I know that the newly-redesigned Subaru Forester has been on the market for several months now and I was hoping that some in our little Car Talk community would be able to give their impressions of the new Sube. I am considering the Forester and the CRV. Thoughts?
The newest issue of Consumer Reports provides a very favorable report on it. I think it beats all the others in the small SUV category.
CR, which now considers the new Forester to be the top-rated small SUV, confirmed the impressions that I formed when I drove one a few months ago. It drives handles, rides, and accelerates very nicely. My one complaint was that the seats did not provide sufficient lumbar support, and that is a deal-killer for both me and for my friend who was shopping for the car. Also, the driver’s seat did not elevate enough for him, as he is short.
So, despite the fact that it seems to be a really nice vehicle, those two seat-related problems caused him to buy a RAV-4 instead. Besides better seats, the RAV also has the advantage of using a timing chain, whereas the Forester still relies on a timing belt.
As long as the seats are not an issue for you, I think that the Forester is a really well-designed vehicle, and it is also very reliable.
Agree with the above; the Forester is avery nice vehicle, but it is no longer small. Like the RAV4 and the Honda CRV, hey have all grown when they should have been shrinking in view of the rapidly rising gas prices. Gas mileage of any of these 3, especially the V6, is not great.
Another poster was impressed with his father’s Corolla gas mileage, and bought a V6 RAV4, which he now regrets, since the gas mileage is poor for a vehicle with that much interior space.
The small SUVs of the past are coming back; the Suzuki SX4 is what the Subaru Justy and Tercel SR5 were; samll, furgal SUVs that could go anywhere.