2005 Subaru Forester Test Drive

The original crossover shows that it still fits like a glove.

By making minor update after minor update, Subaru has managed to bring an air of refinement to the Forester that, despite its looks, makes it quite appealing. And despite coming from Japan, it's not a cookie-cutter machine. The Forester is perhaps the best example of what a Subaru can be: a different-looking car... er... wagon... er... SUV... (oh, whatever! it's a vehicle with a can-do attitude. Price: $26,395. Warranty: 3 year/36,000 miles. Mileage: 22 city/28 highway._z_cars_z_);

First Glance

Okay, it may be refined but the Forester is just plain weird looking. Not weird looking like a 2-door Toyota RAV or me in a tie but it's almost as if the Forester is a car in puberty; sorta lanky for a car, yet not quite brawny like an SUV (hmmm, sounds more and more like me come to think of it). If you haven't seen the Forester in person, it's taller than most cars but not any longer. It's technically a compact wagon, smaller than most SUVs and full-size wagons but certainly not tiny like the name compact implies. But at first glance it's just funny looking. It grows on you quickly, however, and I came to think of it looking more capable than most cars people are driving around. Since it's a Subaru it comes with all-wheel-drive and the L.L. Bean edition that I tested came with fine, but not outstanding, leather seating. Entry into the front seat wasn't a problem but it's the rear seat egress that can cause some swearing, some groaning... heck maybe some embarrassment should you need to hop out to save Nicole Kidman (or George Clooney) from peril. Um... I'm not sure why you'd be in the back seat at that point but who's to say it's wrong if Nicole is involved?

In the Driver's Seat

The first thing I noticed was how smartly the dash and controls were laid out. The switches, knobs and handles felt solid and were easy to understand; even the 6-disc stereo was easy enough that I just kept the manual in the glovebox. The next thing I noticed is the amount of headroom. Good-for-a-winter-hat kind of generous. Then the sunroof. Mercy me! It's easily twice the size of any sedan's sunroof. In the Forester you'll sit higher than most cars but not as high as an SUV. It was one of the times where the Subaru fit me just right. I felt I was able to see and my ability to steer the thing in an emergency was not compromised (which as far as anyone knows, never happened). Storage for items one accumulates while in the car was good but not great. Nevertheless, all my stuff (wallet, keys, etc.) found a home. There's a little covered cubby on the top of the dash which is helpful but it's awkward to reach so I ended up just throwing stuff in there (maybe that was its intent). Once driving the Forester my (short) legs got fatigued -- the front seats need more thigh support. It wasn't awful but driving the Forester around made me aware of my final destination rather than enjoying the drive to it.

On the Road

There are almost no blind spots in the Forester because every window is quite large. Even sitting at a stoplight was more enjoyable because of the view. But the view wasn't so pleasant when merging onto the infamous BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) -- the Forester's 4-cylinder (165 horsepower, 166 pound-feet of torque) could have used more power as the 18-wheeler of death barrled down on us. We took the first exit we could. In fairness, the Forester did ride nicely on the highway but its acceleration could have used some help. And I'm not buying "it's because you had the automatic" excuse either. It's 2005 and time for that excuse to die (rather than us via the 18-wheeler). During that BQE merge, the Forester hesitated in down-shifting and then didn't have quite enough umph to push it ahead as quickly as we all would have liked. Driving around town we bobbed down rutted streets and the Forester handled well but we found the doors rattled some. The door windows don't have frames around them so perhaps that can account for it. We found the truck/hatch area easy to toss stuff into. There are two (in total) deep cubbies along the sides and four hooks to tie down your beer kegs... I mean your antique end table!

Journey's End

The 2005 Subaru Forester is a great introduction to what's really behind a Subaru. It shows off the reasons that people have a passion for Subaru rather than "it's just a car." The best part about the Forester wasn't something you could touch and it wasn't something you could add as an option. It was the feeling I had while in it. I felt safe and I felt like I'd be the guy called on if someone was stuck in the snow (preferrably Nicole Kidman). But nothing is perfect so we did find some short comings: the rear door and seat are too small for average to bigger adults (two across is best). And the front seat could use more thigh support. Finally, our L.L. Bean edition was pricey at over $27,000. That's no small amount of clams for a compact vehicle. We'd certainly work the dealer over before forking over our check. And that's a shame because this is the vehicle that most people need: it's the right size, offers the right capabilities and offers the safety amenities (and control) that make this right for most families.