2009 Forester..For the Subie Fan

This is not your Uncle Mary's Subaru. Having owned 16 Subies over the years, another 2 dozen in social circles and close to 1K sold to customers when I was still in Subie sales..this 09 Forester is a new animal.

I have been real happy with my 06 Legacy SE SW for the past two years, in that time I have put about 54K on her with narry a problem all the while getting in the upper 20's for MPG with or without the coffin and snowtires. My son had a 99 Forester and the out-laws have an 04 X prem +. This new Forester is about the same footprint as my 06 with more interior volume. I needed a car that fit my demo fleet (although I will need to find a low profile box) and still have the Subie reliability and perfect AWD. Would I have liked to have a 5 speed auto? Yep, especially since Subie has one in the parts bin. I would also liked the Turbo Diesel to be offered here, but that is 2 years away (more about that later). Sub brought back the reclining rear seats, there is a aux input and it still has the huge sunroof. For a 25Kish MSRP (X Premium, w/ auto) I really think Sub has a winner here.

My intention was to drive my 06 for another 2 years until the '11 TD Forester was released, but with Proskub sending his 99 Forester to an untimely demise and a super sick 24 month lease deal, it just made sense to investigate a new Forester. For those of you who understand leases..24 months....74% resid for 15K/yr and a .0024 MF, ad in an extra .10/per mile to adjust for a 25K mile a year lease...it doesn't pay to buy.

Other than NEEDING a stick with a turbo, I am not sure why someone would buy a current generation Outback over this car. They done good.

We've seriously been thinking subie for our next purchase.
I may have to take one for a test drive.
When you picking yours up?

In a week or so.

the residual is pretty good, but the money factor is mediocre. Basically it translates to an interest rate of 5.75%.

Pretty good??? 74% is awesome for a 15K base lease. I will pick up a .0024 MF, which really isn't that bad, I have seen .0040 (and .00001)

I don't know. I bought a 2007 WRX last May and got 2.9% financing on it. Made sense for me to buy.

Very nice -- I think this is going to be a home run for Subaru. I have been wanting them to move the Forester over to the Legacy platform for a long time. Make sure to post some pics when you get it!

Well . . . your are correct in that 74% residual value is outstanding. The 36 months lease is around 62% residual value which is also great.

We saw the new Forrester on display at Vail last week. It looks like a Subie on roids. The look is great, and I'm sure the mojo is there to back it up.

We bought 2 near-new Outbacks prior to moving to CO last September. They're awesome vehicles, and can climb walls (best 4WD I've driven).

'Course, in Colorado, it's almost legally required to own a Subie. When we were checking-out the place, we noticed 6 out of 10 cars in local parking lots were Subaru's.

The only downside to our Outbacks, is a tad less power than I'd like on 8,000' + elevation roads. If I had to do it over, I'd get turbos. Up here, it's a necessity.

Do you know what the fuel economy is like for the Forester for litres per 100km?

Hey Phil, I'm on my second Forester, and I love it, but there's just not enough room in the back seat. With child seats installed, you can't push the front seats back all the way. I was thinking about leasing an Outback, as I have the feeling there's slightly more backseat room. Not true?

Little Forester story for the fans: Biggest/lowest snowstorm of the last few years, dumped about 4 meters over a day and a half, starting right at sea level all the way up to our village at 1500 meters. A hairy ride up a very treacherous road on Friday night in our ageing Forester, which we've been thinking of replacing. People chaining up, traffic building as some cars, even 4x4s, can't make it. Me sweating bullets, 'cause I've got neither chains nor snowtires (legally, you have to have one or the other here, even with a 4x4). I'm behind a new-looking Volvo XC that keeps skidding out, barely advancing. It's taking hours, but we never slide, even with the stop and start traffic on steep, steep, slippery winding terrain (this is a road you wouldn't believe. More like a horse track). At a certain point, the Carabinieri, paramilitary police, come down from Madesimo to sort things out... in matching blue and red Foresters. Nearly two and a half hours to do the mtn road which usually takes 20 minutes, not a word said between my wife and me. We finally pull up to our condo, look at each other, and say, "we're getting another Subaru."

i am driving a 2005 Forrester and like it alot. the Engine is plenty powerful for highway cruising and makes a great ski car.

