Pleasantly Surprised

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been one for Subaru as I have always felt they were highly overrated, I mean they push out a few rice burners and then everyone becomes a fan boy? Granted, they have definitely made some durable vehicles in the past that were capable of taking a serious beating and maybe their off road vehicles have survived some impressive feats. However, whenever I would get behind the wheel of a post-1998 Subaru there was still this unshakeable feeling of utter cheapness. Maybe it was the excessive plastic feel, maybe it was how the car handled, maybe it was a lot of things but regardless it still felt cheap.

That all changed when I climbed into the 2017 Subaru Forester 2.0XT Premium.

The Forester really was an enjoyable experience; it was comfortable, there were very few blind spots, it was quick and being the family man that I am I felt that there was plenty of elbow room for everyone. The most important discovery of all however was that unlike many other Subarus I’ve encountered, this one felt sturdy and well built. Nothing about this car felt cheap and I loved that.

Now one of the interesting things about this particular type of Forester is that it is the XT package meaning it’s got the same engine and maneuvering ability as the WRX. It also means that it’s bigger, it’s faster and it has way more get up and go then any of the 2.5i options. With that being said the fuel economy is not as good in the XT however when you are quickly and comfortably passing people whilst going up hill, you’ll do so with a smile on your face and little to no regret for the amount of fuel you are guzzling.

In further regards to the driving experience, as I previously mentioned it is comfortable and there are a lack of blind spots but on top of that it is also very quiet due to the noise insulating glass Subaru recently started installing.
Another nice unexpected feature is the size of the backseat, I’m 6’3″ and I fit back there comfortably so if you plan on shuttling people around they should fit just fine. Last point in regards to the experience, Subaru is making a larger effort to turn the Forester, especially the touring edition, into a luxury vehicle and with that many features are included such as heated seats, back up cams, large sun roofs, quality sound systems and so on.

In regards to the mechanics behind it all, the Subaru Forester 2.0XT Premium comes with a 2.0L Turbo 4-cylinder engine with a 6 speed CVT (so sorry to all you standard lovers, a stick is not presently an option for this vehicle however paddle shifters are included.)

To sum it all up, the Forester is an awesome car and the 2.0XT makes it that much more awesome. In all honesty, my only complaint is that the sunroof is almost too massive which is cool in theory however to close the shade you better have orangutan arms to reach it when it’s all the way back.

So if you’re looking for a larger family vehicle that can still provide a life of adventure and can be easily found for under $30k, the Subaru Forester and in particular the 2.0XT Premium might just be the car for you.