what to check when buy a used subaru forester 2009

More alpine-wagon than sport-ute, Subaru'south Forester has always attracted Subie disciples and their newly converted ilk who crave something a little different. The automaker's horizontally opposed "boxer" engine and all-cycle-drive compages certainly qualifies on that count. Simply Subaru is condign more accepted by the mainstream these days and then the bandwidth of potential buyers for used models is rightfully expanding also. Might you be among that throng?

Originally designed for airplanes – Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru'due south parent (just recently renamed Subaru Corporation) is an aerospace visitor – the flat-iv lies low in the engine bay to reduce the car's centre of gravity and help treatment.

The engine's opposed pistons quell the typical four-cylinder's inherent paint-mixer shakes past reciprocating horizontally and in reverse directions, 2 to a side. Cheers to its longitudinal orientation, the engine accommodates equal-length driveshafts to minimize torque steer and provide good stability and traction, telltale characteristics of Subaru's "symmetrical" all-bike drive system.

Having marketed all-bicycle-drive models nearly exclusively in Canada since 1997, you'd think Subaru would take a lock on the burgeoning SUV/crossover segment. While sales have been brisk, the little automaker ached for a bigger piece of the activity. So it recast the Forester as an accurate-looking crossover sport-ute for 2009.

Call it Subaru'south reforestation attempt.

Features and powertrains

The redesigned tertiary-generation Forester gained a stouter unibody, a ix-centimetre longer wheelbase, a significantly broader track, 23 cm of ground clearance and a new diff-length control-arm rear suspension to yield more cargo room, equally well as heighten cornering power.

Added high-strength steel contributed to a weight proceeds of about 70 kg, but at least it garnered an Insurance Constitute for Highway Safe (IIHS) top safety rating for the Forester.

Inside, the motel benefited appreciably from the greater dimensions – the formerly cramped back demote grew to best in class – while retaining the expansive headroom and the seats' "h-bespeak," set at an optimal acme to permit easy ingress and egress (seniors should have note). However, owners saw an odd discrepancy in the front seating arrangement.

"The passenger seat is mounted so low, with no height adjustment," observed one owner online. At least the driver'south seat does ascent and fall on demand. From that perch owners lauded the fantabulous sight lines all around.

The updated instrument console was elegantly simple and helpfully rendered with 3 large rotary HVAC controls and a radio that was mounted high in the commuter'southward line of sight. Clearly, the primary priority inside was maximum functionality, which the Forester delivers in spades.

Updated mechanicals

Making a return engagement was the familiar two.v-50 SOHC 4-cylinder boxer engine, albeit tweaked for 2009 with revised camshaft timing and new intake and frazzle systems. The base engine churned out 170 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The be-scooped XT model added a turbocharger and intercooler, generating 224 hp and 226 lb-ft of grunt from the same displacement.

Being a Subaru, all-wheel bulldoze with a sticky limited-slip centre differential was standard. Unlike many crossovers that drive their front wheels and dispatch torque to the rear set only when slip is detected, Subarus drive all four wheels all the time, no waiting.

A 5-speed manual transmission was standard, while the four-speed automated (a Smithsonian relic) was optional with the base engine and mandatory with the turbo engine. Every Forester included antilock disc brakes with brake help, traction and stability control, front end-seat side airbags, and front and rear pall airbags.

While its outward appearance didn't change, the 2011 Forester acquired a meaning mechanical update in the form of a fresh engine. The new 2.five-L boxer, dubbed the FB25, gained 41 cc of displacement and dual camshafts in place of the SOHC design.

The aluminum-block apartment iv still made 170 hp, simply torque increased marginally to 174 lb-ft. The reward? Slightly improved fuel efficiency and performance. The turbocharged Forester ii.5XT remained unaltered.

For 2012, Subaru finally addressed the inequities of the forepart seats by making a peak-adaptable passenger seat standard. Amen to that. No major redesign ensued until the 2014 model yr.

Driving the forester

Run-of-the-mill Foresters could sprint to highway speed in nine.7 seconds, which seemed clumsily leisurely even among meaty crossovers. The updated 2011 model with the FB-serial engine trimmed a total second off that fourth dimension, and that's with the same ancient four-speed slushbox. Conversely, the turbocharged XT could chirp its condom on the fashion to 97 km/h in a fleet half-dozen.7 seconds.

Owners adore the ute's car-like agility and composure on various road surfaces, and value the sense of invincibility that comes with piloting a Subaru through adverse weather. What they disliked was its propensity to rattle and chatter on rough pavement.

In terms of fuel usage, the Forester performs well for an all-bike-drive wagon, but relatively poorly for a four-cylinder automobile. Expect non much better than 11.7 Fifty/100 km (20.1 mpg US) around boondocks, say owners. The turbo XT quaffs premium fuel.

Online chatter

Subarus take long been reputed to be reliable, but a spate of head gasket failures in the previous generation Forester (and other Subie models) challenged that reputation. Now there's a new scourge that's taken some shine off the brand: severe oil consumption.

"Accept had excessive oil consumption from twenty-four hours one. Automobile would consume three to 4.5 litres on a g-mile trip, over and over again. Subaru put a new brusque block in it," posted ane disgruntled owner of a 2011 model online.

Subaru, among other auto manufacturers, claims some oil consumption betwixt oil changes is normal. Nonetheless, Consumer Reports has categorically stated: "whatsoever engine that burns oil between changes should be repaired under the powertrain warranty."

Indeed, some dealers take begun replacing engine blocks nether management from the factory. Reportedly, 2011-13 Foresters are part of a class-activity lawsuit for this issue, although information technology appears to involve more models and more model years, give the widespread application of the FB25 engine.

Across oil consumption, Forester owners have noted a few mechanical lapses in small numbers, including turbo failure, worn-out transmissions and catalytic converters, short-lived wheel bearings and malfunctioning air conditioners. Oddly, the driver'due south seat tin can break and collapse, according to a few owners' accounts, and the rearview mirror may detach from the windshield.

The made-in-Japan Forester has its devotees, just the newer DOHC boxer engine has exhibited unsettling oil consumption that some owners equate with trouble. If you lot make a habit of monitoring the dipstick and keeping a bottle of synthetic oil on hand, then the Forester may serve you lot well.

2009-thirteen Subaru Forester

Typical price range: $11,000-$23,000

Pros:

> Airy cabin

> Bang-up sightlines all around

> Excellent AWD drivetrain

Cons:

> Uneven front seats

> Outdated four-speed automatic

> Oil-swilling engines

Things to Watch Out For:

> Excessive oil consumption

> Poor-performing air conditioner

> Unbecoming rattles

> Detached rearview mirror

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Source: https://autofile.ca/en-ca/car-reviews/should-you-buy-a-used-subaru-forester

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