2019 Subaru Forester Review - Doubling Down On Safety and Value
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Date: 2019-05-30
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Comments and reviews: 10
Alex Lawrence
Yesterday I borrowed my moms 2018 XT and drove it to the local Subaru dealer to test drive a Forester Sport, I figured I could have a good look at the chassis differences and weather or not a new NA power plant could have enough power. I was pleasantly surprised, I thought the FB25 in the new forester had plenty of power, I drove around town and did some highway driving to further compare it to the 2018 XT. What I found is the forester sport has enough power to pass at 80 mph, gets significantly better mileage and doesnt slurp the pricey premium gas. The latter of which is very important to me, I can fill up my 94 f350 power stroke (2wd) for about as much as a tank of premium for the Forster xt and go almost the same distance as the XT. So as a money saver the XT is definitely out (the dealer I visited has 2 18 XTs just sitting on the lot, said they didnt sell many of them. Is the XT more fun to drive? definitely yes, that thing has some serious go. But compared to my old ford or mid 2000s Malibu the forester sports acceleration would be a vast improvement for me. As far as cornering goes I threw the XT, Sport, and New Crosstrek into the same left handed 90 degree turn at about 40 mph, the XT more body roll, sport flatter corner when pushed to tires squealing. The crosstrek was better than both it didnt even squeal the tires at that speed but obviously it is shorter and lighter than either of the foresters. For me with saving in mind I would actually purchase the Forester Sport, if I want a fun manual car I can have both because a first gen Miatas are dirt cheap and absolutely a blast to mess around in. Just my two cents
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Yesterday I borrowed my moms 2018 XT and drove it to the local Subaru dealer to test drive a Forester Sport, I figured I could have a good look at the chassis differences and weather or not a new NA power plant could have enough power. I was pleasantly surprised, I thought the FB25 in the new forester had plenty of power, I drove around town and did some highway driving to further compare it to the 2018 XT. What I found is the forester sport has enough power to pass at 80 mph, gets significantly better mileage and doesnt slurp the pricey premium gas. The latter of which is very important to me, I can fill up my 94 f350 power stroke (2wd) for about as much as a tank of premium for the Forster xt and go almost the same distance as the XT. So as a money saver the XT is definitely out (the dealer I visited has 2 18 XTs just sitting on the lot, said they didnt sell many of them. Is the XT more fun to drive? definitely yes, that thing has some serious go. But compared to my old ford or mid 2000s Malibu the forester sports acceleration would be a vast improvement for me. As far as cornering goes I threw the XT, Sport, and New Crosstrek into the same left handed 90 degree turn at about 40 mph, the XT more body roll, sport flatter corner when pushed to tires squealing. The crosstrek was better than both it didnt even squeal the tires at that speed but obviously it is shorter and lighter than either of the foresters. For me with saving in mind I would actually purchase the Forester Sport, if I want a fun manual car I can have both because a first gen Miatas are dirt cheap and absolutely a blast to mess around in. Just my two cents
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Jolyon Direnko-Smith
Took the 2019 for a test drive recently and loved it. Except. Im 62 (188/189cm) and with the driver seat adjusted comfortably the rear view mirror could not physically be angled high enough to get a clear view out of the rear window, leaving me with a mirror half full of the top of the rear seats. Even more annoying, the sensor pod containing the cameras for the face recognition completely obscured the entire top 1-1. 5cm of the centre display module, meaning I could not see the clock or the aircon settings without scrunching down in the seat uncomfortably or dipping my head down awkwardly. The only way to get rear mirror visibility and a clear view of that centre display was to lower the seat to the stops, right down as low as it would go. Subaru seem to have forgotten about taller drivers in this car, which is a shame because I really liked it, but those seemingly small problems are the sort of thing that would drive me to distraction and constantly infuriate and frustrate. Hence - no sale. :(
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Took the 2019 for a test drive recently and loved it. Except. Im 62 (188/189cm) and with the driver seat adjusted comfortably the rear view mirror could not physically be angled high enough to get a clear view out of the rear window, leaving me with a mirror half full of the top of the rear seats. Even more annoying, the sensor pod containing the cameras for the face recognition completely obscured the entire top 1-1. 5cm of the centre display module, meaning I could not see the clock or the aircon settings without scrunching down in the seat uncomfortably or dipping my head down awkwardly. The only way to get rear mirror visibility and a clear view of that centre display was to lower the seat to the stops, right down as low as it would go. Subaru seem to have forgotten about taller drivers in this car, which is a shame because I really liked it, but those seemingly small problems are the sort of thing that would drive me to distraction and constantly infuriate and frustrate. Hence - no sale. :(
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julheb
WoW, you guys must have 160 IQ and be some genius. I had not thought about all those obscur things you all talk about. You must all be PhD in philosophy or something like that. I. m being sarcastic if you cant tell. On the other hand, I only have 10 years of university under my belt and Dr before my name. I was just asking a simple question to get the discussion going and see what was the different opinions on the matter. Of course, everyone can have diffrents criteria but It can be usefully nonetheless to see the range of opinions out there before I make my opinion weighting the pros and cons of each option in the light of my own judgement. And before you criticize my english, try to write in your third language before you do please because thats what I am doing right now.
