2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring
Some cars grow old after a few days usage; others worm their way into your affections the more you drive them. The new Forester is the latter. A return to the boxier form of past generations is the most obvious external difference; inside it is roomier and built of slightly higher quality materials. There’s abundant back seat space and a very large cargo area. In front there are more soft-touch moldings and an upright, commanding driving position.
Subaru’s onboard tech is a mixed bag; I’ve not been happy with the optional EyeSight safety system, yet the active cruise control, which will bring the Forester to a stop in heavy traffic and start it again, works better than those in some $100,000 vehicles. The infotainment system’s menu system is mediocre, but the Harmon Kardon audio system sounds excellent.
It is on the move that this newest Subaru really grows on you. It is refined and very quiet, and while it doesn’t ride as serenely over broken pavement as my own 2006 Outback XT turbo, it handles better, with tighter body control and more responsive steering; likewise brake feel is excellent.
Thankfully the Forester sticks with a 2.5-liter version of the company’s long-running boxster engine. The smaller version of this motor, now standard in the Impreza and XV Crosstrek, is too underpowered for use in the Rockies, but this one has a robust torque curve that peaks at 174lb-ft and 170 accompanying ponies. Even the use of a continuously variable transmission can’t undermine it, since its programming is quite well sorted. For those who need more performance, the XT turbo returns, with 250hp. But even the normal version is quite peppy, and it returns decent real-world fuel economy; my average of 23mpg in mixed use eclipses all but that of the Mazda CX-5.
In the final analysis, that is one of only two competitors—the other being the Ford Escape—that is more rewarding to drive, and neither offer the kind of room the Forester has for people and goodies. Figured in with its excellent safety ratings and the durability and resale value Subarus have become known for and you have one very compelling crossover.
Here is what Subaru has to say about the new Forester.
subaru.com/vehicles/forester/index.html
EPA ratings: 24/32; 27mpg combined
Price as tested: $33,220
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