Forester XT

"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo) 05/20/2014 at 14:13 • Filed to: None

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I just needed to put these in one location.

This image was lost some time after publication.

Boxer_4 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 05/20/2014 at 14:56

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The SH XT was available with the 5mt in Japan and Australia. Too bad we only got the 4EAT.

The turbo and non-turbo SH share the same suspension and brake components. They are fine for the non-turbos (we have one) but are not as suited for the turbos (we test drove one). The new SJ Forester XT gets upgraded suspension and brake components.

A set of Swift springs and the brake set and sway bars from a GR or GV STi fix the two areas that are lacking on the SH, handling and braking.

Boxer_4 > Boxer_4 05/20/2014 at 15:01

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They look great when tastefully modded, too:

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Boxer_4 05/20/2014 at 15:02

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hm. thanks. My wfie wants something AWD, and the Forester has been on the top of my list but the non turbo model only has like what 165hp that just doesn't seem like enough power for a car that size. The problem is she wants somethign cute, like a MK4 Golf, but there isn't a ton of "cute" AWD cars out there.

Boxer_4 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 05/20/2014 at 15:26

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We have a 2009 Forester 2.5X Limited, which has the EJ253 engine with 170 hp and 170 ft-lbs of torque. While the Forester seems big, it's actually quite light for a small SUV. The 2.5X Limited, with the standard leather seating and panoramic moonroof, weighs in at 3,360 lbs.

Honestly, the non-turbo is plenty for around town driving, at least for me. Thanks to the gearing Subaru went with for the 4EAT, it's fairly quick off the line. The torque down low is also pretty good, so merging into traffic is not a problem. The only place you start to notice a lack in power is passing at highway speed. You just need to plan a bit, and it's not a problem.

The XT is a different animal. The engine is plenty powerful to eliminate any and all concerns of passing or merging. However, in the limited experience I have with the turbo, upgrading the items I mentioned earlier would be a good idea to get the chassis control up to the same level as the engine. The non-turbo is already pretty well balanced from the factory, while the XT can be easily balanced with a few upgrades.

If you are looking at XT models, watch out for the 2009 model year. They had some turbo failure problems early on in the production run, but I believe everything was sorted out on the later production run.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Boxer_4 05/20/2014 at 17:24

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by the time we actaully replace her Cavalier we'll probly looking at the 14 or neweer Forester, which I think lok quite good from the factory.

Boxer_4 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 05/21/2014 at 13:33

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The new SJ Foresters are a nice improvement over the SH Foresters. They all get nicer interiors, and the XT gets better brakes and suspension.