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Appealing Forester Enhances its ‘Granola’ Reputation

Overview

I’ve heard many people refer to the Subaru Forester as a “granola” car, often seen in major granola zones like Boulder, Colo. Many people consider me sort of granola-ish, but I’ve never found the Forester appealing. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found it to be much more interesting than I had previously judged.

I believe that part of the Forester’s granola reputation comes from its go-anywhere attitude, which can be attributed to its standard all-wheel drive. I imagine a super-crunchy Forester owner could drive her car to a remote location and live quite the granola life, with only a tent, some jugs of water and some seedlings.

Obviously, most Forester owners are probably more like me, living a granola-light lifestyle that includes making earth-friendly choices, but still appreciating some of the finer things modern life offers.

In the 2009 Forester, Subaru has made an effort to appeal to the granola-light consumer who wants to have as much convenience and style as possible in a car that delivers good gas mileage, value pricing and the ability to get out of the ‘burbs at a moment’s notice.

Interior

One thing any self-respecting granola will tell you is that being flashy is a turn-off. Practicality and function win over style and luxury any day. That being said, those on the lighter side of the granola spectrum do appreciate a few creature comforts, as long as they don’t come at too great an environmental cost. Subaru knows this and has designed the interior to accommodate most people, regardless of their crunch factor.

My favorite interior feature is the Forester’s massive moonroof, which extends over the rear seat. This is no easy feat, as the rear seat features a lot of legroom for even the lankiest passengers. My kids loved being able to see the sky, and it made the car seem more roomy. Another very practical, albeit odd, feature was the rear passengers’ cupholders, which fold out of the center seat-bottom cushion. Obviously, it would be difficult to use if you had a third passenger in the backseat, but so would an armrest-type cupholder.

For the granola driver who still wants to take advantage of tunes, the center console has an auxiliary jack and a nifty adjustable console pocket that keeps your MP3 player within reach. Awesome, dude.

Exterior

Some of the biggest changes to the Forester have come in the exterior design. I really like its new look, which is more along the lines of a small SUV than its previous non-descript boxy design. Subaru also redesigned some of its smaller details, such as the headlamps, which are now more stylized.

I believe the exterior changes will still appeal to hard-core Forester fans, but they’ll also attract a whole new group of believers into the commune. People like me, who identify with all the practical granola-y aspects of the Forester (like value pricing), can now keep in touch with our more frivolous selves who really want to drive a cute car.

The one notable creature comfort that’s lacking is an automatic liftgate. I know it uses up some of that valuable energy my granola self wants to conserve, but it’s still pretty high on my must-have list.

Safety

I didn’t install a child-safety seat in the Forester, but I found that the Latch connectors were easy to access. The connectors are covered with a fabric tab when they’re not in use. Getting my kids buckled into their booster seats was a little more challenging because the Forester’s seat belt receptors were under where the booster naturally rests. My bigger kids had to scoot their booster seats over each time they got in the car.

That’s not a deal-breaker, as we’re nearing the end of booster-seat use, but if you’re about to move into booster territory you should probably test it before buying the Forester. The middle seat had a seat belt that pulls out of the cargo area roof, but thankfully the position of the deployed belt didn’t block my rear view at all. Tush room for the rear middle seat, however, was limited. (No teens between the boosters, please.)

I’ve already mentioned that the Subaru Forester’s all-wheel drive is a plus for its more crunchy fans — by allowing them to access their remote commune more easily – but the same system has proved a reliable safety feature for urban dwellers as well. Some other notable safety features include standard side-impact and side curtain airbags, a rollover sensor and a standard traction control system that Subaru calls Vehicle Dynamics Control.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the 2009 Subaru Forester a Top Safety Pick for 2008. That’s something everyone on the granola spectrum and beyond can appreciate.

*For more information on the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to editor@motherproof.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

Latch Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great

Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Some

Specs

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5x

Base price: $19,995

Price as tested: $24,064

Engine: 2.5L 4cyl

Fuel: 33/34 mpg

Length: 179.5″

Width: 70.1″

Ground Clearance: 8.7″

Turning Radius: n/a

Cargo space: 33.5 cu ft/68.3 cu ft

NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings

Frontal Impact

Driver’s side: 5 stars

Passenger’s side: 5 stars

Side Impact

Front occupant: 5 stars

Rear occupant: 5 stars

Rollover resistance: 4 stars