Appealing Forester Enhances its ‘Granola’ Reputation

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5 X

model as tested $24,064

Test Drove 8/21/08–8/28/08
reviewed by Emily Hansen

I’ve heard many people refer to the Subaru Forester as a “granola” car, often seen in major granola zones like Boulder, Colo. Many people consider me sort of granola-ish, but I’ve never found the Forester appealing. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found it to be much more interesting than I had previously judged.

I believe that part of the Forester’s granola reputation comes from its go-anywhere attitude, which can be attributed to its standard all-wheel drive. I imagine a super-crunchy Forester owner could drive her car to a remote location and live quite the granola life, with only a tent, some jugs of water and some seedlings. Obviously, most Forester owners are probably more like me, living a granola-light lifestyle that includes making earth-friendly choices, but still appreciating some of the finer things modern life offers.

In the 2009 Forester, Subaru has made an effort to appeal to the granola-light consumer who wants to have as much convenience and style as possible in a car that delivers good gas mileage, value pricing and the ability to get out of the ’burbs at a moment’s notice.

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