Subaru Forester (2009 - 2013) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Subaru professes that LOVE is a Subaru. A few minutes driving this small SUV will convince you of that. The Subaru Forester has the quiet, comfortable ride of a larger car; the quickness and agility of a sports sedan; and the ability to go almost anywhere with its all-time, all-wheel drive. Combined with its reputation for durability and longevity, your Forester should provide years of solid, reliable service. Great fit/finish, solid feel to all moving parts and good selection of interior fabrics/colors give this small subie a refined look. Whether driving up to the country club entrance or plowing through sand on the beach, the Forester looks and feels the part of a more expensive vehicle. Take it from a Honda CRV owner, Subaru makes a better Honda than Honda. Love the subie and it will love you back.May 19, 2012

I would have to say it's one of the most utiliarian vehicles that i've owned over the past years, this is our 3rd subaru so I can only say good things about reliability and over all performance and residual value. Best bang for your buck by any means. As for the down side I only have 1 gripe and that's the noise insulation from the road otherwise the vehicle would be perfect. Did someone say SNOW? ha!! never thought twice about going out even in a blizzard, as long as you put on snow tires, the Forester is UNSTOPPABLE!Sep 10, 2011

Great car to drive, lots of room for a stationwagon/SUV. Love the comfortable leather seats and large moon roof. Great resale value! Gas mileage in the 20s which is decent. Very attractive interior and exterior styling. Not happy with the "pinging" after turning the car off. Was told by the service department that it is just cooling down. It does it even if I travel only a mile or so. I have never had any vehicle sound like that.Mar 20, 2011

We bought the 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium. It is a V4 engine but has great acceleration ability. Mileage is about 25-27 in the City. The AWD is just great! It handles bumpy roads with ease. We love the large moon roof. The ride is surprisingly quite on the Hwy's even with an open moon roof. The passenger side front seat is lower than the driver front side but one gets used to it after a while. I wish the sound system was of better quality (available in more expensive options). It is one of the most sleek crossover available in the market. Over all we would rate this vehicle a ***** rating. Remember, Subaru's usually last forever. Its worth investing in one! Jul 19, 2009

this car is perfect for my husband. He is tall and gets plenty of head room. It is a nice car to drive, can't wait till we need the all wheel drive. plan to give it to my daughter in 10 yrs. Performance is great, and the suburu is a quality car that will last for miles. The new Forester body style is much nicer than the earlier models that I thought looked frumpy. Jul 16, 2009

To be honest, I have never once looked at a Subaru Forester until about 3 months ago. What once used to be what I considered a station wagon is now more SUV-looking than ever. Performance as always from Subaru is solid, with the Symmetrical All Wheel Drive System. Braking is superb, and the car handles like a charm. I've never had any issues with the build quality of the car, although when the music is played at full blast, the doors will do some rattling.... May need some dynamats. The styling of this car is great... The Subaru Accessory guide is great, with front/rear bumper guards, side skirts, spoilers, etc. The sound system that comes standard is not that great, but it can easily be modified and the standard head unit already has an output for an aftermarket sub. You can easily add on Subaru Tweeters and a Sub, or go for an aftermarket sub. Gas Mileage on a small-size SUV like this is pretty good... Considering the way I drive, i get about 22MPG, compared to my old ML320 that got 13MPG. Overall, this is a fun car to drive around townJun 16, 2009

Vehicle seems to be very solidly built. Feels a bit stiff when new but comes out of it around 500 miles and is quite quick in the turns. Vehicle seems to be very sure footed. Our Montana winter should prove that statement or not. Everything performs well but the stereo system could be a bit better even in the base model. The performance acceleration, braking and handling seem to adequate to excellent depending on the circumstances. Interior and exterior styling aren't bad but could have been a bit more SUV looking. It is a great improvement in rear seat room over previous models. Gas mileage is good but could have been better for the size of the vehicle. This vehicle is enjoyable to drive and the seats are quite comfortable.May 28, 2009

Traded in my 05 WRX for this car. The trade was painful but after driving the Forester, I am happy as the time I was driving the WRX. The new design is roomy and ergonomic. The heated seats are great in the winter and the leg room in the back is a great improvement over the old Forester and the WRX. Cargo space has been adequate and I recently moved a whole deck table and three chairs in one trip. The car drives with great handling and it is a lot of fun driving on gravel and off road. The only problem I'm having is the internal rattling in the dash area. I highly recommend this car to those who are about to start a family or are into the outdoors.Dec 01, 2008