Driving Experience
Includes acceleration and handling
What Owners Say
"very tight turning radius"
Anonymous, HI (2009 Subaru Forester)"Transmission sometimes slow to respond"
Anonymous, FL (2009 Subaru Forester)"Acceleration is sub-par. I am comparing it to my 2003 VW Golf TDI (diesel) that the Subaru replaced. Where the VW would easily hold its speed on hills (5th gear and cruise control), I need to downshift to maintain speed with the Subaru."
Anonymous, CO (2009 Subaru Forester)"A bit sluggish, does not accelerate well."
Anonymous, NJ (2009 Subaru Forester)"good for my limited driving on freeway and localy"
Anonymous, WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"easy driving steers and handles smoothly acceleration is zippy fun to drive"
Pat C., FL (2009 Subaru Forester)"would like better acceleration"
Charles P., PR (2009 Subaru Forester)"See earlier comments."
Jeffrey K., MD (2009 Subaru Forester)"Good turning radius, cruise control and visibility"
Nicola M., OR (2009 Subaru Forester)"Teh acceleration is fair at best, sometimes not even that when the transmission fails to up-shift while getting on a freeway. Handling is good on smooth and bumpy roads."
Jonathan B., NM (2009 Subaru Forester)"Good acceleration."
Anonymous, TX (2009 Subaru Forester)"Very smooth manual transmission and quite good acceleration for a pancake 4 banger. I leave most cars behind at lights."
Anonymous, NC (2009 Subaru Forester)"I have a manual transmission. I appreciate the way it accelerates as I shift from one gear to another. Handling is smooth and dependable."
Rosamond D., WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"amazing power at all speeds"
Anonymous, AB (2009 Subaru Forester)"It always responds immediately to acceleration and braking demands as I need them. I am NOT a jack rabbit driver and do not "take off" after traffic lights change. I have all the power I need when I NEED to pass in the left lane. P.S., I ALWAYS use turn signals for my safety and others on the road! Visibility is also excellent in my vehicle."
Anonymous, MA (2009 Subaru Forester)"great all around!"
George G., WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Excellent acceleration with turbo engine and cruise control driving maintain speed."
Anonymous, NM (2009 Subaru Forester)"The vehicle is definitely underpowered for its weight. The handling is very good. the road nose is excessive."
Anonymous, AB (2009 Subaru Forester)"Performs as expected for 9 years old, bought used."
Anonymous, CT (2009 Subaru Forester)"both excellent"
Anonymous, NY (2009 Subaru Forester)"I would like a little bit faster acceleration and I feel like the steering wheel has a little bit too much play"
Anonymous, WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Reliable"
Patrick A., AK (2009 Subaru Forester)"I live in CT. This vehicle handles all road and weather conditions very competently."
Allen F., CT (2009 Subaru Forester)"Adequate in all respects."
John F., ME (2009 Subaru Forester)"Great acceleration with turbo and handling with awd"
Anonymous, CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Drives well in Winter weather"
W C., NY (2009 Subaru Forester)"It is a 4-cylinder and therefore acceleration is not great. Handling is good with great turning radius."
Anonymous, CO (2009 Subaru Forester)"great in snow"
Barbara P., PA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Acceleration is adequate handling is superb and its fun to drive! Handling has prevented at least two possible serious accidents."
E B., FL (2009 Subaru Forester)"no acceleration above 55 MPH"
Karl B., MI (2009 Subaru Forester)"Again, the acceleration is very good with the manual transmission, and the turning radius is smaller than the Honda."
Edwin B., OR (2009 Subaru Forester)"Not fast, just reasonable, practical."
Anonymous, WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Handles fine. Car accelerates like a winded elephant (ie terribly)."
Dan N., CO (2009 Subaru Forester)"It handles well and is responsive to controls."
Anonymous, IA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Since it's not the turbo option, acceleration is not great. However, for a 4 cylinder engine on an all wheel drive SUV, it does pretty well. Handling is good with the electronic stabilization control. Road noise is a little too high for my liking. On cold mornings, shifting from reverse to drive has a delay and if you don't wait for the transmission to engage before pressing the accelerator, the car jerks as the gears engage."
Anonymous, AZ (2009 Subaru Forester)"Responds well to acceleration, excellent handling in all road conditions"
Caroline W., NJ (2009 Subaru Forester)"The Subaru is an excellent vehicle. It handles the winters of Cleveland very well. I drove it through the Smokey mountains and a cross country trip to Idaho including all over Yellowstone park. It's easy to handle in any weather conditions or traffic."
