Subaru Forester 2.0i-L

Generally speaking, our vehicles are capable of more than we put them through. While they’re perfectly happy going on the straight roads from our homes, to our offices, to the grocery store, when pushed, they can do amazing things. This holds even truer for Subaru’s Forester. A highly capable city vehicle, it’s capable of greater things that one might think. We got to take one out for a road trip well outside of the city limits to see what else the compact SUV is capable of.

- Ren Alcantara

DESIGN

The 2019 Forester has been updated with slight changes to the grille, a bit more cargo space, and a few tweaks here and there. Overall though, they’re clearly not changing a winning strategy, keeping much of the Forester the same. It maintains the high, confident stance that has made the marque great for both city and backroad driving, and long trips with the whole family. Our test drive was done in a very clean Crystal White Pearl, with subtle chrome accents here and there. The Forester is deceptively large for its class, but it’s not until you walk up to it that you’ll notice. The purposeful, upswept line that starts from the grille, to the rear of the SUV gives it a dynamic look, and the two-tone wheels rounds the image offnicely. It’s as good-looking as it has ever been, and is low-key enough not to get too much attention.

HARDWARE

The current Forester gets a 2.0 liter engine mated to a CVT to drive power to each of the four wheels. The DOHC, 16-Valve, Flat 4 lump delivers 156 PS at 6000 RPM, and 196 Nm of torque at 4,000 RPM. It might have a smaller, 1995cc displacement than the now-phased out 2.5 Turbo of the previous generation, but the numbers show that it’s still a very capable power plant.

Built upon Subaru’s Global Platform, the New Forester promises greater rigidity and strength, at less weight, and with better steering characteristics. The combination of the chassis and better handling characteristics make for a vehicle with superb handling and comfort.

One of the great extras included in our review vehicle is Subaru’s revolutionary Eyesight technology, which allows for a whole host of driver aids. This is one of the 2019 Forester’s greatest features, and something I personally enjoyed using a lot, but I’ll get into that in the meat of the review.

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