2014 Subaru Forester, Timgt5 test drives Subaru's Scrappy Little Mountain Goat

My first car review...


In the realm of automakers, Subaru has always been a quirky alternative to the traditional Japanese automakers such as Toyota and Honda, in the same way that Saab and Volvo were quirky alternatives to BMW, Mercedes and Audi. Having built a small but fiercely loyal fan base of Northeasterners with their rugged construction and tenacious winter defying all wheel drive, Subaru is looking to expand a bit more into the mainstream. In the last several years the brand has posted a steady rise in sales even when others have lost market share.

The redesigned 2014 Forester may be their most successful venture yet in that regards. The small crossover has already won the SUV of the year award from Motor Trend and is now Consumer Report’s top pick for small SUV/Crossover. Following its own path, it appears Subaru has arrived. I test drove a Subaru Forester XT as possible future replacement for my current wagon. So is all the good press to be believed? Read on…

Forester 2.0XT

Currently Design 2014
Class: Small Crossover
Competitors: Honda CRV, Toyota RAV, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Volkswagen Tiguan, Mazda CX5…

Highs: Loads of power (XT), very quick (XT), good body control, lots of room, standard AWD for bad weather, very quiet, easy ingress and egress, visibility, simple control layout, easy fold seats, 8.7 inches of ground clearance, near best in class off road talent.

Lows: Clunky telemetrics, XT touring is overpriced, dowdy interior, odd design, a bit overweight (XT) firm ride.

Models:

The Forester comes in two basic models, 2.5 and 2.0XT which designate their engines. Think of them as mild and mildly spicy respectively. The 2.5 is powered by Subaru’s tried and true 170HP boxer engine and is trimmed in Base, Premium, Limited and Touring. The 2.0XT is powered by a direct injected turbocharged 2.0 liter, putting out a stout 250 Horsepower and 258 foot lbs of torque. An even more powerful variant of this engine will go into the upcoming WRX. The 2.0XT comes in Premium and Touring. All Foresters as per Subaru practice come with standard All Wheel Drive, all but the base also have X Mode, Subaru’s name for a hill descent control system that mimics similar systems on Range Rovers and Jeeps, for additional security in light off-roading, a unique feature in this class. I drove an XT Touring.

Outside

From the outside the 2014 Forester looks similar to its predecessor. On closer examination one finds the side mirrors now mounted on the doors and the base of the windshield canted further forward than before. The front now wears the new corporate face. The 2.0XTs are distinguished from the 2.5 by a more aggressive lower valance that is reminiscent of a Colonial Viper from TV series Battlestar Galatica. The other standout feature is the 18 inch machine-finished wheels that come standard on the XT. The overall proportions are little strange, the closest resemblance in shape is the BMW X3, but in person though the Forester does actually look better than its pictures suggest. The panel fit is very tight, and the paint finish close to flawless, it may look a little weird but it is very well made.

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Inside

Some of those odd design choices on the outside start to pay dividends on the inside. For older folks or those who suffer from mobility issues, the Forester is one of the easiest vehicles to get into and out of possibly on the market. You neither have to climb up or bend down, just a slight step up and “scooch” into the seat. When you are ready to leave, open the door, turn around and you are on your feet, well done. Once inside you find a very open and airy space. Subaru moved the side mirrors to the doors and moved the base of the windshield about three inches, allowing a greater sense of space .Thanks to its large, squarish windows visibility all around is fantastic, again possibly a best on the market.

The driver’s seat is fairly wide and will accommodate a variety of shapes, although the XT could use some more bolstering considering its more sporting mission. Front seat leg room is good overall and the rear seat rivals larger vehicles. Even tall persons can ride in all positions in relative comfort.. With the seats upright you have what amounts to a 34 cubic foot trunk, slightly short of the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV. Flip the seats down (via two levers attached to the inside back pillars, and cargo space expands to 68 cubic feet, making it the best in class, again rivaling even larger crossovers. The seats fold almost completely flat(40/60 split) and because of the increased space between the back and front seats, the head rests can actually stay in place with seats down, making hauling large things very easy.

