Overview & Reviews

Redesigned for 2009, the Subaru Forester compact crossover SUV is bigger and more beautiful inside and out.

• Standard all-wheel drive, spacious cabin with ample cargo space, comfortable ride, capable engines.

• Outdated four-speed automatic transmission, handling could be sharper.

User Reviews:

Showing 181 through 190 of 217.00

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  Faithful Subaru Owner - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By Rhode Island - May 6 - 10:36 am

  Pleasantly surprised on the fuel efficiency. So far Ive averaged more than 26 mpg on every tank of gas and that is for mixed highway & city driving. (Im still waiting for a hybrid or clean diesel from Subaru however). I was looking to purchase the new Outback Wagon, but decided on the new Forester because my husband actually fits comfortably (hes 64") and I liked the visibility. Overall Im excited about the new car & happy with my purchase! I would recommend the Forester to a friend!

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  No issues after a year of driving - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By PharmD - May 5 - 2:50 am

  I bought the car shortly after it came out. I wanted to wait at least a year before I submitted a review. So far I love the forester and have no regrets. I test drove the Rav4 and the mazda CX7 and felt the forester was the better car. Fuel consumption has been a bit disappointing. I am getting an average of 18mpg in mostly city driving. I have not experienced the rattling that was mentioned before however, I find the location for the heated seats very inconvenient. With the limited you get 2 additional speakers to which I added the optional subwoofer. Even so the sound is mediocre at best. Overall, the forester is not perfect. However, you get a lot for the money.

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  Great car. - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By Daily driver - April 29 - 10:20 am

  We bought our Forester Turbo at a little over $26k USD. The inside is amazingly spacious, enough legroom for 4 decently sized adults. Turbo hits hard from like 2500RPM-5000RPM, which is more than necessary for normal driving. Yeah, it could use a 5th gear because the high RPMs feel dead, but its really not necessary. It goes fast enough. Tiptronic is nice. Your mileage will top out at about actually 27mpg for 100% highway driving, no AC and windows open at a constant speed of 60MPH (2100RPM). The XT WILL embarrass any other 4- cylinder car (with the exception of the really high end ones) and it will most certainly keep up with the 6s and 8s. Adequate trunk space. 5 star crash rating.

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  1st time Subie owner - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By LuvMySubie - April 25 - 8:30 pm

  I bought one of the first 2009 Foresters off the boat. This is my 1st time owning a Subaru. So far (2 weeks, 500 miles) I love the car! Good looks (topaz gold), adequate power (5 speed manual shifts tight & smooth), quiet in the cabin, and great MPG (28+). The moonroof is huge. The build quality (espcly for a new model) is flawless. The IPOD i/f is great. And having AWD with the VDC feature is great in snow. Safety features are lengthy & very impressive. Price was competitive. And resale should be great down the road. My only complaints so far are that the HVAC blower is a little noisier than it should be, and the [variable assist] steering feels a bit too light when driving slow.

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  Extremely Disappointed - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By MikeS - April 9 - 7:30 pm

  I dont know about any of you but this vehicle is a rattle trap. Drove off lot with 11 miles and was already rattling from multiple locations. My wife wishes she had her 05 Forester back. Love the exterior styling of this vehicle and like the ride, however they really skimped with quality of interior trim. Cannot get past the rattles & vibration. Vehicle has 415 miles and dealer fixed most rattles except the hatch vibration over bumps. I cannot live with spending $26k for a Forester that rattles. Luckily the dealership is allowing me to return it for 100% refund and get an Outback. The Outback is a much superior vehicle. One other note, two loaner 09 Foresters also rattled.

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  Interior issues - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By ShellyJ - April 9 - 4:30 am

  Bought my 09 Forester this summer, and am a little disappointed in the cheap quality of the plastic interior parts, such as the center console. It chips and flakes off with hardly any contact. In addition, I am very disappointed in the "carpet", which appears to be more of a felt material. Absolutely everything sticks to it and it doesnt vacuum up well at all. I didnt do an in depth inspection of the carpet and such at the time I bought it, as I expected more from a Subaru. Other than these interior issues, its great. Im guessing you just have to buy the upper end styles to get a decent interior.

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  Outstanding $ for Value! - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By Bee Dub - April 1 - 4:56 pm

  Ive owned my Forester almost a year now. Its not sexy but its extremely practical. Its been an absolute pleasure to drive and own. I live in CO so its been tested in snow, ice, mountains, dirt roads, etc. No problems. The 4 speed auto could be a big problem in mountain driving except the sport shift feature makes it into an easy to use manual transmission! Ive averaged 26.1 MPG since owning it, much better than anticipated.

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  wow, best in class by far -- must drive! - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By VJ - March 9 - 12:16 am

  We bought ours yesterday and were sold from the minute we sat in it. We were comparing between a CRV exl a BMW x3 and a lr2. The Forester handled the best, had the most options for the most reasonable lease price and our sales rep at irvine Subaru was second to none. We ultimately chose to go with the Subaru because of the overall quality of the vehicle and the person we dealt with.

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  2nd Forester and more to come - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By patton4457 - March 6 - 4:33 pm

  Just bought my second Forester by trading in my 04 gem. She had close to 100,000 miles on her already and had never had one simple thing go wrong with her. Hated to part with her but love my new forester even more. Didnt think that would be possible. Also, didnt think I would get as good of gas mileage as I have so far. Avg. 25mpg both city and highway and it is nowwhere near broken in. Extra room is awesome. Ride is awesome. Would recommend one to anybody.

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  The car I really wanted to love - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By crr40 - January 22 - 4:24 am

  I decided on a Subaru Forester after extensive research, and bought a 2009 model new. It had flaws in the beginning- the ipod adapter didnt work well; the stereo in general was not very impressive, the drivers seat was uncomfortable, the mpg was consistently on the low end - but I didnt regret my purchase until the big problems started at just 29K miles, within weeks of the bumper to bumper warranty expiring. Between 29K and 38K miles the car has had the engine coil replaced, the brakes replaced and now the transmission. Its not my driving, either - my last car went 9 years and 80K miles without a single repair and Ive never spent this much in repairs on any car in 20+ years.