Edging Upscale Is Hard—This Is Proof
Subaru owners love their vehicle. Their brand loyalty is legendary, but it is being tested. Subaru’s executives have made it clear that they want to move the brand upscale. The goal is laudable since it would bring more revenue to the company per vehicle and produce near-luxury vehicles in place of the more pedestrian models Subaru has been built upon. Subaru models have edged upwards in price and features in recent years, but this year’s top-of-the-line 2019 Forester Touring is a statement of that aspiration.
In sum, the upscale experiment is a mixed bag. The Forester retains all of the old and new good stuff of Subaru and layers in new touches. Standard all-wheel drive (AWD) is a positive feature. A spacious interior, superior to its volume competition, makes this compact crossover feel bigger than it is. But while Subaru claims a class-leading EPA highway fuel economy number of 33 mpg, reaching it other than coasting downhill in the mountains is tough. And the luxury touches of the Touring trim level are an acquired taste.
Let’s give kudos to Subaru for what the Forester represents—a recognition more than two decades ago the AWD wagons from this Japanese manufacturer needed something more to broaden their appeal. The need was superficial—sport utility vehicles were rising in popularity, so a little more ride height and ground clearance along with some external truck-like design details took the Subaru Impreza platform into crossover territory with the Forester. We’re now driving the fifth generation of this platform extension. It now rides on the Subaru global platform, offers 8.7 inches of ground clearance, standard Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, 33 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seat and a tall stance set off by pronounced wheel arches.
Subaru’s Version of Standard
Another kudo goes to Subaru for the 2019 Forester’s high-level of standard safety technology. While the industry and government regulators are moving quickly the same direction, Subaru took a great step by making its EyeSight driver assist technology suite standard and adding the DriverFocus distraction mitigation system at the Touring trim level. EyeSight includes pre-collision braking, pre-collision throttle management, adaptive cruise control and lane departure/sway warning. DriverFocus keeps track of the driver and warns if his or her attention has strayed from the road while also working with the pre-collision systems.
Of course, Subaru=AWD (the exception, the joint Toyota project, the BRZ), so that’s standard. In the Touring model I drove had virtually all of the technology Subaru has in its inventory, but the basic model (the Forester comes in the base model, Premium, Sport, Limited and Touring) offers the same drivetrain and AWD system and a good level of equipment, a 182 horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder Boxer engine that also delivers 176 pounds-feet of torque. It’s mated to a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission.
Most of the upgrades as you move up through the trim levels deals with luxury and technology features.
Premium level adds aluminum-alloy wheels, a moonroof, roof rails, a 10-way power driver’s seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel and an enhanced suite of technology in the infotainment system.
The Sport model adds a Sport Sharp mode to the transmission, bumps wheels up to 18-inchers and includes a variety of trim and equipment uniquely colored and styled for this trim level.
At the Limited level the 18-inch aluminum wheels are retained, headlight technology is upgraded, the rear liftgate is powered and the infotainment unit is upgraded in size and features. The most significant technology upgrade is the addition of blind spot detection with land change assist and rear cross-traffic alert.
The top-level Touring trim includes more equipment with stylistic changes, the Saddle Brown leather interior that was in our tester, a power passenger’s seat, hearted steering wheel and rear seats, a premium sound system and reverse automatic braking.
The pricing for the different levels is:
- Forester – $24,295
- Forester Premium – $26,695
- Forester Sport – $28,795
- Forester Limited – $30,795
- Forester Touring – $34,295
The $10,000 spread in pricing is interesting given the high-level of standard equipment. Some of the features of the higher trim levels are compelling, but how compelling remains a personal choice.
On and Off the Road
The 2019 Subaru Forester is stable for a tall vehicle—which was unexpected, but made sense when you consider the AWD system and its horizontally-opposed Boxer engine that lowers the center of gravity. That engine delivers plenty of power for the 3,588-pound vehicle. Cornering is good on the mountain road I traversed, and the driver-selectable modes of operation allow you to tailor the throttle response and transmission gearing to deal with snow, dirt and mud conditions.
Unlike some of its competition in the compact crossover market, the Forester’s taut steering and handling made for an effortless attack on curves on road and a superb feeling of control when I left the pavement behind.
Augmenting the situation were the sumptuous leather seat that supports the driver like a gentle leather corset. Multiple screens gave a nice abundance of info; you’ll know everything that’s going on inside and out of the car.
Details, Details
This year’s expanded (in size) power liftgate a nice touch on this class of vehicle, although the power feature is not standard on the lower trim levels. That may come back to the upscale push at Subaru. The Touring model is a good example of that—technology is state-of-the-art, both the advanced driver assistance (ADAS) equipment and the infotainment package. Even the entry-level model supplies a good package.
Rear doors open 90 degrees, which is handy, but Subaru’s quest for weight reduction show. All of the doors do not close solidly, often requiring two times to make sure they’re shut. Another pet peeve abut the doors has to do with the Touring trim. The doors have a lot going on—different surfaces, leather, hard plastic, textured plastic, simulated carbon fiber, speaker grill, lots of curves, pockets, handles. To what end are all these different textures mixed in? I take it’s a style, an attempt at luxury. I think Subaru’s interior designers should take a close look at some of the true luxury models for designs ideas and work to simplify their own look.
Bottom Line
It’s hard to bet against a Subaru, especially a 20-year-old model like the Forester. The 2019 Subaru Forester shows the company’s experience and customer focus in its solid powertrain and AWD system. They’ve put together a real contender in a very competitive class. Since it’s all-wheel drive only, Subaru could claim the Forester rightfully competes with only a sliver of the competition, which tends to be heavy on lower-priced front-wheel drive models. As several of those competitors move to hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full electric models, Subaru would do well to accelerate its plug-in models beyond the smaller Crosstrek.
You would do well to drive the competition, which you’ll find is still priced in the same range in spite of Subaru’s pretension of moving upscale. The Forester has a lot going for it and should be the first model you look at if your lifestyle includes some mild off-roading.
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Disclosure:
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
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