Used 2009 Subaru Forester Consumer Reviews
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Nice, but I like my 2005 better
javan68, 12/23/2011
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4dr SUV AWD w/Premium Pkg,VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
59 of 62 people found this review helpful
I have a 2005 Forester that is the 2.5X Manual version. I bought the 2009 for my wife, with the Auto. It is the Premium version. As a summary, I like the vehicle, but the fuel economy is crap. We get about 20-22 mpg on average, whereas my '05 gets 26-28 on average. If we really baby the gas and drive ultra conservatively, we may be able to get 25 mpg, but that is a huge IF. As for Snow driving, I will take the '09 over my '05, granted, my '05 is more fun to drive. The '09 is like a tank in the snow. We are in the market for a replacement for the '09. Our family is growing again, and the forester is just too small. Perhaps if it got better fuel economy, we would reconsider.
Excellent Small SUV
vkinsocal, 10/22/2010
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4dr SUV AWD w/Premium Pkg,VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
29 of 30 people found this review helpful
I've owned this car two years now and this car has been nearly flawless. I love the low end RPM power this car has. The torque curve is very flat on Subaru's 4 cyl engine. driving in snow is great. Heater and air conditioning is simple to operate. Wiper controls are fantastic and make sense. Cruise control on the steering wheel as well as radio controls are like a a more expensive car would have. Changing your own oil is a breeze as the oil filter is vertical and you can get to everything without driving the vehicle on ramps. Visibility when backing up is best in class. Paddle shifting manual mode transmission is handy holding gear downhill. For ~25K out the door a fine machine.
The one and only
Allen, 01/28/2018
updated 07/30/2020
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/VDC, Nav (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
17 of 17 people found this review helpful
Bought this car new. Meticulously dealer maintained first 4 years. Excellent independent mechanic last 4 years. First surprise, we had to replace the front suspension lower gel-filled fittings at 50k miles cracked=$500.00. Second surprise, replaced right front brake caliper three times over time. Third, transmission cooling lines failed, go figure. Fourth, head gaskets $2000.00. On the plus side, tire wear has been good with Yokohama Geolanders. Exhaust system has lasted a long time (except we had to have all the heat shields cut off), unbearable rattling. This is the one and only Subaru we’ll ever own. Love my “Subie”? Give me a break. Going back to Toyota and Honda. Please save me! As of July 2018 we’ve reached 108,500 miles. We had to replace both mufflers. No complaints with that. But.....The car now has a mysterious antifreeze odor in the cabin and when you exit the vehicle. No visible leaks. According to the Subaru Owners Blog this is a common problem with this engine. Buyer beware! Both mufflers finally wore out. Replaced them, then both rear wheel bearings failed. Last straw! We traded the vehicle for a Honda CRV in March 2019. Interesting note: The well known dealer in our area resold the Forester for $3000 more than trade in value. It sold in less than a week! I wish the best to the poor soul who bought it.
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Cant find a downside to this vehicle
subarublue77, 01/22/2012
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4dr SUV AWD w/Premium Pkg,VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
35 of 37 people found this review helpful
Did not know SUV existed until I read Consumer Reports. They rated this #1 in small SUV category. I test drove also small SUV Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota and the Forester out classed them all. I bought it used from the Subaru dealership (Jax, FL) and they had the Carfax. Took it to my mechanic and he said everything looked great! Wanted something that seats 4 & back seats go down so I can carry wood for my woodworking projects. Took it on a couple of long drives already and nice smooth ride. Car accelerates well given it is a 4 cylinder. I bought the SUV because of its reliability history and price. I read all the reviews on Edmunds.com and almost everyone liked their Subaru.
