lights).
Good to know.
There was another comment on this or other Forester board about auto on headlights. A shame they are not standard on this vehicle -- they should be.
Problem is easy to forget to turn on headlamps at night because the daytime ones go on but they are pretty weak & you could drive some distance without realizing they are not one. That's not the problem though -- that means you rear lamps are not on either!
A full spare tire or a dummy???
Belt
A full spare tire or a dummy???
compact spare
The clunk is accompanied by a lurch in the driveline.
It's not the normal driveline lash, which is less obvious but can be felt when accelerating or deaccelerating.
I've noticed this happening intermittently on my '09 XT. Brakes are lightly applied when slowing down. Makes no difference whether trans is in Sport or Regular mode. Mileage is around 8000.
Arrrgh!!! Subaru, please put a CVT of 5sp AT in the Forester now! Maybe I am all wet (I live in WA after all) but it seems like that would be such a good edition for acceleration, MPG and relaxed cruising in the Forester. I am ready to buy an 09 Forester but I would be mighty disappointed -- make that upset -- if the 2010 or 2011 had the CVT or 5 spd. Please Subaru do it sooner than later!
Since my friendly service dept. wants $90 for this service I'm not sure how eager they'll be to show me so I'll be absolutely sure I won't break it - but I'll ask if I can ever get past the service advisors.
The 2010 Outback site also states that they are going away from the low profile 55 series tires to 60 series for a smoother ride. I am all for that as well as the tranny upgrades.
I really do like the 09 Forester, but depending upon the reviews of the new Outback there is a chance I could spring for that rather than the Forester. I will be particularly interested to see how they compare in the MPG realm.
After door's off the hinges, it's easy to remove the filter (just like the instruction manual shows).
As the filter's essentially a mesh screen, You can simply vacuum it clean with a soft bristle brush.
Perhaps soon Subaru, having announced '10 Legacy and Outback together, will drop the other shoe and let folks know what's in store for Forester in '10. :confuse:
Though as much as I whine about it, our 4 speed is smooth and responsive, so I have that aspect does not change.
Leather and a 5 speed can be had - just call Katskins. Frank did it to his XT several years ago. Ed did it to his also. Both are happy, too.
I may Katskins my Miata, though I want seat heaters too. Our Forester spoiled me a bit.
(ironically, same clunking happened in both my Ion and Maxx - Ion had 5sAT, Maxx 4sAT; perhaps gentle braking on slow down encourages that behavior? :confuse: ).
Lately I have been leaving AT in "sport"mode, which changes the shift points so the engine lugs less around town, and gears are held longer. Not sure what this will do to fuel economy, but it makes XT a little more responsive.
"Thank you for your recent e-mail to Subaru of America, Inc. We appreciate you taking the time to contact us.
At this time we have not been made aware of specifically what the 2010 Forester updates will be. Full specification information on the 2010 Forester will be offered in early summer.
We do appreciate that you brought this interest to our attention. I will pass on your comments regarding your preference for a 5 speed automatic transmission vehicle to Product Planning to consider when developing future models."
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.
Best wishes,
Kerry Ann Miller
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer/Dealer Services Department"
If, instead, your driving's Urban stop and go, many short trips, or in cold climates, you fall into the "extreme service" group and need to have the oil changed more frequently to prevent sludge buildup; At least every 5K miles. Turbos need it every 3K, BTW.
When your oil's completely black, that's a sign it's nearing or is at the end of its life.
It's black because it's full of oxidation, soot and other garbage it collects during its use within the engine.
Subaru is ___very touchy___ about oil changes; The recommendation I got from them was punctuated with CAPS !
If the dealer costs too much, you can have oil changed at an independent station provided you retain proof of service for showing Subaru should they later demand maintenance records.
After that he was harnessed or in a crate.
I like the idea others had of crating or harnessing your dog so he won't possibly get hurt.
being able to go all the way down. (and yes, this is very common in most sedans &
SUV's nowadays). So there really is no viable way to change that.
While we are talking about doors, I'd like to share something here I learned recently
while taking my '09 Foresters doors apart (to install aftermarket speakers). There have been numerous posts regarding a rattling noise from inside the front passenger
door, especially over bumps and when it is cold outside. The rattle has been attributed to loose wire-cabling, but what I found when I removed the front door
interior panel is that there is (for some reason I don't understand) a square
"waffle-holed" plastic piece that is inserted into an opening in the door frame sheet
metal. This plastic piece fits quite loosely (at least in my case) and is subject to
rattling around. What I did to fix this was apply some window putty around the
edges of the plastic piece. Voila - No more rattle.
