Apart from getting the impression that the Subaru Forester was the car choice for the more outdoorsy types, I did not know much about the vehicle. So when I had an opportunity to drive one for a few days, I wanted to get it out of the city and see what all the fuss was about. Now granted there was no off-roading and 4-wheel driving during our trip to Parksville, we managed to encounter every other type of driving the majority of us face when taking our family on vacation.
First impressions: We all fit! AND all our stuff. We were staying at a beach side cabin up at French Creek. We brought EVERYTHING we thought we might need.
We STUFFED the Subaru
Believe it or not, I still could see out the rear and the side mirrors are big, so I had great vision of the road around me despite this and the pillows stuffed around the kids too.
With any car that isn’t a 6 or 7 seater, the all sitting together thing is always an issue. They are all too close and the bickering and ‘he’s touching me’ stuff can drive me bonkers. Therefore, I was impressed that the Forester passed the ‘waiting for the ferry’ test with flying colours. Our model had a big sunroof so that helped too. It also passed the ‘being on the road for over 3 hours without stopping test.’
Our trip to the island gave us an opportunity to try various road conditions. The All Wheel Drive gripped the road on all the surfaces and gave me the impression of security and traction when faced with twisty country lanes and the mess that is currently the Malahat Highway. The biggest difference between this car and similar models I have driven was that I felt in control of the vehicle rather than it and its electronics etc were.
The appeal of the Subaru Forester is it’s no fuss build and appearance. It gives you what you need and doesn’t make a big deal about it.
The control panel is simple, easy to reach and easy to figure out. The air conditioning was in use a lot and was easy to adjust to suit all riders. The sound system is adequate and we rocked out to our 80’s road tripping music.
I loved the simple and easy to read digital screens. Also note the average gas usage of 8.8. I think on the whole trip the average was about 7.6 which I thought was pretty impressive. We had a quarter tank left after over 500 km with the a/c blasting for most of that. With today’s gas prices – that alone sells me on this car.
I have been reviewing a lot of similar car models (will give you the run-down on the new Honda CRV next) and the pricing is fairly similar…this starts at $25.995 and goes up with what ever extras you want. There are a lot of SUV of this size and styling out there to choose from and so you can really get exactly what you are wanting from this type of vehicle if you shop around.
I have to say, I really enjoyed driving this vehicle. Even without all the bells and whistles available to cars these days, this was a nice ride. It is easy to park, and navigate in tight corners. It does great on the highway as well as smaller rougher roads. I found the seats to be really comfortable and got my drivers seat adjusted to almost perfection.
Since I don’t know much about Subaru, I took some time to chat with the folks at Speciality Subaru where I picked up my test vehicle. The Forester has quite a cult following. The cars rarely show up for resale because people tend to hang on to them until they fall apart. People also replace their old Subaru’s with a new one. They love them, and I can see why.
The Forester may not be the sexiest mid-size SUV out there, but it is a solid and fun ride and we would hit the road in one again any time.
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