Gretchen E., OH (2009 Subaru Forester)"I pull a small travel trailer with my Subaru Forester. It will not set any speed records with the trailer, but it is rock stable on the highway with the trailer, even in heavy wind. After 115000 miles and no repairs, the trailer duty does not seem to have affected the car."
Anonymous, WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Excelleration with the turbo, Smooth running car I have ever owned. Good gas milage for AWD SUV(24mpg). Quiet at first however much road noise as current Toyo tires became more worn. Computer electronics malfunction at least monthly, have to disconnect batterky to reset. Replaced alternator last week and battery(alternator shorted out.)"
James S., MO (2009 Subaru Forester)"Handling is very responsive, four wheel drive makes for excellent traction in bad weather. Acceleration is good, it's no sports car but pickup is more than adequate."
STEPHEN P., IL (2009 Subaru Forester)"slow acceleration"
Anonymous, AB (2009 Subaru Forester)"Transmission has a tendency to be jerky after a stop or at low speeds - the jerks are spontaneous, not related to driver input."
Anonymous, BC (2009 Subaru Forester)"Acceleration uphill requires passing gear more often than I would like, but the acceleration is certainly sufficient when it is utilized."
CRAIG R., CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Brake pedal pulsation"
Anonymous, VA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Best all wheel drive!!"
Anonymous, OH (2009 Subaru Forester)"Very good acceleration, excellent handling for an SUV - especially the cornering. A fun rig to drive, something which was lost with the newer models."
JIM C., NH (2009 Subaru Forester)"power enough to pass and inter interstate"
Anonymous, SC (2009 Subaru Forester)"2.5L 4 speed a/t leaves a lot to be desired as far as performance with more than 2 people and some camp gear in the car. Then I bought an 1800 LBS boat/trailer rig and we move down the road a/ok at 100km/60mph but YOU MUST PLAN your highway merge and be patient going up hills like in VT, NH and Quebec. Had an transmission oil leak just before the radiator which looked like corrosion problem that was supposed to be on brake lines but never happened on my car."
Anonymous, QC (2009 Subaru Forester)"Acceleration can be a little slow when you're getting up to highway speed, but it is fine overall. Handling sometimes feels a little unstable (especially in the winter, on slippery roads) because the car is kind of boxy, but the all-wheel drive is great and really helps overall."
Anonymous, NY (2009 Subaru Forester)"Transmission/engine sometimes balks when I expect fast acceleration merging into traffic."
Anonymous, PA (2009 Subaru Forester)"very sluggish... no zip or acceleration"
LAURA F., WI (2009 Subaru Forester)"Excellent snow car."
Anonymous, CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"We always feel safe and in control when we drive the Forester, no matter the weather conditions: sun, rain, snow, ice."
DENISE B., CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Drives great, not real quick but ok"
JOHN L., ON (2009 Subaru Forester)"Manual transmission good. Shift is so so No turbo is bad! However, the torque is sufficient for maximum payload when offroading I'd like more torque with their 2.5 turbo. And a non existent low gear transmission like 2 generations ago. The handling is very good for a SUV. I say it's much more secure than my 96 Maxima at the limits."
MICHAEL K., CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"The AWD and braking make this vehicle great for maneuvering and accident avoidance. This helps lessen the concern about deer getting in the way, or changing lanes on freeways. (One complaint, though: This vehicle has blind spots for drivers, which can occasionally cause problems on multi-lane roads.)"
DON M., MS (2009 Subaru Forester)"Turbo is very fast. Interior is good quality and holds up very well."
WILLIAM F., CO (2009 Subaru Forester)"Always gets me where I want to go in all weather conditions. Smooth ride on freeway and in town."
Anonymous, WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Handling is secure and comfy but the engine is struggling because of the archaic 4 speed transmission. The transmission itself is fine but has only 4 gears"
IOANNIS A., BC (2009 Subaru Forester)"I find my forester does not have enough 'zip' or quick response to sudden acceleration and hills"
Anonymous, AB (2009 Subaru Forester)"Because the Subaru is high, it is easier to drive thru rain and snow and over potholes. However, we still have to replace the tires. I think roads the days are hard on tires."
Anonymous, IL (2009 Subaru Forester)"prefect size,study ride,more reliable than my 2 previous Toyotas ,great visabilityand handling."
