Best Choice

This is the prefect vehicle for former car owners that want to hop on the band wagon. Only it offers a great ride and handling balance, plenty of useful low-end torque, and excellent gas mileage to boot. It's very fun to drive, so giving up a sports coupe was no big deal. The traction is truly amazing: you just never begin to slip in the first place. I look at people who buy these over-priced gas guzzling SUV's and then never take them off-road anyway, and I just don't get it.

It's utility has impressed me, especially when I moved recently. The cargo area offers good space with the seat in place, and the roof rack is impressively sturdy. I've had no problem fitting 4 adults and a baby seat, plus all the baby gear.

Safety is another plus: it's the only small SUV to receive a "Good" rating in IIHS' front offset 40mph crash tests. It's low slung, so there's none of the typical SUV's tendency to roll.

Driving this feels like driving a car on steroids. You sit relatively low, in firm and supportive seats. You don't have to rev the engine high to get going - low-end torque is more than enough.

My 5 speed's AWD is engaged full time, with torque split 50/50, and adjustments are made imperceptibly. My mileage has ranged from 22 mpg up to 29 mpg. Range is bladder-busting impressive.

I love the engine, the AWD system, and the firm and supportive seats and all its adjustments. The warranty, reliability ratings, top bumper basher scores, and all the awards from the press were just icing on the cake.

I hated the horn's wimpy note, and just had to change it. That plus I bought a '98, and Subaru has made several items standard since then (power mirrors, cruise control), which effectively lowered the price, so I wish I could have waited. I also missed out on the Stage II engine, with even more torque than mine.

I strongly recommend the Forester, and have convinced several friends to buy one (I'm still friends with all of them, too). I'm looking forward to Subaru adding more content without increasing the price, plus the face-lift coming up for MY2001, and the rumored power increase (you never have enough, you know?).

-juice