2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three - Jalopnik Comments

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

MountainMan41 — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:36:52 EDT

We just purchased an '09 in the basic package. We did not opt for the complete upgrades necessary to get the cold weather package but are going to install aftermarket seat warmers (had them on our '99).

Question: Is there an aftermarket cargo bay cover? We liked having a place to put stuff out of sight with our '99 when we were parked. Don't slam me if Subaru dealers sell them. I saw this site before I had a chance to ask them.

Oh, yes. Here in Oregon we had one of the biggest hippie towns (population 7000 in 1984 or 1985, it was actually incorporated)-- The City of Rajneeshpuram. The younger folks will probably have to look that up on Wikipedia. By the way, the Bhagwan was a Rolls Royce man.

MountainMan41

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Matthew DeBord — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:34:57 EDT

@PhoneticLorin:

debord@jalopnik.com

Matthew DeBord

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Euromobile — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:47:35 EDT

@Matthew DeBord: Sorry, I just had another look at the comments on Part Two and see that you did answer the question in more detail. Going by what you said, I'm not totally put off. I'll check one out when they hit the showrooms.

Euromobile

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

elwood — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:39:19 EDT

@ash78: Yeah, that would be very convenient. Ride height rocks when you need it, not so much when you don't.

elwood

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Euromobile — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:16:45 EDT

Thanks for finally answering my question about the interior, even if it was in a throwaway one-liner. Make mine a Tiguan.

Euromobile

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

CEman — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:35:59 EDT

@skaspy:
So why do they have a somewhat conservative Republican Gov.?

CEman

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

boognish — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:35:25 EDT

I think Subaru should offer a more "butch" offering, for just the reasons the author of the article makes painfully clear. Even though this car is a great buy, everyone assumes there is a rainbow flag or pink triangle sticker on the back of it. Jack it up, give it bigger meats, a wider stance... call it the Craig edition.. oh wait..

boognish

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

skaspy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:45:07 EDT

Oh and I forgot, Island Performance made this "STI Forrester" you speak about. I raced him the other day. and lost.

skaspy

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

skaspy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:44:20 EDT

Hate to say it but I live in Vermont and even out in the rural areas, liberal politics dominate.

And so do WRX's!

skaspy

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Ash78 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:31:22 EDT

@elwood: I was also thinking that air suspension would be the awesomest $2k-$3k option on this car. Imagine 3" of adjustable ride height, on the go.

Ash78

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Wes Siler — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:27:21 EDT

omfg guys, it was a joke. Even fat, rich republicans, who can take enough time away from stealing oil money from Iraqis, would like this car if they gave it a chance.

Wes Siler

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

elwood — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:32:20 EDT

I would be all over a Forester STI replica. STI motor, 6 speed manual, and some aftermarket ride height adjustable coilovers, so you can lower it down in the summer when you don't need the clearance under your summer tires, and raise it up in the winter to fit the snow tires. There's nothing wrong with a practical, fast, and good handling car, no matter your political orientation.

elwood

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

CEman — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:21:55 EDT

Vermont gave us the Great John Buffum
[www.libraracing.com]

CEman

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Neener — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:19:33 EDT

Matt wrote this?
Politics + Cars = Consumer Reports. Aim higher.

Neener

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

PhoneticLorin — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:16:36 EDT

@Matthew DeBord: Can do. What's the email?

PhoneticLorin

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Unregular — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:39:53 EDT

@farcedude: but farcedude:

"Alaska is often characterized as a Republican-leaning state with strong Libertarian tendencies."

soooo... how can that be?

Unregular

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

danio3834 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:39:04 EDT

Perhaps a Subaru Forester vs. KILLDOZER shootout is in order...

danio3834

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

farcedude — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:31:21 EDT

Having been born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, I'd have to say that these and the Subaru Legacy/Outback wagon are standout favorites, due to their ability to go anywhere their ground clearance will let them, in any weather.

farcedude

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

MikeHerbst — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:29:38 EDT

I'd have to disagree with the "Tuner Crowd: No" rating.

Lots of Forester XT's getting modded up out there in the world. FXT's with STi 6-speeds, or boosted turbos, etc. are getting pretty common.

The lego-like platform sharing nature of Subarus makes them pretty tuner-friendly, so there are lots of Forester guys fitting Impreza bits, etc.

