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2009 Subaru Forester

3747 messages,  Last post on Oct 15, 2012 at 3:22 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Future Vehicle, Wagon

Messages Page 18 of 376

#164 of 3747 Longtime Forester owner weighing in by lark6

Jan 19, 2008 (6:25 pm)

Hello all,
 
Former frequent poster here. I'm currently on my second Forester. First was a 2000 S with 4EAT; current is a 2005 XT with 4EAT. If my past two purchases are any indication I'd be looking at this car in 2011 (third year of cycle as were the first two).
 
Right now I'm willing to reserve some judgment until I actually see the car in the metal and drive one. Improvements look to abound but photos don't communicate quality and durability of materials. Styling is subjective - I miss the squareness of my two Foresters and this one looks more like my wife's Honda Pilot. However I didn't buy either of these cars for their looks.
 
Too many things could happen between now and then to even say whether I'd consider a regular or high-performance Forester variant next go-round. I will say this much, however; the next one will continue to have only two floor pedals. My arthritic knees aren't getting any better so barring knee replacement surgery I don't see myself ever owning a car with a conventional clutch pedal again.
 
I am really tired of all the automatic transmission bashing on this and other car forums. People who view the presence of a clutch pedal as some gauge of manhood, and fail to comprehend that people who drive automatics may desire performance need to get over themselves. There are more automatic XT owners than manual XT owners; are they happier with their cars, therefore less likely to complain about them on internet forums?
 
All that said, I was disappointed that I couldn't get the 5EAT/Sportshift combo on my XT (for that matter, on the SG generation as a whole), and I'm appalled that it's not available on the upcoming model. I must profess ignorance when it comes to CVTs and so again must reserve judgment until I drive one. I have driven clutchless manuals (exclusively in German cars to date) and I think they'd make a great compromise for someone like me while still satisfying manual transmission enthusiasts. In any event I hope it won't be long before Subaru offers more than just the 4EAT/5MT option to Forester owners.
 
Ed

#165 of 3747 Re: Longtime Forester owner weighing in [lark6] by rsholland

Jan 19, 2008 (8:58 pm)

Replying to: lark6 (Jan 19, 2008 6:25 pm)
Ed, if you get a chance, go drive a Nissan Murano or new Altma. They have excellent CVTs. The biggest thing you'll notice is no shifting of gears, which may seem strange. However they (the new and better CVTs) are quicker and more economical than conventional automatics.
 
Bob

#166 of 3747 Re: Longtime Forester owner weighing in [lark6] by kdshapiro

Jan 20, 2008 (6:38 am)

Replying to: lark6 (Jan 19, 2008 6:25 pm)
I happen to agree with all of your points. When I'm ready for my next vehicle, unless a 5 or 6 speed AT is offered, this Forester will be my last Subaru. While I don't do much highway driving, those times I am on the highway I would like to be cruising in 5th gear instead of 4th.. even at the expense of some performance.

#167 of 3747 Re: Longtime Forester owner weighing in [kdshapiro] by paisan

Jan 20, 2008 (3:17 pm)

Replying to: kdshapiro (Jan 20, 2008 6:38 am)
I have to say that having an MT in the new Forester would be kinda useless. It's not meant to be taken on a track or driven extremely agressively on a twisty backroad that would require an MT. I know the organizations I track with wouldn't allow it on track, I have no issues with no MT offered in this itteration of the Forester.
 
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

#168 of 3747 Re: Longtime Forester owner weighing in [paisan] by lark6

Jan 20, 2008 (6:49 pm)

Replying to: paisan (Jan 20, 2008 3:17 pm)
I know the organizations I track with wouldn't allow it on track,
 
Do those organizations still allow them to autocross, or have the rules changed since I was able to autocross mine?
 
Ed

#169 of 3747 Re: Longtime Forester owner weighing in [lark6] by paisan

Jan 20, 2008 (7:37 pm)

Replying to: lark6 (Jan 20, 2008 6:49 pm)
Dunno, haven't auto-xed in a few years.
 
It's usually judged on a case-by-case basis, if I wanted to take one out for a few laps I'm sure they'd let me, however I doubt they'd just allow em to run in general.
 
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host

#171 of 3747 What They Left Out by ecotrklvr

Jan 21, 2008 (7:59 am)

Replying to: paisan (Jan 20, 2008 3:17 pm)
Granted, a vehicle with an Automatic Trans is more Useful than one with a Manual Trans. More different people can drive it! But it isn't about increasing the usefulness anyway. A small Wagon / CUV is pretty useful as it is. It's about the fun of shifting for yourself, and getting all the torque from the engine delivered to the ground, without having to wait for the torque converter to deliver it. And shifting when YOU want to - up AND down.
 
I doubt if many here are going to be disappointed that they can't Race or Rally the Forester in sanctioned events. But many will miss the sense of involvement in the driving experienced that driving a stick allows.
 
As for me, I'd be getting the NA version anyway, so not having a stick in the Turbo versions is no big deal for me. What ticks me off is that apparently you have to get the Turbo to get the telescopic steering wheel. A Tilt and Telescopic wheel really is a useful item. If the tilt-only wheel won't allow me to lift off the gas to hit the brake, without hitting my knee on the bottom of the steering wheel, that will kill the deal right there.

#173 of 3747 Re: The forester 4-cyl and petrol consume [kdshapiro] by bankerdanny

Jan 21, 2008 (11:10 am)

Replying to: kdshapiro (Jan 09, 2008 4:03 pm)
AWD isn't very helpful without decent tires and the ones that came on my '07 2.5X sucked.
 
I replaces them before this winter with Goodrich Traction T/A's. I ran these tires on a V8 Taurus SHO and an old 535i with great results.
 
The tires that came on the car (Yokahamas?) slipped and slid all over in the rain and snow. They were worse than the Goodyear gatorbacks that came on my '87 Mustang 5.0.

Messages Page 18 of 376

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