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WoW, you guys must have 160 IQ and be some genius. I had not thought about all those obscur things you all talk about. You must all be PhD in philosophy or something like that. I. m being sarcastic if you cant tell. On the other hand, I only have 10 years of university under my belt and Dr before my name. I was just asking a simple question to get the discussion going and see what was the different opinions on the matter. Of course, everyone can have diffrents criteria but It can be usefully nonetheless to see the range of opinions out there before I make my opinion weighting the pros and cons of each option in the light of my own judgement. And before you criticize my english, try to write in your third language before you do please because thats what I am doing right now.
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bigbangnone
Guess what I found out about the 2019 Forester. other than it is dangerous to gas it up at Costco If recline the front seat back far enough to relax and wait for your wife/mistress to finish shopping at Victoria Secret, you will find that you are trying to relax on stairs Yes, Subaru engineer did a major FUBAR on this one The hinge point in the front seat is not at the corner between the base seat and back part of the front seats. the hinge point is raised high on the back of the seat - so when you recline, there is a sharp step that is as high as a stair step and it digs into your back, and is very painful. When I told the Subaru dealer about this. He said. Just get yourself a big cushion. This was the final straw. I dont live in the snow or mud anyway.
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Guess what I found out about the 2019 Forester. other than it is dangerous to gas it up at Costco If recline the front seat back far enough to relax and wait for your wife/mistress to finish shopping at Victoria Secret, you will find that you are trying to relax on stairs Yes, Subaru engineer did a major FUBAR on this one The hinge point in the front seat is not at the corner between the base seat and back part of the front seats. the hinge point is raised high on the back of the seat - so when you recline, there is a sharp step that is as high as a stair step and it digs into your back, and is very painful. When I told the Subaru dealer about this. He said. Just get yourself a big cushion. This was the final straw. I dont live in the snow or mud anyway.
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OPA Extreme
car and driver says its mid 8s for 0-60. how do you do your test compared to them? and if power is consideration, I guess i should use the same reviewer for that specific criteria, so I can judge the power apple to apples, as I may think one car is slower than an other, where in reality, due to different test method, it may not be true. Feed back. you say almost 10 sec. to 60, what where your results for the newest rogue, newest rav 4, and the 2017 Forester? we need to decide and buy a vehicle by tomorrow, and my GF has less patients for these things and I am trying to help he decide, as Ill be driving it p/t too. if really is over 9 sec. and most competitor models are under 9, it makes a difference. for safety, passing power.
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car and driver says its mid 8s for 0-60. how do you do your test compared to them? and if power is consideration, I guess i should use the same reviewer for that specific criteria, so I can judge the power apple to apples, as I may think one car is slower than an other, where in reality, due to different test method, it may not be true. Feed back. you say almost 10 sec. to 60, what where your results for the newest rogue, newest rav 4, and the 2017 Forester? we need to decide and buy a vehicle by tomorrow, and my GF has less patients for these things and I am trying to help he decide, as Ill be driving it p/t too. if really is over 9 sec. and most competitor models are under 9, it makes a difference. for safety, passing power.
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Bowling Brawn
I test drove one of these recently and I found the following issues, and was wondering if anyone else noticed the same: 1. At higher freeway speeds (70-80mph) this vehicle seemed very unstable. The car felt as if it was going to lose control if I wasnt holding on to the steering wheel firmly. It was windy today too, but I test drove two other SUVs today (Mazda CX-5 & Cadillac XT5) in the same conditions and on the same stretch of freeway, and did not have that problem. 2. The engine noise definitely makes its way into the cabin. I did not enjoy listening to the boxer engine growl when starting up from a full stop. 3. The rear seat cushions seem to be sub standard. They did not provide much cushion or thigh support.