MikeHerbst

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

workingonyourinvoice — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:22:16 EDT

@my favorite car is a motorcycle: The hippies didn't move to the sunny warm south. That's crazy talk. They love the rugged. I don't know what part you live in, but where I've lived, the more hardships in your life - whether it be dirt roads becoming impassable in the winter, no tv, 30 year old saab/volvo/subaru, or number of wild animals spotted within 30 ft of living room window - the higher your social status.

workingonyourinvoice

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Unregular — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:20:01 EDT

@TexansAreHot: phew thanks. i'm not really angry. just trying to keep my resale value up!

Unregular

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

TexansAreHot — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:17:23 EDT

@Unregular: Breathe in slowly... it'll be okay, I swear. Just think of the conversation between Lisa and Marge in The Simpsons Movie and paraphrase it to include Subies:

Lisa: But they won't see my point! I'm so angry!
Marge: You're a Subaru owner. You can keep it inside forever.

TexansAreHot

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Mad_Science — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:16:09 EDT

@my favorite car is a motorcycle:
[www.penny-arcade.com]

Mad_Science

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

my favorite car is a motorcycle — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:12:54 EDT

Thanks, Proscriptus, for inserting a bit of reality to the discussion. Vermont is a rugged place, so most hippies moved to the sunny warm south decades ago.

Everyone i know who drives a Forester does so because it's a highly capable AWD car, a discount version of the A4 Avant. Political and lifestyle have absolutely nothing to do with it.

Why has the internet become a pathetic bog pit of stereotypes, half-truths, and blatant smear campaigns proliferated by ignorant but loud plebians?

my favorite car is a motorcycle

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Joetimek — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:11:27 EDT

So I'm not buying this. Thanks! Makes my life a whole lot easier.

Joetimek

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Unregular — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:09:58 EDT

@dculberson: please don't tell me to relax. it makes me SO ANGRY!!!

yes, that should have been why you SHOULD buy it. and it's still wrong, in my opinion.

instead of the CRV, Rav4, and X3 - what you need to compare the Forester XT to is all of the OTHER 220hp/220ft.lb., AWD, 8.7" ground clearance, 5 Star front/side crash results, ~60cf cargo volume, moonroof, 6-cd, leather, etc., etc., blah, blah blah, cars out there that go for $26K.

Unregular

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

CEman — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:07:28 EDT

@petersterncan:
Same here. I am from Vermont originally. I kind of find some of the posts a bit offensive actually. Can we stick to talking about cars please?

I have a 2001 Forester and I think it is a great car. Good performance. Good space. The thing is awesome on the highway.

CEman

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

smoke~ — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:06:43 EDT

@ash78:

I've owned both and I throughly enjoyed cruisin' around the universities with right wing bumper stickers and a "Eat More Possum'" front license plate!

smoke~

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

dculberson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:59:37 EDT

@Unregular: You misquoted.. It was why you should... and here you're "preaching to the choir" so to speak. They said they liked the car. Relax.. it'll be okay.

dculberson

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Unregular — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:37:49 EDT

Honda CR-V:
Top of the line 4WD EX-L STARTS at $26,700: 166-hp, 2.4-Liter, 16-Valve DOHC i-VTEC® 4-Cylinder Engine...
so for 90 less horsepower you get a jellybean with ambiant lighting at the same price.

Toyota Rav4: again, a 166hp 4-cyl engine STARTS at $26,500...
OR you can get this very nice top-end engine: 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve SFI Dual VVT-i V6; 269 hp @ 6200 rpm/246 lb.-ft. @ 4700 rpm....
which starts at $28,605. and then you add 6-cd changer, heated leather seats, and a moonroof (all on the Forester) and you get $30,750. and it looks like a Toyota.

and the X3 - 3.0L I6 260HP - starts at $38K.

Unregular

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

grzydj — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:34:51 EDT

You did nail the demographics pretty well. The vast majority of vehicles I see parked at trailheads are of course Subarus.

grzydj

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Proscriptus — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:30:37 EDT

Vermont's also full of car guys, and of course the best Subaru tuners in the world. And VWs break down at the drop of a hat, whereas Subies don't need an oil change until the 250,000 mile mark.

Ever try to start a diesel at 30 below? Yeah...no.

