by John Sarkis

Created on: October 13, 2009   Last Updated: March 16, 2010

-Even when the phrase: "all/four wheel drive automobiles" was seldom used in the English language (except amongst the SUV crowd), Subaru was making-4/all wheel drive systems.  Since Audi's (Audi was one of the forerunners in the all-wheel drive industry) have never been reasonably priced to appeal to regular folk; Subaru decided they would build great all-wheel drive vehicles that wouldn't put an individual in the poor house. The creation of all/four-wheel-drive systems was as important to the automotive industry as discovering what foods have the most nutritional value was to the health and fitness industry. Subaru vehicles are categorically difficult to place: they are suv/standard vehicle/station wagon/minivan/truck all rolled up into one...The Forester is a wonderful car which anyone in the market for a new vehicle should consider purchasing. The first Forester appeared in 1998, and has been a hit since!

The car: Previous Forester models looked more like tall wagons than SUV, however; the new 2010 Forester looks more like an SUV than ever before. No doubt this was in response to the SUV craze, many people (whether we want to accepted or not) love the way SUV look, and Subaru wanted to cash in on the hype just like other car companies have done. The Forester is 179.5 inches long/70.1 inches wide. Standard equipment are: Roof rails, 16-inch wheels on 2.5 x models, and 17-inch wheels on all other trims. Standard interior gadgets are: MP3 jack, sliding armrest, 60/40 split folding rear seats, tilt steering column. (telescoping added to the 2.5 XT Limited and premium models) There are two choice engines for the Forester: a 170 horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 170 pounds feet of torque; and a 224 horsepower turbocharged 2.5-liter four cylinder with 226 pounds feet of torque. There is also hill start assist for manual transmission. Safety features include: side impact torso airbags for front occupants, side curtain airbags that protect front and backseat occupants against head injury, active head restraints standard for front seats, and antilock brakes and an electronic stability system with traction control standard on all trim levels....

Final thoughts: Subaru's are great cars; Subaru's are one of the few car companies to have created a cult following amongst its owners... Only Saturns have come close to Subaru's 'cult-status'; Subaru owners are for the most part 'repeat business' to the dealerships they buy their cars from-and again: they are very reasonably priced for being all wheel drive vehicles....

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