2007 Subaru Forester
Test drove: 5/08/2007 to 5/22/2007
Turbo Forester Feels Like Appliance on Wheels
When I was growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, my dad was what is now referred to as an “early adopter.” It seemed like we always had the latest gadget or gizmo around the house; we had the first portable tape player and the first remote-control television on our block, and we also had one of the first Turbo Hoover vacuums. What was the Turbo Hoover, you ask? Well, it was an upright vacuum with a handle that had about an inch of give forward and backward. When pushed forward, the vacuum’s turbo would kick in, propelling it ahead and, in the process, yanking my arm out of its socket. When pulled back, the Turbo Hoover would back over my toes at high speed. The Hoover’s not-so-saving grace was a red button on the handle that would turn off the turbo feature. Of course, once you pushed the button, you realized the Turbo Hoover weighed about 45 pounds. If you had thick orange shag carpet and used a Turbo Hoover without the turbo engaged, you’d wind up with some big guns.
The 2007 Subaru Forester powerfully reminds me of our old Turbo Hoover vac. The first tip off was the scoop on the Forester’s hood. If it only had a light inside, it would look just like a vacuum. After driving the Forester, I now know what it would have been like to be a dust mite riding atop that spastic vacuum. The two beasts have more in common than a Cyclops-looking front end — there’s also herky-jerky, uncontrollable acceleration. Add a sticky gearshift, and I’m swept back to my youth doing chores, because it’s a chore to drive this manual version of the Forester, people. My new policy is that any car that reminds me of gruntwork should be left in the dust.
I wish, dear readers, that the list ended there. Alas, no. When I try to imagine how loud it would be to ride inside a vacuum, I just hop in the Forester and I have my answer. There is so much road noise, my 4-year-old (yes, my 4-year-old) complains that the car is too loud. I keep trying to roll the windows up because it sounds as though they’re all cracked about a centimeter, but they’re already rolled up. I can’t stop the noise!
Speaking of unstoppable noise, I hear a lot of complaints from the backseat of the Subaru. There are no easily accessible cupholders for the kids to use, and the only storage pocket is on the back of the passenger seat. I whine a little bit, too, about the uncomfortable driver’s seat. It feels as though the cushion has packed out even though there are only 6,000 miles on my test car. What’s up with that? And why can’t my kids and I have a little more legroom? I mean, as long as everyone’s complaining …
On non-vacuum-related issues, the Forester has one (almost) saving grace: There’s a plastic insert in the cargo area that unfolds to create nifty, organized space for grocery bags, shoes and whatever other stuff I choose to stow in its netted bins. I can fold it down easily if I need more room, which makes it incredibly handy. The unhandy thing is that when it’s closed, the hard plastic keeps anything from resting on it quietly. You can’t put anything in the trunk without at least part of it sitting on the slick plastic, so essentially everything you put in the back slides around. Totally annoying.
I don’t mean to be harshin’ on the Forester so bad, but I am really quite let down by this car. I do like Subarus, and I had hoped the Forester would compensate for its dippy exterior with a nice ride for the family, but that’s not the case. My husband asks to drive most of the cars I test even though he knows he can’t, and I have to shut him down every time. He didn’t even ask to try this one. He grew up with a Turbo Hoover, too. Enough said.
*For more information on the Subaru Forester and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to motherproof@msn.com.
LET’S TALK NUMBERS
Latch Connectors: 2
Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT
Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair
SENSE AND STYLE
Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair
Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): None – Some
| Specs | |
|---|---|
| Base price: | $25,995 |
| Price as tested: | $26,730 |
| Engine: | 224-hp, 2.5-liter H-4 |
| Fuel: | 20/27 mpg |
| Length: | 176.6” |
| Width: | 68.3” |
| Ground Clearance: | 8.1” |
| Turning Radius: | 17.4’ |
| Cargo space: | 32.0-57.7 cu. ft. |
| NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Frontal Impact | |
| Driver’s side: | 5 Stars |
| Passenger’s side: | 5 Stars |
| Side Impact | |
| Front occupant: | 5 Stars |
| Rear occupant: | 5 Stars |
| Rollover resistance: | 4 Stars |
Comments
The performance of the Forester is totally wasted on this broad. Women with no technical know-how should probably stay away from the XT. That "turbo" on her Hoover was the rotating brush turning on. The author's first mistake was to get the XT version with the turbo. Her second mistake was to get a manual transmission because she obviously doesn't have much experience driving one. Her third mistake was to have obese children and an oblivious husband. Do you want to know why your husband didn't want to drive the Forester XT, lady? It's because he's just as much an ignorant milksop as his wife. FYI, the Forester XT is a sleeper that can run 0-60 in the sub-6 second region. If you don't want performance, don't get it.