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I test drove one of these recently and I found the following issues, and was wondering if anyone else noticed the same: 1. At higher freeway speeds (70-80mph) this vehicle seemed very unstable. The car felt as if it was going to lose control if I wasnt holding on to the steering wheel firmly. It was windy today too, but I test drove two other SUVs today (Mazda CX-5 & Cadillac XT5) in the same conditions and on the same stretch of freeway, and did not have that problem. 2. The engine noise definitely makes its way into the cabin. I did not enjoy listening to the boxer engine growl when starting up from a full stop. 3. The rear seat cushions seem to be sub standard. They did not provide much cushion or thigh support.
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Alyosha Karamazov
I just took delivery of a White with black interior Subaru Forester Touring 2019. It is a nice car indeed, and Mrs. Karamazov is very pleased with it. The power is fine, and the safety features cant be beat. I got. a pretty good deal. Here in the US all the Subaru dealers I visited still rely on plus sales from the finance manager. Anyone who has bought a car more than once and thought about the finance manager experience knows it is a scam and old fashioned. Other automakers have abandoned this relic of the past and Subaru should do the same. It makes the purchase a fine car a cheesy experience.
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I just took delivery of a White with black interior Subaru Forester Touring 2019. It is a nice car indeed, and Mrs. Karamazov is very pleased with it. The power is fine, and the safety features cant be beat. I got. a pretty good deal. Here in the US all the Subaru dealers I visited still rely on plus sales from the finance manager. Anyone who has bought a car more than once and thought about the finance manager experience knows it is a scam and old fashioned. Other automakers have abandoned this relic of the past and Subaru should do the same. It makes the purchase a fine car a cheesy experience.
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Redfour5
I had two of the second gen and loved them. Im still kicking myself for saving 15 bucks a month and NOT having gotten the 2004 Turbo, the only one to ever have the STi motor. It was a detuned STi vs later ones that were uptuned regular 2. 4s. I also could tow with my old Foresters. Now days it is the same 1500 lbs. that everyone else has. It is NOT the same vehicle anymore. Thats what happens when you hire a marketing puke as a CEO. but I must admit, he sure increased sales. They should NOT compare this to a Jeep Cherokee (Trailhawk) that tows 4500 lbs with the V6 and has rear lockers.
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I had two of the second gen and loved them. Im still kicking myself for saving 15 bucks a month and NOT having gotten the 2004 Turbo, the only one to ever have the STi motor. It was a detuned STi vs later ones that were uptuned regular 2. 4s. I also could tow with my old Foresters. Now days it is the same 1500 lbs. that everyone else has. It is NOT the same vehicle anymore. Thats what happens when you hire a marketing puke as a CEO. but I must admit, he sure increased sales. They should NOT compare this to a Jeep Cherokee (Trailhawk) that tows 4500 lbs with the V6 and has rear lockers.
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Steve TQP
Excellent and comprehensive review, Alex I originally preferred the 2019 Forester Premium model, because of the lumbar seat adjustment, but as my dealer only had base and Touring models available, I went with the base model, without lumbar adjustment, and thus far am quite pleased with comfort and performance I know that some folks criticized the CVT engine, but in reality, I find it perfectly fine for typical city and highway driving, with more than adequate acceleration and power for light off-roading as well. Thanks again for your superb review
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Excellent and comprehensive review, Alex I originally preferred the 2019 Forester Premium model, because of the lumbar seat adjustment, but as my dealer only had base and Touring models available, I went with the base model, without lumbar adjustment, and thus far am quite pleased with comfort and performance I know that some folks criticized the CVT engine, but in reality, I find it perfectly fine for typical city and highway driving, with more than adequate acceleration and power for light off-roading as well. Thanks again for your superb review
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Les Price
Disappointing that you didnt mention the auto start/stop system. Unlike most current cars that will let you turn it off and it stays off, the 2019 Forester automatically turns it back on when you restart the car. (See the Motor Trend review) This is a real problem for many people - something else to go wrong and in the real world saves very little gas (because the EPA model assume more stop time in urban drive that is realistic. Plus for most people it is annoying
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Disappointing that you didnt mention the auto start/stop system. Unlike most current cars that will let you turn it off and it stays off, the 2019 Forester automatically turns it back on when you restart the car. (See the Motor Trend review) This is a real problem for many people - something else to go wrong and in the real world saves very little gas (because the EPA model assume more stop time in urban drive that is realistic. Plus for most people it is annoying
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