Proscriptus

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Unregular — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:22:03 EDT

Why you shouldn't: You would sooner saw your right arm off with a rusty tree saw than vote Republican.

that is seriously ridiculous.

Unregular

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Ash78 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:18:52 EDT

@flightofthesuperbees: You could probably make one yourself pretty easily with WRX aftermarket goodies. Probably be a lot cheaper than the "STi premium," too.

Didn't Subie recently sell a version of this with hp in the high 200s? A 0-60 in 5.4s version called the GT?

Ash78

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Unregular — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:18:30 EDT

I absolutely disagree with your who should and shouldn't buy this car.

This thing is a little cargo-hauling torque monster at a great price and great build with possibly the best AWD system in the world...

The only people who SHOULDN'T buy it are complete status snobs who deserve spending 2X as much for the same specs (or less) and whos decision-making skills I wouldn't trust with the most basic of life choices.

Unregular

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

flightofthesuperbees — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:12:33 EDT

we need the forester sti.

flightofthesuperbees

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

workingonyourinvoice — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:11:48 EDT

@prndl: You and George W. I hear they've got a warrant to arrest him should he ever set foot there.

Definitely go there during the summertime. It's insanely great. And the roads are usually repaved like every two years because of the winters, so lots of great drives are possible.

workingonyourinvoice

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Ash78 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:10:33 EDT

@PhoneticLorin: Swedish EU secessionist movement? :D

Ash78

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Matthew DeBord — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:55:27 EDT

@cgarison:

It's definitely hoonable--not that I'm recommended such behavior. I think it also has a great driver control-to-overall value ratio.

Matthew DeBord

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Matthew DeBord — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:53:11 EDT

@PhoneticLorin:

I'd like to see a picture of that.

Matthew DeBord

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

cgarison — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:45:55 EDT

BTW... Did anyone notice the weight of this car compared to the torque. I bet this car really hauls ass when push comes to shove. I wonder what all those pot smoking, hippie communist homosexuals in VT would think with me hooning around in one of these.

Based on the review, I should be looking at this car for the GranMa replacement, but I definitely fit more into the category of those who be a purchaser except for the fact that my first ride was a Subie. And I would have been the poster boy for Subaru abuse had YouTube been around in 1992.

cgarison

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

PhoneticLorin — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:42:39 EDT

@ash78: I'm one also!
One family in my neighborhood has 2 Volvos with Confederate flag stickers on the back. It's disorienting, to say the least.

PhoneticLorin

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

petersterncan — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:36:27 EDT

I like Vermont.

petersterncan

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Ash78 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:32:11 EDT

I'm a red-state libertarian with so-called "conservative" (personal) social values. I think it's a great car. But I ignore advertising and brand image a lot.

The only brands I associate with any political views are SAAB (all caps) and Volvo, which have a 75% chance of having either a "blue dot in a red state" sticker or the old standby "John Kerry 04". The rest of the brands run the gamut around here, even the big trucks and SUVs.

Ash78

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

prndl — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:28:40 EDT

@DoctorNine:

So that means your in . . . Vermont? I get it. I have been to 49 states guess which one I missed. I tried to get my wife to go out of the way last summer when we were at Niagara Falls, way out of the way :-)

prndl

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

TPSreports — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:23:59 EDT

Do you really think a Vermont commie homo pothead hippie is going to pick this over a VW Jetta diesel wagon that's bio-Willie capable?

TPSreports

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

FreeMan — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:23:14 EDT

Funny, based on your evaluation of the Forester, it sounds like something I'd be interested in looking at for a vehicle purchase, and yet, I don't fit any of your "Who should buy this car" criteria. Well, I am annoyed at the sight of a Suburban (cause I can't see around it, not because of its fuel consumption), not sickened.

FreeMan

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

DoctorNine — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:21:43 EDT

@workingonyourinvoice:
A communist, a homosexual, a pothead and a hippy walk into a bar...

DoctorNine

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Mad_Science — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:20:54 EDT

So...Vermont isn't full of communists and homosexuals?

Mad_Science

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

Spence — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:13:11 EDT

I'm moving to Vermont!

Spence

2009 Subaru Forester, Part Three

workingonyourinvoice — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:11:24 EDT

Not so much communists and homosexuals. More like potheads and hippies.

workingonyourinvoice