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Interior materials are also improved from prior generations. The dash top is “soft touch” and most surfaces are of good quality with consistent appearance. There are few cheap bits (as with all of its classmates) but they are carefully placed as to not be noticed by most people. The whole thing does look a bit austere though compared to other small SUVs/CUVs. Control layout is for the most part simple, with large well marked buttons for the climate control and radio. Where this falters a bit is on the touring model, while it has a wonderful Harmon Carden radio, the thing is packaged with a difficult to use and ugly telemetric screen. The Navigation system on the touring is also slow and outdated. If you can live without these things, get the lower trim (Premium). Subaru really needs to get another telemetrics supplier.

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There are some nice amenities available though, beyond the base model 2.5and you get the X mode standard along with an enormous sunroof. 10 way power seats are available on the premium trim and higher. A back up camera is standard on all but the lowest trim and a power rear hatch is available on higher end trims. Overall though I think Subaru is a bit stingy with the standard features, compared to its competition though in fairness the other vehicles in the class charge an extra 1-2000 dollars to get their optional all wheel drives.

On the Road

Performance

Each of the Forester’s models essentially represents one of two engines. The base 2.5 liter is a carryover from the previous generation. It is the same engine used in the base Outback wagon. It puts out 170HP and 170 ft lbs of torque. The boxer unit used torques a bit lower in rev band than most similar competitors. It runs 0 to 60 in the mid nines. This is roughly on par with most of its direct competitors, although quite a bit slower than the VW Tiquan and Mazda CX5 equipped with the similar size 2.5(in all fairness the Mazda 2.5 has very high compression and direct injection).

Off the line speed dramatically improves with the 2.0XT. This model has Subaru’s new direct injected and turbocharged mill and in this application puts out a strong 250 Horsepower with 258 ft lbs of torque at around 2000 RPM. In most instrumented tests that will translate to 0-60 in 6.1-6.3 seconds (depending on which car magazine you read) this performance is at the top of the class (now that Toyota has discontinued the V6 RAV). Power from the 2.0T engine flows effortlessly and there is very little “turbo lag” to bog down the car in hard starts. Being a boxer engine (as opposed to the normal “L” which everybody else but Porsche use) it is naturally smooth and vibration free, but it does make a somewhat funny noise (an inherent characteristic) upon acceleration.

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New to the Forester for this year is a CVT (continuously variable transmission) A CVT rather than using gears to allocate power, uses a belt system with infinite ratios. CVTs often can improve gas mileage and in some applications, performance. The CVT replaces the antiquated 4 speed affair Subaru used to use. The result is a significant increase in gas mileage. The CVT equipped Forester 2.5 models get up to 32 MPG on the highway, impressive for having standard all wheel drive. The 2.0XT rates 28 MPG, still not bad considering the extra weight and horsepower, both are very class competitive. A six speed manual is only available on the base model.

In the XT the CVT has three programmed shift modes. The default is “I” (intelligent) this somewhat retards throttle response to improve gas mileage. The real fun starts once you put the transmission in “sport” via a button on the steering wheel. Sport allows freer revving and runs through a simulated six speed shifting program, which it can do on its own or you can control via a set of “flappy paddles” mounted on the steering wheel. Sport Sharp the program remaps to a simulated eight speeds. This is a rather unique and sophisticated take on CVTs and it worked astoundingly well. Sport is the best all around mode to drive in as “sharp” is a bit too “busy” feeling.

Ride and Handling

The Forester for 2014 has been firmed up a bit compared to its predecessor. It’s formerly pillow soft ride traded for more precise steering and better cornering. The XT which previously was just an engine upgrade now includes a suite of suspension and tire enhancements over the 2.5 as well. Over the road the XT is well planted, and there is a slight underlying jitter, but bumps are nicely deflected. On the interstate the XT is fairly quiet suppressing wind noise and tire rumble fairly well. The electric assist steering is precise and easy to use, though a bit numb on center (which tends to be characteristic of such units) Turning radius is fairly good for a small crossover, so maneuvering around the Costco parking lot should be a breeze. The XT can corner hard, thanks to all wheel drive and stiffer suspension, though some might find this set up a bit too firm, as an enthusiast I think it is a well balanced compromise.

