Monday, December 3, 2012

EARTHY CAR OF THE WEEK: Silver 2010 Subaru Forester 2.5X

2010 Subaru Forester 2.5X, Silver, Crossover SUV, 68313 mi, $14,995 http://bit.ly/TOUedz AWD, Mid-size, 4-spd automatic, MPG = 20/26

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INTRO: The Subaru Forester is a compact SUV that seats five, offers good cargo capability and excellent foul weather capability. The Forester competes with the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, though the Forester offers better handling than those two, on dry pavement but especially on wet pavement, snow, ice or dirt.

Subaru's all-wheel-drive system, which comes standard, gives the Forester outstanding traction and capability in foul weather and it's fully equipped with safety features. Forester achieved the best-possible five-star rating in all government crash tests, and a four-star rating for resistance to rolling over. Forester has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

FEATURES: Forester comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with single overhead cam rated at 170 horsepower. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 20/26 mpg City/Highway with automatic transmission.

Forester 2.5X ($20,295) comes with black or platinum cloth upholstery, air conditioning with rear vents and an air filtration system, a 60/40 split rear seat, sound system with single-disc CD, height and lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat, cruise control, rear window wiper, and a trailer wiring connector, and 16-inch steel wheels with wheelcovers.

DRIVING IMPRESSION: We found the Forester dazzling in its sure-footedness and comfortable ride, never once whimpering in the face of abuse. The suspension isn't firm but offers relatively long travel. There's 8.7 inches of ground clearance and good Yokohama Geolander tires with the 17-inch wheels.

The electronic stability control is programmed to allow the tires to spin a bit, under acceleration, so the throttle won't cut out on dirt roads. We tackled an awe-inspiring steep rutty hill, foot to the floor to climb the final 100 yards, and the Forester made it. A Honda CR-V couldn't come close on the same run.

SUMMARY: The Subaru Forester offers foul weather capability with its all-wheel-drive system and it excels on unpaved roads and in other less-than-perfect driving conditions. Forester is stable and rugged off road, while there are no harsh spots to the highway ride. Overall, the Forester compares favorably to the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and other compact SUVs.
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http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Model_Photos.aspx?year=2009&make=Subaru&model=Forester&action=Video&picturetab=video&file=b5aed505-c1d1-4d43-99aa-8b73a42ae0c3&videoId=b5aed505-c1d1-4d43-99aa-8b73a42ae0c3&from=sharepermalink&src=v5:share:sharepermalink:&from=mpl_en-us_mediaviewer

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