WE LIKE Smart packaging and functionality, capable AWD, supple ride
WE DON’T LIKE Gutless powertrain, insistent nannies
Subaru knows its audience: Sensible folks in inclement climes who like their boots muddy and their outerwear made from polar fleece.
Those folks usually have a placid driving demeanor, as if there were a market-fresh egg under the gas pedal. So it won’t bother them that the redesigned Forester is gutless or that it terrified us in passing maneuvers with what Christian Seabaugh described as “glacial” acceleration. It’s actually slower than the smaller, cheaper Crosstrek. The CVT almost saved it by “performing hero’s work,” according to Scott Evans.
Worse still, the engine’s lethargy made it so the Forester got stuck following a slushy-silt slope panic stop—regardless of the X-Mode all-wheel drive’s talents. We had to back up and take another run to surmount the gently sloped hill. That’s not encouraging when conjuring steep Vermont driveways after a snowstorm.
But the Forester wins in every other category. Despite its compact size, you can fit a basketball starting five in its roomy, leggy cabin. The wide-mouthed cargo area will swallow a chilly week’s allotment of chopped wood. And the interior is modernized, though still frumpy like your favorite flannel shirt.
For those of you still in therapy harboring memories of hectoring mothers, the Subaru is a rolling trigger warning, with constantly beeping nannies interrupting your drive for one unidentifiable reason or another. “Shut up already!” Frank Markus exclaimed.
Its shortcomings are a shame, because Subaru did an excellent job keeping road and wind noise out of the cabin and providing a relatively magic-carpet ride for its class.
“For how much you pay, it does almost everything else you could ask of it,” Zach Gale said. “It’s really a wonderful, well-rounded package.”
READ ABOUT 2019 SUV OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS:
- BMW X2
- BMW X3
- BMW X4
- Cadillac XT4
- Ford EcoSport
- Ford Edge
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Infiniti QX50
- Jaguar E-Pace
- Jeep Cherokee
- Lexus RX L
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class
- Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
- Nissan Kicks
- Subaru Ascent
READ ABOUT 2019 CAR OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS:
- Buick Regal
- Ford Mustang
- Ford Transit Connect
- Hyundai Accent
- Hyundai Elantra
- Honda Clarity
- Kia Forte
- Lexus ES
- Lexus LS
- Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
- Nissan Altima
- Toyota Avalon
- Toyota Corolla Hatchback
- Volkswagen Jetta
| 2019 Subaru Forester Touring | |
| Base Price/As tested | $35,470/$35,470 |
| Power (SAE net) | 182 hp @ 5,800 rpm |
| Torque (SAE net) | 176 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm |
| Accel, 0-60 mph | 9.6 sec |
| Quarter-mile | 17.3 sec @ 82.3 mph |
| Braking, 60-0 mph | 129 ft |
| Lateral Acceleration | 0.79 g (avg) |
| MT Figure Eight | 28.1 sec @ 0.60 g (avg) |
| EPA City/Hwy/Comb | 26/33/29 mpg |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV |
| ENGINE/TRANSMISSION | 2.5L DOHC 16-valve flat-4/ Cont variable auto |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3,575 lb (58/42%) |
| WHEELBASE | 105.1 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 182.1 x 71.5 x 67.5 in |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 130/102 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.67 lb/mile |
The post Subaru Forester: 2019 Motor Trend SUV of the Year Finalist appeared first on Motor Trend.
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