FRANCIS S., HI (2009 Subaru Forester)"Excellent acceleration; very good handling for a 4-cylinder car with AWD. Price point vs. HP/torque is tops in class."
Anonymous, PA (2009 Subaru Forester)"The handling is great the view(360) is superb !"
Anonymous, NJ (2009 Subaru Forester)"Has a problem with a delay before going into gear after backing up on cold mornings."
MARK P., AZ (2009 Subaru Forester)"Just feels lightweight and cheap!"
Anonymous, WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Good if not great acceleration. It handles very deftly, responsive and has a very small turning axis."
Anonymous, AB (2009 Subaru Forester)"The car has excessive road noise at highway speeds if the road surface is less than perfect. I purchased the car used with Toyo Versada LXII tires on which could be a major part of the noise factor. I still have the same tires so I am not able to eliminate the tires as a major source of the road noise."
Anonymous, GA (2009 Subaru Forester)"The Forester handles better than any other car I've ever owned. Very tight turning radius and handling both on or off road."
BEN M., MA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Very poor engine and transmission combination. Low power engine with 4 speed transmission causes lots of 2 gear downshifting and very high rpms to generate enough power for hills. I live in Colorado mountains."
MYLES S., CO (2009 Subaru Forester)"wish it had a bit more power and cornered better but it is a small suv"
JEREMIAH H., MA (2009 Subaru Forester)"The seating is low in the cabin giving the feel that you are in an armored bathtub. The seats are comfortable and the seat heaters work great! It has a smooth/performance ride (not too soft) and accelerates well!"
SCOTT A., MN (2009 Subaru Forester)"Not a smooth acceleration from slow or stop, seems to hesitate while deciding what to do."
B J., MB (2009 Subaru Forester)"accelerates fast handles well"
Anonymous, KY (2009 Subaru Forester)"It's easy handling, good for short and long distance driving."
FRANK H., CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"The Forester handles very well. The acceleration however is barely adequate. Because the only option in this model is a turbo, which requires premiun gas, I will probably go for the Outback with the Six."
JEFFREY B., ON (2009 Subaru Forester)"I feel that he car should have more gears. It switches between gears to much."
Anonymous, NY (2009 Subaru Forester)"Somewhat underpowered. Good road feel, but noisy."
BROOKE K., CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Have to down shift going up long grades"
Anonymous, HI (2009 Subaru Forester)"Don't put the "I don't want to expand on this factor"right next to the comment box. Or at least don't wipe out my comments after I spent 20 minutes swiping from my pain in the ass autocorrecting tablet. Short version again Acceleration is adequate, even with a full load. 9ish seconds 0-60. Unless you're facing a tesla. Random guy pulled up next to me at stop sign. I can get ahead of most cars from stop under normal driving because manual/clutch and cut them off safely when needed(lots of downt..."
Michael K., CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"all wheel drive works great in corners and uncertain road conditions, manual shifting increases gas mileage and adds to fun of driving. There is some road noise not not annoying. has decent zip for the engine and good power for hills. It is comfortable for long drives and controls are easy and convenient."
Anonymous, CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"Handles well. When in cruse control, engine overacts on steep hills. High RPM that is not necessary. My concern is engine wear."
Anonymous, PA (2009 Subaru Forester)"very stable driving"
Bruce C., MD (2009 Subaru Forester)"The acceleration is adequate for entering traffic and stopping distance is good. It handles well and I'm confident driving it. It performs exceptionally well in snow!"
Bruce B., FL (2009 Subaru Forester)"Acceleration is a bit weak."
Anonymous, ON (2009 Subaru Forester)"bigger engine"
Anonymous, WA (2009 Subaru Forester)"The acceleration is adequate under most conditions but there is not enough power when merging into busy roadways where the traffic is moving fast."
Bruce N., CA (2009 Subaru Forester)"This vehicle is a turbo charged Subaru and the acceleration and performance even using cruise control and going up steep hills is great. Drives like a V-8."
Anonymous, NM (2009 Subaru Forester)"It's solid feeling, with o.k. accelerating and handling--bulky but that's b/c it's so solid."
Anya R., TX (2009 Subaru Forester)"The acceleration, cornering and braking remind me of the sports cars that I used to drive. The turbo provides good acceleration and passing capability although the fuel economy is not as good as the standard version. The additional performance is worth the extra fuel expense to me."
Anonymous, TX (2009 Subaru Forester)
"slow to reach highway speed"
Anonymous, NY (2009 Subaru Forester)