Long a favorite utilitarian tool of such tucked away burgs as Stowe, Vermont, and Carbondale, Colorado, Subaru has in recent years made a dramatic push towards the mainstream. The automaker has focused on selling a broad range of cars in big markets where all-wheel-drive and heated windshield wipers aren’t a priority. Places like Atlanta and Dallas, where any visions of ancient snow-covered Subarus are but a distant memory of a vacation up north.

When it was introduced in 1998, Subaru’s Forester helped redesign the then-burgeoning small SUV/tall wagon market. It was squat compared to a Toyota RAV4 or a Honda CR-V, but it offered a taller seating position than Subaru’s tremendously successful Outback (itself a jacked up Legacy wagon, though the Legacy is now only sold in the United States as a sedan). Subaru gave the Forester a few minor facelifts along the way, most notably the addition of the WRX’s turbocharged boxer four-cylinder. Fast forward more than ten years and the Forester was looking old; time for an all-new, redesigned 2009 model. Can this new model help define the future of the market like the first iteration did?

What is it?
No longer a tall wagon, the Forester is now more of a squat cute ‘ute. Standing about 66 inches tall, it’s shorter than most of its competition and it looks it. Based on the 2008 Impreza, it is offered only with all-wheel-drive and a choice of two engines, a 170-horsepower flat four and a turbocharged 224-horsepower variant pulled from the WRX. The base four of the 2.5X hooks up to a five-speed manual with hill-incline assist. Optional on the 2.5X and the only available transmission on the turbocharged 2.5XT is a rather dated four-speed automatic with a manual shift mode using the shift lever.

Subaru has dropped the price of the base model about $1,200 for the fully redesigned 2009 model. The 2.5XT we tested is the least expensive turbocharged model at $26,195.

What’s it up against?
The Forester goes up against the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Kia Sorento, Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4. That’s tough competition given that nearly all of those models have been recently revamped or redesigned in the last two years.

Any breakthroughs?
There’s really nothing new here. The Forester’s turbocharged engine is a winner, but mating it to a mere four-speed automatic in a world of five and six-speeds neuters it a bit.

How does it look?
Penned by Subaru chief designer Mamoru Ishii, the Forester reminds us a bit of a pug. A faux painted skid plate (Camellia Red on our tester) gives its snout an upturned look. Otherwise, it’s fairly generic looking, though certainly inoffensive. On its own, the Forester appears to have standard small SUV proportions, but when parked next to a “real” SUV, the Forester seems to have more in common with its forbearer.

Turbocharged models are differentiated by unique wheel designs and an attractive, functional hood scoop.

It’s worth noting that the tinted glass, 17 inch alloy wheels, roof rack and fog lights of our test car are all missing on the value-leader 2.5X, giving the base car that “base model” feel so many carmakers have sought to avoid. But that’s the price you pay for a sub-$20,000 Forester.

And inside?
If you’ve been in the latest Impreza, things will look very familiar here. Both cars feature the same dashboard style that mounts the radio up high and has large, sweeping trim panels descending towards the center stack. Our test car was fortunately devoid of the confounding navigation system we’ve experienced in several Subarus of late, instead featuring an in-dash 6 CD changer. Of particular note were the attractive, Cocoa mat-esque grey and black floor mats, which not only look good but will resist the appearance of wear – a very old-school Subaru-style feature and one of few features that will make Subaru-loving Vermonters at home.

It’s a pleasing enough interior, though hardly inspiring. Materials appear to be of high quality, but only when touched do they reveal their budget build. The dash top, in particular, has a nice matte finish but feels rough to the touch. At this fairly hefty price – and with the XT’s vague sporting intentions – we’d expect to see leather wrapping the otherwise nicely contoured steering wheel and the gear lever. Pretty basic instruments don’t even include a coolant temperature gauge; instead, the Forester has a blue light that flicks off when the engine is up to operating temperatures.

The driver sits high in the cabin, though not as high as many SUV buyers will expect. The seat is height-adjustable via a manual lever but lacks lumbar adjustment. Again, we think that a power seat should be part of the package in this price range. The passenger’s seat is mounted entirely too low to the ground and isn’t adjustable.

In the back seat, the cushions are mounted a bit low, but passengers will find a drop-down armrest, lighted cup holders and reclining seat backs. Legroom is acceptable and entry/exit is good, thanks in part to the low ride height. The nicely finished cargo area lacks a standard cover but does include a power outlet.

What the Forester really lacks inside is pizazz. Too many expected features are missing or are just average: The supposedly “premium” stereo that always sounds tinny, the unlit visor mirrors and the cheap headliner all scream base model. This is a competitive segment where features like these can and will win over buyers. Our suggestion to Subaru is to take a hint from Hyundai and Kia and up the equipment levels without upping the price tags. That the Subaru is assembled in Japan likely doesn’t help its value equation given exchange rate fluctuations.

Oddly, the non-turbo 2.5X with the Premium package, which starts at $22,495 with the enthusiast-friendly five-speed manual, comes with the same standard trim features as the 2.5XT and also offers a few luxuries as options, like heated seats, that aren’t available with the turbo.

But does it go?
Around town, the turbocharged Forester is docile and smooth, never lacking in power. Give it some gas and it’ll really go – turbo lag is pronounced but not unacceptable for it adds a touch of character to a so far rather dull vehicle. We do wish the flat-four would make some less-industrial sounds underhood, but it was mostly quiet and well-behaved, idling quite smoothly and only growling at high speeds. We’ve grown to enjoy this motor in the WRX and even the Forester’s extra weight doesn’t greatly penalize perfromance.

The standard four-speed automatic transmission shifts pleasingly firmly, especially in sport mode. With only four gears on offer, we didn’t see much need to play with the manual shift gate, though it works as well as it does in any car.

The Forester rides well and has a stiff body structure, though we did notice a few trim rattles in our admittedly 10,000 journalist mile test car.

Natural steering feel delivered through the steering wheel made the Forester a pleasure to drive around town. A firm but reasonably compliant ride swallowed up even the biggest bumps with ease. Only when the road got curvy did things get a little nautical; the Forester sways from side to side much more than its predecessor did and much more than we’d expect a car with Subaru’s rally heritage to do.

On the highway, the Forester was tossed around a bit by wind and large trucks, though not excessively. It was a loud place to spend time, however, thanks to constantly audible tire roar.

Practically speaking, we averaged about 18 miles per premium-grade gallon in the Forester over a week of mixed highway and city driving. The Forester’s built-in trip computer curiously only registers average fuel economy in steps of 0.3 miles per gallon.

Why you would buy it:
You’re a Subaru faithful who wants all-weather capability in a rugged and powerful package.

Why you wouldn’t:
You’re turned off by the Forester XT’s remarkably poor value. We love power as much as you do, but not when it commands a nearly $3,000 premium to move from good (non-turbo) to very good (turbo) performance in this price-sensitive market.

2009 Subaru Forester XT base price, $26,195. As tested, $26,955.
Floor mats, $95; Destination, $665.

Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.

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