The year was 2004, and it was the year of the first Subaru turbocharged Forester XT. They introduced this marvelous crossover to the world, and in doing so placed itself right in the middle of the heavily competitive world of the crossover and sports utility vehicle segment. A segment that was controlled for the most part by brands like Jeep, Ford and even Nissan. Back in the days of the crossover dinosaur era, which was just about 10 years ago now, the V6 engine was the choice, but now with many in the auto industry making strides towards fuel-efficiency it is hard for the V6 engines to even compete. This shift to the four-cylinders has nearly made the V6 extinct.
Tindol Subaru reports in their review of the 2014 Subaru Forester that there aren’t really any comparatives when you look at the Forester. Even more so when you look at the XT Touring trim level. It is noted that this great CUV will come with 10-way power seats, leather seats at that, a navigation system with beautiful display, and a HD radio—just to name a few. For years the Impreza, and Legacy for the most part have caught the attention of many buyers looking for an all-wheel drive Subaru, the tide has turned and the Forester and other SUV and CUV models are catching the attention of drivers.
Looks are one thing, but what most people care about when they purchase a vehicle is its performance. How does it accelerate? Well the XT trim with its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is expected to produce as much as 250-hp, thus making it one of the more powerful crossovers on the current market. Now this great performance engine is only a 2.0-liter, meaning compared to older SUVs that util6 engines in the 3.0 to 3.6-liter range, the problem now is how agile is it? With a very low curb weight of just about 3,500 pounds, with its all-wheel drive the Subaru Forester handles remarkably well.
As the automotive industry continues to add to the crossover segment, there isn’t a clear winner of the segment, but the 2014 Forester surely makes a statement worth looking into.