Posted by: Brian Mcquaid | Aug 17, 2007 3:32:01 PM
This is a general comment about this website. Where is the search function? The Subaru Forester reviews are listed both in the crossover section and the wagon section--from 2 different reviewers. Could you make it any more inconvenient for your readers? I manage a website on lolcats, so I'm just trying to help you out.
Oh yeah, and the Forester XT will blow the doors off 95% of other cars on the road. Plus it can off road like ringing a bell. I bought one and it kicks arse! I took mine to Chaco. Dirt roads? No problem.
Posted by: Vivek Gogenini | Aug 18, 2007 1:46:24 PM
I bought a Forester XT because they have the straight line performance of the WRX without the high insurance premiums. Another advantage of the Forester is that every little punk in town doesn't want to race me at every stoplight, unless their in the know. Yet the XT will easily waste any SUV on the street save for a few very high dollar gas hogs. That's what I'm talking about!
Posted by: William Ross | Aug 18, 2007 1:52:15 PM
What is very odd to me is that the Edmunds Inside Line writer calls the Forester XT "quite possibly the funnest SUV I've ever driven". Pretty impressive praise if you ask me. Look at the numbers--the Forester XT will out accelerate both the Porsche Cayenne and the Lexus IS350. It's the best kept secret on the road, and this lady is complaining about the lack of cupholders for her kids in the back seat. Gee, how very terrible that must be for your poor deprived children.
Posted by: Carrie Givens | Aug 18, 2007 2:24:45 PM
Fun Factor = None - Some???? Huh? Did these guys ever once tromp on the gas pedal? This car gets up and GOES! Easily the fastest car I've ever owned, and I've had several BMWs.
Posted by: Jean S. | Aug 18, 2007 2:32:08 PM
I read and continued to read until I realised something is completely wrong. I just didnt understood what it was. I moved to another part of this so called "test" and began feeling more uncomfortable. Hoovers, road noise, cupholders, no fun....
I do not own a Forester but been testing it and if I just had the money, there wouldnt be a single car that would be that fast, spacious, excellent to drive and have so much fun.
Then I suddenly realised.... my husband. YES this writer must be a women, women who dont understand a single bit about cars and fun. Now I understand the test as well. Maybe "your husband" knows more cars than you - and its natural to dislike Hoovers, its womens job that ;-)
Posted by: Jonas Alonso | Nov 14, 2007 12:37:09 AM
I read and continued to read until I realised something is completely wrong. I just didnt understood what it was. I moved to another part of this so called "test" and began feeling more uncomfortable. Hoovers, road noise, cupholders, no fun....
I do not own a Forester but been testing it and if I just had the money, there wouldnt be a single car that would be that fast, spacious, excellent to drive and have so much fun.
Then I suddenly realised.... my husband. YES this writer must be a women, women who dont understand a single bit about cars and fun. Now I understand the test as well. Maybe "your husband" knows more cars than you - and its natural to dislike Hoovers, its womens job that ;-)
Posted by: Jonas Alonso | Nov 14, 2007 12:38:13 AM
And not a single remark about it's saftey. Wow.
Posted by: Dakota Robinson | Nov 21, 2007 3:11:35 PM
I have a MY00 XT forester. It's a grown ups WRX to me. I need space for the kid seat and pram and all that extra crap I need to carry now that I'm all grown up. Not to say I've grown up too much. My XT has aftermarket swaybars (essential unless you like the motion of the ocean) aftermarket fuel pump, injectors, air intake and reprogrammed ECU. All up good for 300hp9 Gotta love the look on STI drivers faces when they get dusted by my wifes car) Gets me to the shops on time. And what is this rubbish about not enough cup holders. I have seven cup holders and seating for 5. Hmmm, methinks our dear reviewer may have missed a few conveniences.
Posted by: AJ | Dec 8, 2007 4:27:03 AM
Obviously, I feel a need to defend myself here. I want to stay above board, and there's a lot to answer to, so forgive the long post.
For those of you who don't like the fact I'm a woman, please note the website's called Mother Proof. If you don't like women, you probably shouldn't be here. Don't let the door hit ya...
