Our 2019 Subaru Forester Sport test car.Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
- The Subaru Forester is all-new for 2019.
- The Forester is one of the best-selling compact crossover SUVs in the world and competes against the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and the Nissan Rogue.
- The new fifth generation Forester is powered by a 2.5-liter, 182 horsepower, boxer-four-cylinder engine.
-
The base Forester starts at $24,295, while the top-of-the-line Touring starts at $34,295. Our mid-grade Sport trim test car starts at $28,795. With options and fees, our Forester came to an as-tested price of $31,815.
- We were impressed with the Forester’s solid feel, great cabin ergonomics, standard all-wheel-drive, and an impressive suite of safety technology.
- We were underwhelmed by the Forester’s naturally aspirated powertrain and rough-around-the-edges demeanor.
The compact crossover SUV is a force to be reckoned with. The Subaru Forester has long been a leader in the segment.
Launched in 1998, the Subaru Forester was part of the initial wave of modern compact crossovers to reach the US market. Since then, the segment and SUVs, in general, have absolutely exploded in popularity. So much so that major automakers like Ford and General Motors have announced plans to ax the bulk of their passenger models.
According to data from Kelley Blue Book, nearly 3.1 million compact SUVs rolled off US dealership lots over the first ten months of 2018, equating to roughly one in every five vehicles sold.
And the public’s demand for these cars seems to be nothing less than insatiable with sales up more than 12% during that same period.
Read more: We drove a $46,000 Subaru Ascent SUV to see if it’s ready to challenge Honda, Toyota, and Ford — here’s the verdict.
The Forester is a lynchpin in Subaru’s lineup. The crossover has consistently been its second best-selling model behind only the Japanese brand’s signature Outback off-road wagon.
For 2019, Subaru is back with a new fifth-generation Forester and it already seems to be a hit. In its first full month on the market, the 2019 model pushed Forester sales up 19% over the previous year.
Recently, Business Insider was able to spend a week with a 2019 Subaru Forester Sport in Crystal Black Silica. The base Forester starts at $24,295 while the top-of-the-line Touring starts at $34,295. Our mid-grade Sport trim test car starts at $28,795. With options and fees, our Forester came to an as-tested price of $31,815.
Here’s a closer look at the 2019 Subaru Forester Sport.
We were impressed with Starlink’s simple, straightforward layout as well as it’s high feature content.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
So, what’s it like to drive?
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
Slow, but quite good in every other regard.
The biggest issues with the Subaru Forester is the lack of power. The naturally aspirated engine simply doesn’t have to juice to haul the 3,400-pound SUV around, especially if its loaded with people and cargo.
The Forester struggled mightily on highway on-ramps. The CVT worked hard to keep the engine in the meatiest part of its powerband, but it could only do so much. We did eventually find some speed, but it took a while. The powertrain just didn’t feel eager to perform, even in Sport mode. In fact, the 9.6-second 0-60 mph makes it one of the slowest compact crossovers around. For comparison, the Honda CR-V did 60 mph in 7.5 seconds while the Nissan Rogue made the run in a less pedestrian 9.0 seconds during Motor Trend’s testing.
One way around all of this would be the return of the 250 horsepower, turbo engine available as an option in the previous generation Forester. Another option would be to the 260 horsepower turbo-four-cylinder found in the big brother Ascent.
Straightline performance aside, the Forester performed well in pretty much everything else. Its handling was quick and nimble, albeit a bit numb. The suspension and chassis are both very well tuned giving the Forester a smooth and comfortable ride while achieving solid high-speed stability.
The verdict.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The 2019 Subaru Forester isn’t perfect. Its engine doesn’t quite have enough power for the job and its overall demeanor just feels a bit too unrefined. Some may love the rough-around-edges nature of the Forester, but with top-end models pushing $40,000. It’s time to do some polishing.
But apart from that, there isn’t a heck of a whole lot to complain about. In fact, the 2019 Subaru Forester is one of the most complete and capable compact crossovers we’ve ever come across.
It’s solidly built with a well-designed and spacious interior. It’s loaded with an impressive array of standard safety features and, of course, there’s Subaru’s tried and true all-wheel-drive system.
Over the past two decades, the Forester has built a strong and loyal following among consumers. With the new 2019 Subaru Forester, things just got even better.
