Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester is currently classified as a compact crossover SUV or CUV. The Subaru Forester is made by Fuji Heavy Industries and sold under the brand name Subaru.

History

The Subaru Forester was first made in Japan in 1997. The second generation of Subaru Foresters was made from 2003 to 2008. The Subaru Forester had a stiffer body structure and improved chassis over the first generation Forester. In 2009, the second design of the Subaru Forester converted it from a tall station wagon into a formal cross-over SUV. This is when the trim levels / versions were split into the 2.5X and 2.5 XT models.
The Subaru Forester was completely redesigned in 2014 to add features like the EyeSight driver assistance system, better gas mileage, and more room inside. The Eye Sight system contains a lane departure warning system and collision warning system.

Design

The Subaru Forester shares its design platform with the Subaru Impreza. It has fair on road capability and better than average off-road capability.
There are six versions of the 2016 Subaru Forester: 2.5i, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Touring, 2.0XT Premium and 2.0XT Touring. The 2.5i versions have a 2.5 liter four cylinder engine that is naturally aspirated and horizontally opposed; it puts out 170 horsepower. The 2.0XT refers to a turbocharged engine with a CVT; that engine can put out 250 horsepower.
The Subaru Forester is available with automatic and manual transmissions; the manual transmission is the standard. A CVT transmission is also an option for the 2.5i. All 2.0XT have the CVT transmission by default.
The 2015 design made the rearview camera a standard feature. All wheel drive is standard. The base package comes with a four speaker stereo system with Bluetooth and USB port and cruise control. The Premium line has roof rails, a sun roof and powered driver’s seat. The Limited has automatic headlights, power rear lift gate, single zone climate control and leather seats. The Touring edition comes with the navigation system that costs extra to get in the other versions. The Touring comes with dual climate control.
The Subaru Forester has a lot of cargo space compared to other compact SUVs.

Performance

The Subaru Forester averages 22 miles per gallon in the city and up to 29 miles per gallon on the highway.
The Subaru Forester was given an average reliability rating by US News and World Report in 2015.

Price

The price of a Subaru Forester ranges from $21,000 to $33,000 for a new 2015 vehicle. In 2015, the 2.5I (sometimes with the added suffix PZEV) was roughly $21,000. The same model with a CVT engine was $1,500 more. The 2015 2.5i Premium cost around $24,000. The Limited line of the Subaru Forester cost $25,000 new in 2015. The 2.0XT with the turbocharged engine was around $26,000 new in 2015. The 2.5i Touring cost $27,000 new. The 2.0XT Touring is the most expensive version, coming in at $30,000 to $31,000 with all the features for 2015.

Rivals

The major rivals for the Subaru Forester are the Mazda CX-5, GMC Terrain, Toyota RAV4, and Honda CR-V.

Trivia

The 2014 Subaru Forester edition was rated the SUV of the Year by Motor Trend Magazine; it also achieved that award in 2009.
The earlier generations of Subaru Foresters had a 2.5X base that on upgrade became a XS trim.
In 2005, there was an LL Bean trim of the Subaru Forester.