As for my qualifications, I'll list a few here. I know what a short throw is (for the benefit of our readers, it's a shorter stick shift to minimize loss of time and rpms between gears). I've tested the Audi S5 and the BMW Z4 M which both have short throws, and I've actually owned a couple cars with short throws, like a 2000 New Beetle and a 1990 Nissan 300Z.
Both of those had turbos (twin turbo on the Nissan), as well as the 2001 Saab 9-5 wagon I owned after my son was born. I also owned a 1987 Audi 5000 CS. It was actually an inline 5-cylinder turbo, so I didn't include it with the 4-cylinders above. I've test-driven a Jetta GLI which was turbocharged, and most notably the Subaru Outback with the 2.5 XT which I adored. It's one of my all-time favorite test drives, and the use of interior space and ergonomics in the Outback is exemplary. Perhaps that's why the Forester was such a letdown (as I mention in my review above).
Anyway, I'm also building an engine. Okay, it's a scale model I got for Christmas, but still... Oh and I've attended 4 driving schools since working for Mother Proof, among them a Master Drive Professional Driving Skills course, and the Bridgestone Winter Driving Skills clinic.
So, enough about me. Let's talk shop. I did want to comment on the Edmunds opinion. Yes, they think it's fun to drive. They also think there's "Scarce rear legroom and too much road and wind noise..." They also claim-and this is very important to our readers, if not to you- "the rear seat has tight legroom for taller adults (it's also a problem for those with bulky car seats)..."
The safety of the Forester I didn't mention in the body of my review. It's a safe SUV. You will be purchasing one of the safest SUV's out there if you buy the Forester, according to NHTSA. You're welcome.
In regards to the cupholders, I never said there weren't enough, I said they weren't easily accessible for my kids. It's not as much about depriving my children of luxuries as it is about being safe. Focusing on the road is crucial, and any item that prevents distraction in the car, the safer we all are.
Speaking of kids, I now remember that some of you people called my kids (and my husband) names. You call them lazy, obese, and implied they are spoiled because you don't like what I think of the Forester. My son's learning about how to control these kinds of tantrums in KINDERGARTEN. Perhaps you all need a refresher.
Posted by: Sara Lacey | Jan 6, 2008 6:30:14 PM
Bravo on your response. However, I feel that it comes down to simple preferences. Do you want a wolf in sheep’s clothing or a homogenous cow? I’m sure most of the comments were from the speed racer mindset!
As far as the noise level, that why we have aftermarket sound deadend pads!
Posted by: j bradley | Jan 11, 2008 6:56:11 PM
I have an 04 XT. Automatic. It's not jerky at all. Very smooth unless you floor it (not that you should).
Pros: It's a great car. VERY Safe (our 1st one got totalled right after we got it, my 8 week old daughter, wife and mom-in-law were all 100% fine. Fast. Relatively fuel efficient despite requiring Premium fuel. Stable in the snow and rain. Cheap (sub 24K, in the SE).
Cons. Rear cup holders are on the back of the center console. They suck. Not too roomy if driver and passanger are ~6ft. No rear air ducts.
I don't think it's (too) noisy. Quiter than my 02 Jeep Wrangler. Not as quite as my 07 Honda Pilot.
Posted by: AdamT | Jan 19, 2008 8:32:52 PM
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I'm suprised you were so completely harsh on the Forester XT.
I bought one after extensively test driving all the small Japanese made SUV's and I have to say, I disagree with you whole heartedly.
The short throw shift is for performance. If it jerks, you should learn how to drive a stick better. (Though I would like a 6th gear for long highway cruising I have to admit)
Yeah, there is some Turbo noise, It's a 4 cyl Turbo, not an 8cyl Oldsmobile like my Grandmother drove. You expected a luxury car ride ? It's tight, not mushy, there's a trade off in play.
... Get a Minivan if you want quiet and spacious.
Yeah the back seat is small, so if you have big fat kids, get the new Toyota Rav 4. They've added a lot of room for your milkshakes and White Castles boxes in there.
Oh , and lets perform a little thought experiment and imagine going up to the mountains during a snowstorm and seeing how your car pick in the same price/size range might compete against mine.
That's where the Forester shines anyway... not towing oblivous soccer moms to and from Kmart.
It just seems you just didn't even slightly "get" the point of the XT ... Comparing it to a Vacuum cleaner?
Puhleese...
Posted by: Doubro | Aug 11, 2007 2:30:07 AM