Forester Cramps Family’s Style

2010 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Limited

model as tested $28,495

Test Drove 7/2/09-7/8/09
reviewed by Jennifer Newman

I wanted to love the 2010 Subaru Forester. It’s got everything my family needs in a car: all-wheel drive, a powerful engine, tons of cargo space. What it doesn’t have is enough backseat legroom, and that’s a deal-breaker. 

My test car, a Forester 2.5XT Limited with a turbocharged engine, was so much fun to drive. My everyday car has a V-6 engine, and I was concerned that the Forester’s engine wouldn’t have enough power to keep me happy. I was so, so wrong. This car has plenty of power, and it’s a blast to zip up hills and around curves.

When I was driving around Chicago’s city streets, the Forester practically glided away from stoplights. Takeoffs with this 224-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder were smooth, without any quick starts that snapped my head back. On the highway, the Forester’s engine was fantastic. Merging on the highway in Chicago is often a death-defying experience, but the Forester had no problem zipping up on-ramps and into traffic. I actually looked forward to stopping at toll booths just so I could punch the accelerator and listen to the turbo engine roar.

The Forester’s turbocharged engine requires premium gas, which is a mark against it, but it practically sipped that gas during a six-hour road trip. The Forester gets an EPA-estimated 19/24 mpg city/highway, but I got as high as 25.5 mpg while cruising on the interstate. Now that’s impressive for an SUV — even a small one. The Forester, like all Subarus, comes with all-wheel drive standard.

Though I had lots of fun driving the Forester, the problems started when I loaded my family into it for a six-hour road trip.

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