Despite the complaints here about the cheap interior trim in the Forester, I gotta say, it's par for the class and I didn't find any similarly priced models that were significantly better.
The arm rests in the Forester are actually the softest, most plus you'll find in that class. The only competitor that even comes close is the CR-V, and that's only when it comes to the seat-mounted inboard arm rests. The rest are all thinly padded or just plain hard.
I also looked at things like headliners, and again almost all of them have peach-fuzz-on-cardboard cheap liners now. Probably to save on weight and cost, but I think there was perhaps a single exception for the entire class, so again this is par.
A-pillars are all hard plastic, and dashes are no longer padded. Across the board, pretty much. Even models like the Tiguan, which half heartedly try to appear upscale, have hard surfaces everywhere, especially on the lower half.
What else did I notice, besides elbow rests and A-pillars and headliners? Let me see...sun visors.
Same thing - cheap hard plastic is now class-standard. I can't even recall a single exception to that rule among compact SUVs. You had to step up to the Tribeca/Outback class to get padding and fabric covers for those.
I guess it was a good show because even as I walked around and checked out all the small crossovers again, I kept coming back to the Forester as my favorite. Ours belongs to my wife but I have to say I'd probably choose the Forester as well, only I'd opt for the 5 speed manual instead of her automatic.
No 2010s there, just 09s, so nothing new.
We did see the 2010 Legacy and Outback. They got much roomier back seats, a small dose of cost cutting, and should have lower starting prices when they launch this summer.
Sounds a lot like the 2009 Forester, no?
The CHECK ENGINE light comes on,
The VDC "off" light comes on,
The CRUISE control light will flash (Cruise is disabled).
Reconnecting the air mass sensor, all the lights went out after the engine had been shut down and restarted three times.
My service adviser tells me this is normal behavior during a CHECK ENGINE situation, and that, if the condition is then corrected, stop/restart engine three times will reset the system.
Replacing the filter was not quite as easy as the manual says. The stiffness of the air hoses makes the housing hard to move, unless you loosen the clamp of the hose attached to the air cleaner housing.
Looking closely at the older filter, the upward facing pleats had dirt forced through to the pleat's innermost surface. Downward facing pleats had much less dirt on them.
Are there more robust engine air filters for the Forester?
(Not the K & M stuff, though - my understanding is those let more dirt as well as more air into the engine.).
Lucien missed a vacuum hose on his intake once and the vehicle would not start up and then die after a while, with the same light.
OBDII regulations are strict...
That's one thing I miss about a 4-cyl Accord I used to have - the filter box was out in open, facing up, held together with four clips. Took about 15 seconds to change it, no tools. I also owned a 6-cyl Accord, but doing a filter change on that was a nightmare, worse than the Forester.
Looks like I've been getting about 1 mpg better mileage, guess I should change it more often.
The XT + 4EAT is much better in Sport mode. Smoother, and we actually get better gas mileage too! I have no complaints about the 4EAT. My previous car was an '04 4-Runner with a 5-speed auto. There's really no appreciable difference between 4 and 5 speed autos, (unless the 5th gear is taller, which it probably isn't).
Most cars I've driven with 5S AT's seem to use 5th gear as overdrive rather than changing all ratios to make better use of the extra gear. GM's Saturn ION, when switched from a 5S AT to a 4S AT, managed better mileage and performance.
The '09 XT varies its torque converter far more than most 4S AT's I've driven, which helps mask lack of the 5th gear. Only time I'd miss 5th would be driving at freeway speeds above 75 mph (rare in Oregon, commonplace in CA).
Meanwhile, what's with VW Tiguan? There's a CUV with a 6-speed auto that's not only slower than the XT, but uses more fuel !!
That was fine until the other day the gas cap broke and it wouldn't come off...it would just spin round and round. I had enough gas to get home and I ended up taking channel locks and breaking the outer part of the cap off (very easy to do) so I could get to the inner cap that actually seals the tank opening. That sufficed until I could get a new cap (which I'm still trying to get from the dealer...it is under warranty). On the same note, I bought a replacement cap (a Stant) from an auto parts store so I wouldn't have to fool with the idiot dealer, but it wouldn't screw down all the way to seal. It was the right part per their lookup, but it obviously wasn't the correct part for the car.