I also think more of its potential could be extracted with an upgraded brand of tire (this too tends to the case with all reasonably priced cars) unfortunately all of these enhancements do not disguise the fact that the XT is fairly heavy. At 3,600 lbs the XT actually weighs more than my mother in law’s 1998 Toyota 4 Runner, which is built on a truck frame. As a result both the Mazda CX5 (I will be test driving one of those as well) and RAV 4 are quicker to change direction and are more agile. So in terms of handling would consider the XT to be very secure and competent overall but not really very sporting.

When it comes to off road the Subaru is more capable than most of its competitors. Although most buyers never see anything tougher than a gravel driveway, it’s nice to know that the Forester will make it through conditions that others in its class will not, even when they are equipped with their respective optional all wheel drive systems. The salesman was not about to let me take his optioned up 35K crossover to a trail but below is some footage of the Subaru on various off road situations. Of its classmates only the new Jeep Cherokee (when optioned up properly) has more ability in the rough stuff.



Safety:

The Forester comes with the usual assortment of multiple airbags, front, side, rear curtain and a knee bag (this is actually a much underrated feature). The usual suite of ABS, traction and stability control are also standard. All wheel drive is standard across the line for that extra measure of safety in bad weather. The Forester scored high marks in all of the crash tests, and was the first small crossover to ace the new offset crash test on the first try. Optional on the higher trims is something Subaru dubs as “Eyesight” a camera based safety system that includes lane departure warning, collision mitigation, and smart cruise control. It is a rather expense option though, but something to consider especially for older folks who struggle with driving.

Value:

The Forester is a mixed bag in this regard. The base price of 22 grand is competitive and falls in the same range as the entry prices of most competitors. The Subaru has standard all wheel drive, a feature others charge 1-2000 dollars extra to get on their vehicles. Move up from the base and you get X mode, a panoramic sunroof, a back-up camera and an upgraded radio. The top touring gets leather, an eight speaker Harmon Carden stereo with MP3jack, Bluetooth, dual zone climate control, navigation etc… The problem is that once you hit the Touring model you are dangerously close to being able to buy bigger and nicer vehicles. The XT does punch above its class in terms of performance, but for a couple of grand more I could get a base model Audi Q5 or a two year old Acura MDX, so if decide to get the XT Touring it is likely I will buy a used one. If you can forgo some of the gadgets, the XT Premium at 28K hits a sweet spot of getting the outstanding performance for an reasonable price, but you do forgo some "goodies".

In Summary:

Subaru did a very good job on the 2014 redesign of the Forester. Get past the odd looks, dowdy interior, and clumsy telemetrics and the Forester has a lot going for it. The standard full time AWD is a plus for those who see a lot of the white stuff on the ground or like to go camping off the beaten path. The Forester packs a lot of practicality and room into a small foot print and the XT has that extra dollop of performance that is a rarity in this class. If you are shopping for a crossover the Forester should definitely be on your list. I am not quite sold yet though, as my next drive will be Mazda’s sporty CX5, I will post a review of that one as well.

*** I would love to get some feedback on this review, was it informative, well written? I hope I did not bore anyone to death here.

Bored? No. impressive, yes.

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This was well written, thank you! I am in the process of trying to decide about what to trade mine in for and this is in of the class of possibilities. I especially need AWD and cargo space. I was surprised at some of the features this offers as standard features that I will actually considered test driving it now; it might be a real contender.

Very informative and well-written car review Timgt5 ~ thank you!

I hope that this review helps you as well, to look back upon, when you're making a final decision in which car is right for you too!

I like the outlander.

Good thinking Shezbut, the review I posted comes from notes I took during research and after my test drive, I kept a copy for future review.

If you are considering small crossovers the Forester is definitely worth a look and a test drive. This class of vehicle has really blossomed over the last couple of years with more upscale features, performance and room so there are a lot of good choices in the market.

I am also looking at the Hyundai Sante Fe 2.0T Sport and the Mazda CX5 Touring as well, I will post my thoughts on these as well when I get the chance to test drive them.

My folks have a full-sized Sante Fe and am very impressed with it, except the price; especially how it handles on the winter roads that I will definitely be looking at the Sport. I had not considered the Mazda CX5 Touring but will put it on my radar. I would love to know what you think if you have a chance. Happy touring!

I hope it's a good car because I'm getting one at work for my work car. I know it has to have 4wd because of the places I go when I'm working.