I know it;s a heavy vehicle but the only thing that mildly disappoints me is that as a 4 cyl engine, wish I got even better gas mileage than the 20 city/25 mph highway I get now. Wish they would offer a I6 or maybe a Turbo Diesel sometime in the future as well.

Congrats Phil! good job and post the pics on the new hart mobile when you can. The new desing looks much less "grocery getterish" good job. Any chance of getting some custom paint; heart attack-red?

I might have to check them out. The lease on my wife's Grand Cherokee is up in September and I have been checking out replacements. Its hard to stomach the 14-15 MPG she gets going back and forth to work. She doesn't want a "regular" car because she likes to sit up high but there was a glimmer of hope the other day when she saw an Outback and said she liked it. I will say this, the Grand Cherokee is the best thing I have ever driven in the snow. Of course I have yet to drive a Subaru so that is subject to change.

We have an 03 Grand Cherokee. It was a huge adjustment from my slighly lowered 1994 Jetta. The handling is a lot different! But man, that thing can swallow a TON of gear! I have the 4.0 and on trips to VT, easlily eek out 20-21mpg on the highway. I needed something beefy since I use it to tow my ATV.

The new Forester has noticeably more rear legroom. They lengthened the car by several inches and it almost all went into the back seat. The old one was just too small inside for me, which is why I just picked up an Outback a few months ago. I still like the Outback better, mainly 'cause of the interior. I really think the Outback interior is a noticeable step up from even the new Forester. I know that doesn't matter to some, and for those, I agree that the Forester is currently a better choice, probably. We'll see what the new Outback brings when it comes out, though. I can't remember if that's supposed to be this fall or not.

I will have to find a new box for the top though. The Yakima Skybox is about 3" too tall. Will look for an Immo or Packasport low profile.

We ran a 36 mo also, they payment was actually a few dollars higher.

I'm interested. Can anyone here recommend a Subaru dealer?

telerod, try fitzmall.com, they have a couple locations in the DC area. No haggle invoice pricing is typical for them. I bought my 05 OB XT there for a couple hundred under invoice about a month after they came out.

jaobrien, the next Legacy/Outback refresh will be an all new 2010 model, should be out in the summer of 09. I don't follow Subaru news much anymore, but rumor was that the Leg/OB was going to get bigger, more along the lined of the Tribeca (itself an enlarged Legacy platform). Seems like Subaru is upsizing all models.

There will be a dealer preview of the 10 Sub this summer. I am sure pics will get leaked not much after that.

Haha. I thought this thread was started by a Subaru dealer. My post was a joke. Didn't you see the smilie? I am definitely not interested in owning a car. Cars are coffins. Drivers are hostile and retarded. Filthy polluters.

Is proskub inheriting your yak?
Maybe you've covered this but, whats the ground clearance for this Forrester?

Will sell the yak. Clearance is in the 8.4" range IIRC.

I stopped by a dealership with the wife Friday evening. She wasn't too keen on the Outback but did like the Forester. So I guess we will have to take one for a drive. I really like the looks of the Tribeca but then we get in to the same situation with sub-20 mpg fuel economy.

Phil, did you go with the 'Baby on Board' sign or the 'I'm not a lesbian...but my girlfriend is' sticker? Those are standard equipment with the forester, no?

I have a spare FKNA sticker

I'm not sure I'd want a diesel engine...costs more to buy, weighs more, slower, fuel system repairs are much more expensive, and the fuel is more expensive. Fuel mileage would be better, but not enough to outweigh these negatives for me.

The new Forester looks pretty good. I don't know why they designed the original Tribeca to look like a fugu. I'm waiting for a new Outback that carries a much as a Tribeca, drives like a WRX, and gets Highlander Hybrid mileage.

Will go with the local issue:

88.5 XPN
and
"Apple"

stickers.

How about 'Women..there not just for men any more.."

or

"Women...it's whats for breakfast"