New Forester sport utility offers more for less

AP

Improved interior space is a perk of the 2009 Subaru Forester, which has 33.5 cubic feet of cargo area behind the rear seats, 38 inches of rear legroom and 41.6 inches of headroom.

Known for being a practical, affordable vehicle, the Subaru Forester is more so for 2009.

The five-passenger, new Forester is bigger than its predecessor for greater interior room and has new styling outside and more safety features than ever.

The four-door Forester also retains its top safety rating of five out of five stars in front and side crash tests and, as always, its standard all-wheel drive.

But the new Forester's starting retail price is $20,660, or $1,200 less than its 2008 counterpart. This is for a Forester with four-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine and five-speed manual transmission. The lowest-priced Forester with automatic transmission starts at $21,860.

The now 11-year-old Forester is a third-generation model for 2009. Ride and handling are improved by a new platform that's a modified version of the one under the Subaru Impreza car. And, like the Impreza, the Forester now has a rear suspension with a multilink configuration, instead of the former strut design.

New styling of the sheet metal makes the Forester look more like a regular sport utility vehicle, rather than the tall wagon that has characterized its appearance before.

The Forester has a larger track, distance between the wheels from one side of the vehicle to the other, that gives a more stable feel.

The best thing about the new size is the improved interior room. But with no height adjustment, power or manual, for the front passenger seat in the test 2.5X, the front passenger can't take advantage of a taller roofline.

There also was considerable road and wind noise inside the vehicle. Still, gauges and controls are well- arranged and easy to use, and standard equipment on the base model is well-thought-out. It includes air conditioning, three 12-volt powerpoints, a pull-down armrest in the back seat, fold-down, split rear seat cushions, power door locks, windows and mirrors and two grocery bag hooks. Air filtration and remote entry fob also are standard.

So are some new safety features. The Forester comes standard for the first time with curtain air bags, traction control and anti-lock brakes with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Distribution.

The engine is a 2.5-liter, horizontally opposed four cylinder, offered in naturally aspirated form and turbocharged. Revisions are mild, especially in the base, 170-horsepower engine.

The uplevel turbo version generates 224 hp.

The test Forester 2.5X with base engine with five-speed manual worked well. The vehicle merged comfortably as I worked the gears and kept up with traffic easily.

The test Forester's fuel mileage rating is 20 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.