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• Outdated four-speed automatic transmission, handling could be sharper.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 151 through 160 of 217.00

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  My Perfect SUV - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By MAPLESNOW - February 11 - 11:26 pm

  This is my 6th Subaru, but in between Ive owned Toyotas and Chevys. Before Subaru Ive owned just about all makes of mid-priced cars. This Forester (my 4th) has great styling, a comfortable well put together interior, and best of all, full time AWD. Once you own a Subaru you always wonder why youd buy anything else. The cars starts easily, drives flawlessly and is greatly admired by people at work and on the street. A black Forester with black leather and dark tinted windows is one classy ride. Storage room is great, the stereo system is clear and easy to use and the huge sunroof is a pleasure. One thing I do know... all future cars for me will start with the word Subaru!

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  Turbo Engine Trouble - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By luganlad - January 26 - 11:40 am

  Apparently the 2009 2.5 liter turbo engine has some metallurgic problems. Our engine began making loud banging sounds on a road trip after just 4,000 miles on it. Worked fine prior to this catastrophic breakdown. Subaru will be replacing the engine with hopefully a correctly produced engine.

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  If you want functionality over style - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By Bvanity2010 - January 12 - 5:46 pm

  I bought this car on 3/17/08 and I have been plesently suprised. I purchased the 2.5X Limited. I love the navigation and the materials. I looked at the version with a sunroof, I liked it but, with the sunroof it greatly reduced the head room.

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  Happy with purchase, esp. gas mileage! - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By J&J - January 5 - 5:10 am

  We bought our new 2009 Forester, after going in to look at an Impreza. We had just been in a bad accident (totaled our car) and we were impressed with how easy it was to get in and out of the Forester. We prefer a manual shift as we live in the mountains and have been impressed with the mileage. We are pretty much averaging 30 mpg! We have 1800 miles on the car. Weve only taken 2 long trips on the highway and we even hit 32 mpg at times on those. The car is a little underpowered, we have to downshift to get up some of the hills when we didnt have to downshift in our VW Jetta. There is a LOT of room inside, especially leg room. The hatch makes it easy to load and unload.

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  Great for tall drivers - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By don225 - October 1 - 5:49 am

  I bought this car for 2 reasons 1. Head room,Im 65 2. AWD Over all happy but a few issues to note 1.The car has an uncanny ability to suck in the exhaust from other vehicles, and it has nothing to do with the in cabin filter. 2.The design of the front seats. As the driver its almost impossible to reach under the seat to grab anything, and there is a cable that runs directly from the underbelly of the seat to the ground that eliminates passage. The passenger seat sits so low that even I feel like a kid in a car(Im 65) 4.Rattles. have fun going back and forth to the dealer getting all the rattles in the body panels shored up while under warranty 5.Transmission issues at 70K mi 6.Sterio

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  SO FAR GREAT CAR!! - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By ColoCubbie - September 23 - 12:53 am

  Went through the usual comparisons and narrowed it down to the Forrester XT and the Rav 4 six cylinder. Living at altitude in CO, I wanted an SUV that had some power to easily get up steep grades. I liked the look of the Forrester and the fact that the Subbie AWD felt superior to Toyotas 4WD. Of course the safety features also helped. Bought the Forrester and have 800 miles on it so far. No regrets at all. The turbo is a blast, the car rides extremely smooth and it looks great in Dark Gray Metallic. The only sacrifice is the extra cash for premium gas... which I balanced out by quitting lattes. Ive been getting 24 MPG in mixed driving which is better than most SUVs.

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  No problems here - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By nor327 - September 13 - 2:26 am

  I was motivated to write this review after reading reviews citing multitudinous problems. No rattles or breakdowns to report. Incredibly roomy inside given the small package outside. I dont think it is fair to cite as negatives the use of plastics or the sound system since those are attributes that can be evaluated in a test drive. I think this is a super automobile for the price point.

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  Little dissapointed - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By JLouie - September 10 - 11:13 am

  I bought my 2009 Subaru based on safety rating and new design. Im mostly happy with my purchase but several small improvements are needed: Three separate windshield cracks within the first six months! Most of my driving is done on I5 Hwy. I owned a Jeep for 10 yrs, and Jeep windshield are even more upright than the Subaru and you do get plenty of dings, but it didnt crack instantly. The paint is too thin as small rocks from the road takes chunks of paint off and I now have several rust spots on the front grill/hood area. Interior silver coat on the plastic interior door handle,etc. are easily scratched and same with exterior paint. Stereo and AC is weak.

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  Pleasantly surprised - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By oc22071 - August 19 - 2:40 pm

  This is my first Subaru purchase after owning mostly German cars. I got the forester to accommodate baby seat in the back and has plenty of room for front passenger even with rear facing baby seat. I would like to have the option of power front passenger seat but was not offered on any trim level.

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  Dont like my Subaru - 2009 Subaru Forester
  By Dave doesnt like - July 31 - 8:10 am

  I cant believe all the hoopla about the ride comfort of this vehicle. I have had mine for a month and recently took it on its first interstate trip. The ride quality was poor at best - deafening road noise where 2 of us in the front seats had to shout at each other constantly in addition to picking up every tar crack or road imperfection. Also exhibited wind noise at 55 MPH. As for the performance, the little 4 cylinder was constantly shifting and loud with every little grade we encountered. Im not talking about hills here. Maybe its the cheap Yokohama tires or they forgot to put insulation in mine. My 05 Merc Mountaineer on a truck frame was better.