Safe As a Car, Safe as An SUV

Sounds contradictory, but it isn't. With regards to crash tests, most SUV's meet truck safety standards. But SUV's typically have better traction and braking systems, which gives an edge when trying to avoid an accident.

The Subaru Forester has the best of both worlds. It meets car standards for crashes and recently beat a bevy of other SUV's in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's forty mph crash test. In addition, its the only SUV I know of that does not have a rollover warning, due to it's boxer-style engine with horizontal pistons (a lower center of gravity).

But it also has one of the best implementations of All Wheel Drive (Subaru's been at it for over twenty years), and features four wheel anti-lock brakes (note that in the L model, the rear brakes are drum; in the S model, they are disc).

I'm a very satisfied owner of a 1999 Subaru Forester (about a year old). Before buying, I researched several vehicles, looking at price, performance and reliability. The Forester had more power and better traction control than the Honda CRV and Toyota Rav4. It was big and roomy on the inside compared to the Subaru Outback Sport and Impreza, and we liked the boxy-SUV styling. I thought the price was great, especially when the large number of basic features is taken into account.

Driving the Forester is not much different than driving a car (it's built on the Impreza chassis), but because it's a little taller than a car (and has amazing headroom), you have a better view of the road. It comes with a 2.5 liter, 165 hp engine that is more than adequate for moving the vehicle around. I've tested the All Wheel Drive by taking the Forester up snowy mountain roads and have driven through a blinding snowstorm with over a foot of unplowed snow on the road. On both occasions, I passed several trucks and SUVs that were in the ditch. But I've found that All Wheel Drive (and Four Wheel Drive, for that matter) only give you an edge. Any vehicle, driven poorly, will end up in the ditch.

There is not much I dislike. I find the brakes can be a little mushy, but Subaru recently sent out a coupon for getting the master brake cylinder fixed (for free), and I plan to have that done during the next service. Its also a little worse on the gas than my previous vehicle, a Toyota Tercel.

The Forester is great if you like SUV stylings, want the safest SUV on the rood, and need to be able to haul things around. But if your looking for a car to drive around in the city only, I would think twice about the Forester due to the poorer gas mileage, the relative uselessness of All Wheel Drive in the city, and the higher price (relative to a car).