2014 Subaru Forester: Fun not Included

Although totally revamped for 2014, the Subaru Forester remains one of the most serious vehicles on the planet. Its engineers and designers chose not to take advantage of this new generation to inject a little fun into the Forester. There are no real surprises: we’ve become accustomed to certain things from this SUV, and the new version continues in that same vein. Sure, the exterior lines are more modern, but they’re still unexciting. And the passenger compartment has been redesigned, but it lacks a bit of pizazz for our tastes.

Maybe I should say “my tastes,” since traditional Subaru buyers definitely don’t like change. The Forester – even the new one – won’t be rocking the boat, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I tool a Forester 2.5i Limited for my three-week vacation and, believe it or not, I loved it. I’d take a vacation like that any time!

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After three weeks with the vehicle, I came to one conclusion: the Forester is the perfect vehicle for three adults travelling to the Maritimes. Without breaking a sweat, it took on our suitcases, cooler, coats and other vacation essentials. The loading height is low enough so that hoisting heavy items in and out was easy. The cargo cover is easy to handle and the 60/40 seatbacks lower using latches located in the trunk. Under the floor, there are good storage bins. On the other hand, in an era when we expect everything to be finished before it even starts, the power liftgate is excruciatingly slow. At least it was for me.

Surprising comfort

During that blessed period in which work became but an abstract notion – aka my vacation – I travelled 3,176 km, half of which in the driver’s seat and the other half in the front passenger seat or back seat. Comfort was never an issue, even after several consecutive hours on the road. Napping, on the other hand, would have been a whole lot easier if you could recline the rear seatbacks. And, while we’re on the subject, I would have liked it if the front passenger seat was height adjustable.

The cockpit is very user-friendly. The plastics are now much better quality and there’s nothing wrong with the assembly. There are numerous storage spaces and, while the all-around visibility isn’t perfect, it is above average. The heat buttons and the various controls are easy to use and understand, and the sunroof is immense. (We only used it once just to see if it worked and it sure did!)

Don’t mention the radio

And yet, there’s no good explanation for why the designers would work so hard to create something so close to perfection, ergonomically speaking, and have their efforts undermined by an complex Harman/Kardon sound system? Maybe the person responsible for purchasing at Subaru, wanting to order 40 Harman/Kardon FF715US for testing, messed up and ended up with 4,000,000 units that they now have to get rid of. Other than that, I can’t see any logical reason to have this system. I should note, however, that the sound quality is very good.

Also note that the other, less equipped versions get a less complex system. Meanwhile the GPS screen is very cluttered with all sorts of icons, which sometimes makes it hard to figure out.  

Our test vehicle was equipped with a driver assistance system known as EyeSight. Two cameras constantly read the road and interact with the ABS brakes and traction control to prevent accidents. Although I’m not against this in theory, I found the device too intrusive. Every time the car crosses a line on the road, even slightly, a warning sounds. Knowing that a computer is a better driver than I am is depressing. Fortunately, you can deactivate this function without deactivating the rest. I didn’t find the EyeSight system to be more evolved than similar systems from other manufacturers, but clearly even the most basic cars will be equipped with similar systems in five or six years, so you’d better get used to it now.

Vacation priorities

The Forester that Subaru loaned us was powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder that develops 170 horsepower and 174 lbs.-ft. Paired with a six-speed continuously variable transmission, this drivetrain doesn’t produce miracles (the only way you’ll get from 0-100 km/h in less than ten seconds is if there’s a bit of tailwind). That said, most drivers should be satisfied with its performance. Personally, there were only a couple of occasions in which I would have liked to have a smidge more power. What can I say? I guess you’re more relaxed on vacation than you are under normal circumstances. For more punch, you can opt for a 2.0-litre turbo, but the front end of the vehicle isn’t the same, and I don’t find it as nice. Contrary to what you’d think, the accelerations are not too noisy, thanks to good soundproofing.

During my 3,176-kilometre journey, I put in 270.77 litres of regular gasoline for an average of 8.5 L/100 km. The onboard computer calculated a slightly more optimistic 8.2 litres. In any case, I find this fuel consumption very, very reasonable considering the weight, the mountainous landscape of the Gaspésie region and our speed, which was always 15 to 20% above the legal limit.

Two’s a crowd

When automobile journalists go on a family vacation, they should refrain from pushing a vehicle to its limits, especially if they want to preserve their marriage. Thus, I went easy on the Forester. I took a solo ride in it, however, and that demonstrated that the steering, good under normal circumstances, becomes less precise when hurried. Although the steering was borrowed from a Porsche Cayman, the seats offer such little hold that you simply can’t take corners high speed. Our Forester was equipped with X-Mode, a system that improves off-road capabilities, but we never had to use it. Things surely would have been different if this was a winter vacation.

I handed back the keys to “my” Subaru Forester on September 3, just as the long weekend was ending. While it isn’t the most exciting SUV, this vehicle is a great choice for drivers who prefer a long-term relationship over a fleeting romance.