Good engine power and above average overall performance.

Very poor seat design. front cup holder, rear leg room, handling in gravel and icy road is not good, no driver''s arm rest, poor! customer service

I chose the Forester because it had the largest engine power among similar SUVs. After several driving I found the front seats (I have no chance to test the rear seats) very uncomfortable. Handling in icy condition is not that good as expected for a AWD vehicle. The seats are too firm. It''s ok for short distance drive but very bad for trips longer than 2 hours. I have no back pain history. After a ride for more than 2 hours both the driver and passengers felt pain at the lumber. I used to drive more than 2 hours in my job and now I can only reverted to use my old vehicle, the Caravan which is far more comfortable. What a pity!!! This is my first and last Subaru.

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None

very powerful, acceleration is superb breaks good enough, very airy inside.

rattling noise from the steering box.esp while driving uneven roads and crossing speed bumps. dealer tried to fix it by tightening the box, but only made noise less while making steering stifff and heavy. anyone had similiar problem. pls write to me at my email as i dont chack this site often. thank you.

forester s-turbo 199 hp manual trans. very pleasant suv to drive..one problem though. see below.

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free lander

Terrific handling, steers great, tight turning radius, love the acceleration. The driver''s seat is extremely comfortable, even on long trips; provides good support. Good cargo capacity, like the ease with which the rear seats fold down. Great visibility.ú

Brakes, defogger doesn''t work unless AC is on, poor cupholder positioning, pitiful gas mileage.8

I bought my 99 Forester in November of 1998, and up until August 2001, I was very happy with my vehicle. I''m even quite fond of its looks -- I like to refer to it as a pregnant station wagon. Since day one, the brakes had been my only complaint. (They REALLY suck. An accident waiting to happen. My dealer says they are within spec.) I only have 16,900 miles on the car, but I''ve already had to replace the brake master cylinder (recall), the speedometer sensor (it still isn''t working, bringing the car in again next week), and the fuel pump. In addition, I am plagued by a horrendous rattle when the car operates between 2800 and 3500 rpms. My dealer tells me it''s the heat shields and it''s NORMAL!!, there''s nothing they can do. This morning when I parked my car and turned off the lights, the parking lights and tail lights stayed on!!! I had to remove the fuse to turn them off. Hope my car will start at the end of the day.... I''m looking for a new car now; maybe the Toyota Highlander or Rav4, or maybe the Honda CRV.

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I test drove the 99 Rav4 at the time I bought the Forester and didn''t like how it handled.f

Handled well,rode great and was reliable,no major problems

Had an accident going 30mph and this vehicle was a total loss.Very disappointed with the durability of this vehicle since crash tests gave it a high rating.If the speed were faster it would have resulted in major injury or even a fatality!!!!!!

Really loved the vehicle.Rode like a car and handled well in bad weather.

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First and last Subaru we will own.

See above.

Limited back seat room. Styling: well, at least it beats that of the CRV, which is damning with faint praise for sure.

Responsive, sure-footed, nimble, a kick to drive (AWD and tiny turn radius contributing). Awesome driver visibility. "Car and Driver" was spot on with comment about it being a smooth, nifty road cruiser and noting that the quality of steering wheel leather must rival that used by Rolls Royce. The firm, supportive seat leaves me (I have a weak back) in a better frame of mind after a trip than before I began. Average highway mpg (28+) bests my former Taurus.

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None.

(1) handling (2) power (3) gas mileage (4) easy entrance (5) good use of cargo space (6) logical and easy to reach instrumentation (6) Good driver''s position--no obstructions to view.

(1) cup holder next to air conditioner; (2) three linebackers in the rear seats won''t be comfortable.

This is a very competent little SUV with high mileage, plenty of power, great handling and a pleasure to drive. The handling is very precise. I don''t lack for power and can fit into traffic as necessary. I had to take a flying leap to get into my old Jeep Grand Cherokee. Door entrance height in the Forrester is easy. Driver visibility is great all around--no obstructions. There are many compartments for coins, etc. I also was able to take home a snow blower in a box that was 48" x 36" x 28". Although I only have 6,500 miles so far, my wife''s 1998 Outback has 60,000 with no mechanical problems, so I''m pretty confident about long term reliability. Reviewers have complained about off-road capability, but in New Jersey, off-road means parking on the grass when a main parking lot is full. Reviewers have complained about the looks of the Forrester, but as I see it, it is unpretentious and is likely not to be stolen. While three teen-agers have fit into the rear seats, the seating would be tight if the driver and passenger were very tall. But as an all-around vehicle, this is highly recommended.

