Now that crossover SUV’s have captured the hearts of U.S. automobile consumers, all automobile manufacturers have one on the market. However Subaru, an automobile manufacturer long known for it’s no frills approach to building a good, safe, low maintenance automobile, personifies the essence of practicality with the 2011 Subaru Forester. It’s not the prettiest, it doesn’t have the most bells and whistles, but it’s a good all around crossover.
The 2011 Subaru Forester has the full-time all wheel drive that Subaru’s are known for. Hence the popularity in Northeast and Midwest cities, due to snowy driving conditions, versus other parts of the country. However, hailing from the Southeast and having an opportunity to test drive the Forester in a torrential rain storm, I quickly developed an appreciation for the sure footedness of full-time all wheel drive. While we’re on the subject of handling, the Forester drove well under urban driving conditions. The majority of my driving was on the interstate and city streets. It felt a little light at times, but on a scale of 1 to 10, it gets an 8.
The 2011 Subaru Forester is powered by a 170 horsepower, 2.5L opposed DOHC engine. It was more than adequate for maneuvering through the city. This engine is also EPA friendly getting 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. You could readily feel the four-speed automatic transmission going into high gear once you reached highway speeds, increasing the Forrester’s fuel efficiency.
The 2011 Subaru Forester’s exterior is very angular with a boxy shape. The Forester is a blue collar crossover that’s ready to head to the Sierra’s for a rock climbing expedition, ready to take on the closest mountain ridge for a camping trip, or your nearest bike trail for a day of mountain biking. Fully equipped with racks on top and a notable 8.7 inches of ground clearance, this crossover more than thinks it can — it knows it can get the job done.
The Forester’s interior once again was roomy and functional. The controls are driver friendly and easily discernable. It is also void of the new symbols or indicators that make you ask, “what does that mean?” The 2011 Subaru Forester has a no nonsense basic feel for ease of use. The interior is roomy and feels like an SUV inside. However, I do have to mention how safe I felt in this vehicle. The Forester comes standard equipped with the Subaru Advance Frontal airbag system, front seat side airbags and side curtain airbags w/rollover sensor. It is obvious that the engineers at Subaru, adhere to the safety first principle. When you look at the total package at a base cost of $23,000, the 2011 Subaru Forester is not only a steal, but the clear cut, practical choice for the crossover SUV consumer. –al Weems
