 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5XT
 GOOD STUFFFastest compact sport ute out there Best in crash tests Functional design A total hoot to drive  BAD STUFFUninspiring design So-so fuel efficiency
 Just the bottom line
You can crown a new king of compact sport utilities right now. Heck, this 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5XT surprised more than a few Mustangs. It's the Stealth bomber of vehicles, a sneak attack no one expects, a hoot to drive and watch lips form "What was that?" as you pass.
Read the numbers:
And the thing looks so .. normal. Only a functional hood scoop gives a clue to what this can do. Subaru must have created this model simply to snatch the title "fastest compact sport ute". How else to explain the XT? The base Forester and its several offerings already were considered by most auto writers as among the top three compact sport utility vehicles. My own top choices have been repeatedly stated as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Escape and Subaru Forester. None make silly mistakes like a rear-mounted spare tire. All do everything expected of them well. But along comes this XT model and Ford better hustle some muscle from it SVT unit so the Escape can remain competitive. I never once climbed into this XT without a big grin on my face. And, yes, a few of the Fast and Furious crowd with coffee-can exhaust tips on their lowered Accords knew what it was. They thumbs-upt it .. and didn't try to leap 0 to 30 in 1.3 seconds, as I could and sometimes did. They wouldn't stand a chance. Not to 30. Not to 60. Not in a quarter-mile.
Look at the photo here and notice that buckling stopped before reaching the doors, so the driver's door could be easily opened or removed. The crash dummy maintained position well. The windshield did not detach and the roof did not buckle. Cars costing a great deal more cannot do this well. Photographs are just now being released of side-impact tests, and the Subaru did well on these, too. OK, it performs and it's safe. It's also family-oriented and utilitarian. Its four doors allow easy entry and exit for its five occupants. A rear liftgate raises high and there's a spacious cargo bay with a low liftover. With the second row seats upright, the cargo bay stores 32 cubic feet of stuff. Fold the seats and it stores another 32 cubic feet. Those rear seats are split 60/40, so one side can be used for skiis, for instance. The bucket front seats aren't as extreme as those in a Subaru WRX, but are far more formed than usual. They reward thinness, hugging the rib cage and outer thigh areas.
It's all a compromise. The 2004 Subaru Forester XT has a tall roofline -- 65 inches -- and a decent 7.5-inch ground clearance. Add it up and you can readily see that the sport utility isn't a road hugger. Its center-of-gravity is much higher than most cars. That becomes a limiting factor in how fast a corner can be taken. A badly designed sport ute can turn over if speed is too high; the Forester will spin out. Performance and handling always represent tradeoffs and compromises. Here, the compromise involves offroad capabilities and creature comforts. I'll take those, thank you, instead of an additional 5 miles an hour around that "45 mph" on-ramp we can take at 65. Just know this. Subaru has compromised well. The 2.5-liter boxer engine is a horizontally-opposed design, where pistons "punch" at each other much like two boxers. This superior design creates a lower, squatter engine than a V6 or V8 configuration (or even a straight six or four). The flatter engine can be mounted low in the engine bay, to help lower that all-important center of gravity for the total vehicle. Subaru's design is a good one. But it's still a sport ute. Don't confuse it with a car. Don't drive it like a car.
This model can tow 2,400 pounds, by the way. Pulling your boat will probably knock a few ticks off that quarter-mile time, though ... The XT rides on sporty, six-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels. Braking is not up to acceleration, but is adequate for all but rally use. Anti-lock brakes are standard. The clutch engages quickly and easily and the five-speed manual is a delight to shift. There was never a "heavy" feeling in around town driving. The Forester XT could be left in gear, with the clutch depressed, at stoplights without enducing leg fatigue. Standard equipment items on the XT include climate control, heated seats, a stereo system with a six-disc in-dash CD player, cruise control, power windows, and remote keyless entry. Some of you remember when a 4:11 differential gear was a drag-racing ticket. The Forester XT has a 4:44 limited-slip differential. And first gear is 3.45. That 0-to-30 time of 1.3 seconds is thanks to the fact that this combination will run first gear to 32 miles an hour, so no shift is necessary before you've put your competition in the rear-view mirror. (This thing is a drag-racing fool!)
Now, with all this glowing praise, you'd think I'd rush out and buy one if a Subaru was my desire. Wrong. If I needed a family vehicle, I'd buy a Subaru wagon with the WRX innards. I'd have family-hauling utility, all the handling characteristics of a car and something to surprise the coffee-can set at stoplights. The sales of Foresters must continue to surprise Subaru corporate. Back in 1996, the company was saying sport utes were a fad, that wagons did a better job, and Subaru made damn fine wagons. All true. But Subaru dealers clamored for a sport utility to sell, so Subaru dropped a box over a wagon chassis for 1997. Instant Forester. The vehicle hasn't changed much, except to get faster. But not as fast as that WRX Sport Wagon. Subaru was right. Wagons still rule for families. 'nuff said.
Posted 1/19/04 |
Specifications
Under the hood of this deceptive jewel is an intercooled, turbocharged four-cylinder that is a detuned version of the boxer engine used in the screamingly fast Subaru WRX STi. It puts out a respectable 210 horsepower (the STi has 300!), but doesn't have too much weight to move -- 3,289 pounds. Couple that engine to a five-speed manual transmission, and .. look out.
Beyond performance, this Subaru 2.5XT scored best of any compact sport utility vehicle in the crash tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. That's important for anyone driving a relatively lightweight vehicle, as this is.
Note that the driver's side air bag deployed and prevented the head from smashing into a side object. Looks to me like a sore neck would result, but better that than a smashed brain.
Not that all that much support is needed. The Forester 2.5XT can't be called a handler. Its skidpad figure is only about .75 g. That doesn't compare to the .80 g or more true handling cars turn in. But no sport utility driver should act as if the vehicle can corner with a car. It can't. Physics get in the way.
A roof rack is standard and can hold 200 pounds of your gear, your bikes or your canoes/kayaks. Subarus are immensely popular in mountain areas, where active people seek all-weather transportation. This model would be overkill, however, if all someone wants is up-the-hill transportation. Lesser Foresters will do just fine.
Supposedly, the Forester XT gets 18 miles per gallon of gas in the city and 23 on the highway. Figure 20 or so. You'll be punching that accelerator too frequently to enjoy the higher mileage figure. It's just too much fun to feel the rush. The turbocharger with its 11.6 pounds of pressure seems instantaneous in reaction. No lag. Just .. outta here.
Home, James