The 2009 Subaru Forester: Evolution from Wagon to SUV

Subaru Forester originally started off as a crossover wagon, which is what you get when you mix up aspects of a passenger car, a sport utility vehicle and estate/station wagon in variable portions.

The third generation Forester is critical to the evolution of the Subaru Forester, because at this point it shakes off all the ambiguity of the crossover category and embraces the compact SUV class. You have probably seen the third generation Foresters zip about on Nairobi roads looking more akin to a Toyota Rav4, a Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda CRV and Suzuki Grand Vitara than to the class of wagons it seemed to fit in previously.

What changed?

The exterior of the 2009 Subaru Forester is its most obvious transformation. If it were a living organism we would suspect somebody slipped the Forester some growth hormones. The wheelbase increase by 3.5 inches, it got longer by 3.0 inches, wider by 1.8 inches and taller by 4.3 inches.

Not only did the Subaru Forester shed its previous Wagon pretenses, it was also the first Subaru to pass on the trademark Subaru frameless windows used in Subaru’s across the board since the seventies.

The third generation Forester is designed to give a smoother ride than it is predecessors. This is because in this edition they tweaked the independent double wishbone rear suspension. For the automatic transmission versions, “sportshift” has been included, which is a feature that allows the driver control of select gears like they would in a manual.

The 2009 Forester has been praised for its roomier interior. It features improved legroom for the rear seat and a brand new dashboard design. However, while it gets thumbs up for the ergonomics it may lose points on the feel of the interior among the more critical. The Forester can haul up to 68.3 cubic feet of cargo, which is laudable for the compact SUV class.

Safety Features

The 2009 Forester may come with different mixes of specs across the bar some safety features are common to all of them. These are; 4-Wheel Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) and electronic Brake-force Distribution, with the former reducing braking distances and the later maintaining control while breaking. Electronic Stability Control that detect loss of traction and thus reduces skidding. Daytime running light that increases vehicle conspicuousness depending on the environment you are driving in. And of course airbag for the driver/ passenger, seat mounted side impact airbags and side-curtain airbags. The 2009 Forester is also fitted with side impact bars.

Power specs

For the 2009 Subaru Forester you have the options of regular and turbo charged. The Forester 2.5 X model is powered by a 2500cc four-cylinder engine that makes 170 hp power and 170 pound-feet or 253 kilogram-meters of torque. It is available as a five speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic. The Forester XT model has a turbocharged version of the same engine that puts out 224hp and 226 pound-feet or 336 kilogram-meter of torque. The automatic transmission is standard in the turbo-charged models.

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