Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
2019 SUBARU FORESTER
Updated crossover model looks to remain a strong seller
ASHEVILLE N.C. >> For 2019 Subaru continues to upgrade their lineup, and this time it’s the fourth generation of the Forester.
This is a very important car for them, because it keeps trading places with the Crosstrek for the best-selling Subaru.
Subaru officials made it clear that this may be a new generation, but, “it is still a Forester.” Since it has been either the best or second-best seller for Subaru for a long time, Subaru wants to insure it keeps its fans happy. It’s good for us here that the majority of Foresters are sold in the U.S. because it means that product planners and designers need to satisfy this market more than any other.
It is built on the Subaru Global Platform and is the fourth vehicle built on it. says Todd Hill, the Forester line manager for Subaru of America. The others are the Impreza, Crosstrek, and Ascent. He also pointed out that the previous four generations of the Forester have each doubled sales in their lifespans. This generation hopes to do that again, and as good as sales have been for almost all Subaru vehicles, that doesn’t seem to be a stretch.
The exterior styling clearly still says “this is a Forester,” while at the same time looking fresher and new. The lines are more flowing, and the front face didn’t seem to be quite as “in your face” as the previous generation.
One thing Subaru has done is to make the vehicle slightly wider — with more usable width inside. It has traditionally been one of the narrower vehicles in it class. With the five inches of extra width in the front seats it really does feel more spacious.
Thanks to the extra width, particularly in the front of the cabin, it seems almost a size above its segment. The most noticeable thing about the new design is that the rear cargo hatch is significantly larger, making the space in back more useful.
Because of the front seat it really doesn’t seem like you are driving a smaller crossover. It just seems bigger. Its not just the width, and all the seats have enough legroom, and the rear seat is more comfortable than most.
The interior is clearly more premium, and its design is new. This is a quiet and even more sophisticated and technologically adept interior. On the dashboard there are three screens for required information, two on the center console and one between the dials on the instrument panel.
One of the coolest things is Subaru’s Driver Focus. This uses an infra-red camera which looks at the driver’s face and determines where the driver is looking and in what position their head is. if things aren’t right, then there will be warnings, so the driver can correct things.
But its more than a safety system. When a registered driver — and there can be five of them — gets in the car it will adjust the mirrors, seats and other preferences for them.
The sound system is good, and all the connectivity issues are straightforward — phones hook up easily and quickly, aps are ready to be used and the audio system is quite comfortable with disparate sources. The car comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Pandora integration, SiriusXM satellite radio, and two USB ports. If you want to upgrade the interior, you can have an eight-inch touchscreen and SiriusXM’s Travel Link as well as two more rear USB ports.
If you want the navigation system, then SiriusXM Traffic is available. The upgraded audio system is a nine-speaker, 576-watt Harman Kardon system the Forester can have a WiFi hotspot and its possible to remote-start the Forester. Since their TV commercials point out these are passed down through generations, they have Subaru’s young-driver functions including speed alerts and geofencing.
So being inside this Forester is a pleasant and familiar experience for the legion of Forester fans. It is quiet and even on roads not particularly smooth the Forester keeps the ride as comfortable as it can. As with many of the less expensive vehicles being introduced recently, this Forester seem more upscale than its price would indicate. Seems like a good thing to me.
The mechanicals of the Forester aren’t earth-shattering in pushing the powertrain and handling capability and technology along. This isn’t a car — or company — that thrives on revolutionary change. They’ve found a niche and are staying true to it.
That doesn’t mean the technology isn’t good. The car’s 2.5-liter flat four-cylinder “boxer” engine has been used in this car and others. Subaru officials say that it is quite updated, with many new parts, and I don’t doubt that. It is now a direct gasoline-injection engine and produces 182-hp. And 176 lb. ft. of peak torque, up a bit from the last generation.
The transmission is an upgraded continuously variable transmission which interestingly always has “shift points” as you accelerate. Subaru calls it a “stepped” with seven “bumps to replicate the feeling of gears shifting. This helps people overcome the irritation that many feel towards these gearless transmissions.
I found the electronically assisted steering to be noticeably good. The Forester handles the curves well, partly because of that and the suspension setup. All of this is helped by the placement of the engine, which because it is a “flat” engine moves the car’s center of gravity a bit lower, always good for handling.
There is plenty of technology to make this crossover safer, including their safety suite Eyesight which is standard on all models for this new generation.
This year Subaru is adding a Forester Sport. The big difference with this is that it looks more aggressive, and frankly more “hip.” It wears more edgy trim and bigger, more aggressive wheels and tires. The model lineup for the Forrester starts with a Base model, then the Premium, the Sport, the Limited and then the top-of-the-line Touring.
Starting prices run from $24,295 for the base model to $34,795 for the Touring. Subaru thinks their primary competition is the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4, and even the Ford Escape. The Forester is on sale already.