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Jeep Grand Cherokee

The BEST AWD from ANYONE Totally reliable & mechanically sound Feels like more than 165 HP (niche leader) EVERYTHING comes in the S-Premium

Dumb critics (a CA resident complaining about snow performance???) A RAV4 fan saying the Forester lacks power?

THIS HAS MORE POWER THAN ANY OF THE COMPETITION. THE S- PREMIUM IS ABSOLUTELY PLUSH, PERFECT FIT AND FINISH!This is my second Forester. Living in a huge snow state, I need AWD. This is by far the BEST AWD system for the snow!!! It is like glue on the road. I have almost 100K miles on my origional Forester and have had NO problems. Totally reliable.

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RAV4- lass power, inferior mechanics, a fat Tercel CRV- Same crap as the RAV4, but a fat Civic Santa Fe- it''s a Hyundai

Reliability. Power. Nice 4 speed automatic.

Everyone except Subaru seems to know that the front cup holder is a joke. It is flimsy and blocks the A/C vent. It cools off your hot drinks and warms up your cold drinks. The passenger's cup holder in the console is also sub-standard.
In the US we drive on the right, so why is the gas door on the wrong side requiring you to park to the left of the pumps? Jeez!!!! The car hydroplanes on wet surfaces.(Tires?)

Overall, I like the car. It has been reliable and economical. Good acceleration/passing power. Comfortable seats. Good towing capacity for a 4 cylinder. I tow an 800 LB camping trailer through the New Hampshire hills with no problems at all. Straight line traction in snow is quite good, traction while turning in snow is not so good (tires). It has handled all off road conditions that I have thrown at it very well. There was one recall for a master cylinder problem that the dealer handled well.

The Yokohama Geolander tires wore out in 27000 miles. The car had no symptoms of being out of alignment. The dealer felt no responsibility for the tires even though they performed ALL service on the car, including regular tire rotations, and neglected to mention the problem to me until the tires were worn enough to sell me new ones. The dealer has since agreed to pay for the alignment but not the tires.

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Toyota Rav4 and Honda CRV are underpowered compared to the Forester.

All wheel drive. Drive / Handling / Predictable.
Sunroof. Interior layout, small wagon.

Cup holders.

Surprised! This is a great driving automobile. We live 1.5 hrs from the dealership. All of our driving is mostly highway, rolling highway in areas.
This engine keeps this car easily at 80mph. Whithin the city there is absolutely no problem with excelleration. The strong winds do not effect this car anymore than other vehicles that we have owned. ( approx 30 )
The interior is very comfortable. The 6 disc stereo works well. The sunroof is fantastic.
All wheel drive. This vehicle grabs the road.
To anyone looking at Ravs, Crvs, Escapes, etc., do not overlook this vehicle. This drives and handles better than them all = safety.

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The market tells us that the Forester compares to the small SUV,s. We test drove them all. No comparison. Head and shoulders above

It's fantastic in snow - drives rings around most other traffic. Gas milage is pretty good for a vehicle of this type. I get exactly 30 mpg on long trips. Acceleration is very good. Easy to drive.

Not much room in the back. I have a family of 4. If this were the only vehicle I owned I would not buy it - long trips would be difficult. Also I found that the extra shoulder harness for the middle back seat is difficult to use (I still haven't figured it out).

My experience so far has been very good.I bought this car mainly as a vehicle for commutting to and from work, knowing that at least 2 months a year would be spent in snow. I did some up front research on safety ratings,crash tests, reliability, etc. before I even looked at the car. I was also specifically looking for something with a manual transmission. I wasn't seriously considering the Subaru until I decided to take a test drive one day, and after one spin around the block I was sold on it. It sits fairly high, so it has very good visability for a small car - very easy to drive (I also had to keep in mind that my oldest daughter will be driving in 2 years).

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I didn't care for the styling on the RAV4.At one point I was considering a Wrangler, but I kept hearing too many horror stories about reliability - both from articles and peoples first hand experiences.