Great for tall drivers
don225, 01/09/2013
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4dr SUV AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
33 of 35 people found this review helpful
I bought this car for 2 reasons 1. Head room,I'm 6'5 2. AWD Over all happy but a few issues to note 1.The car has an uncanny ability to suck in the exhaust from other vehicles, and it has nothing to do with the in cabin filter. 2.The design of the front seats. As the driver its almost impossible to reach under the seat to grab anything, and there is a cable that runs directly from the underbelly of the seat to the ground that eliminates passage. The passenger seat sits so low that even I feel like a kid in a car(I'm 6'5) 4.Rattles. have fun going back and forth to the dealer getting all the rattles in the body panels shored up while under warranty 5.Transmission issues at 70K mi 6.Sterio
2 year update
Red Herring, 04/06/2010
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 4A)
34 of 37 people found this review helpful
Have owned now for almost 2 years, and still am impressed by what a sound, competent SUV this is. Through 2 winters now, tracks like a goat-no way to get it stuck, and rain is irrelevant due to great visibility, wipers and traction. Body quality is high also-survived a nine inch wide, 12 foot long tree branch falling on it and grape sized hail without a dent or scratch. Plenty roomy (I'm 6'4" and comfortable front or back) and practical (carried everything I ever asked it to, much more than CR-V or RAV). Turbo makes it a VERY competent performer, and I think the handling is a great compromise between comfort and performance. Critics need to keep in mind that this is a Subaru, not an Audi
Mostly great car. Now if stuff would stay attached
Gretchen B., 07/30/2018
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4dr SUV AWD w/All Weather, Premium Pkg, VDC (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
This was my first Subaru and I've enjoyed owning it, with a few reservations. The pros: I like the styling and the comfort of driving it. Although this vehicle is a SUV I LOVE that it's small. (I can actually fit into "compact car" spaces!) Even though it's smallish I like that I can haul stuff in it and that I can haul stuff AND people without trouble. The cons: The biggest gripe I have about this car is that I feel like I'm driving a tin can. The detailing is rather utilitarian and STUFF KEEPS FALLING OFF! For example, the seatbelt holder thingy on the backseat just came off one day. It'll cost a cool $125 to re-attach it so it won't fall off again. Various screws and knobs fall off of things or come out of where they're supposed to be attached. Every time I complain about this to the mechanic he says he can fix it and he does -- by just putting it back in again (thanks I can do this myself and do...often) or he says it'll cost me usually in the range of $125-200 to fix. This is an all-wheel drive so mileage isn't great. In the city I average about 22.5 mpg and on the highway I'm at around 25.5 mpg.
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HEY! It's our 3rd Forester
oncoursebob, 07/29/2018
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/VDC, Nav (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
What is most important to you if you are considering a new or replacement vehicle? As stated in the title, we have owned 3 Foresters. Should speak for it's self. We live in Nebraska, that too should speak for it's self:). My wife's car. She drives from our rural home to Omaha five days a week about 80 miles RT. Rain, sleet, snow well, you get it. Our ownership is based primarily on three factors. 1 Value for dollar spent 2 It does what we need a vehicle to do (and then some) 3 Our overall personal standards and ratings of similar vehicles keeps us going back to the Forester. No bling factor involved just dependable vehicle for - dare I say - practical people with a true sense of value.
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2009 Subaru Forester did the job!
Carl, 07/21/2018
updated 01/24/2019
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
That it is a very reliable car and will be a great deal. Traded it in on a 2018 Forester in July 2018. Main complaint is when rapidly accelerating in automatic, the gears don't always engage properly and it acts as if in neutral. Dealership was unable to resolve. Disengaging the accelerator pedal was required to resolve the problem. Otherwise, the car served me well for ten years.
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The Fun Mobile is dead, the Adventure Wagon lives
Jim, 04/03/2019
2009 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/VDC (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 4A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
After retiring my beloved 1998 Impreza to project car status, I needed a new daily driver. I travel about 50% for work, so a big car payment just didn’t make sense. The 2009 Forester was redesigned to be more SUV than wagon, and is all the better for it. With the turbocharged boxer, it is as quick as you want it to be, but with gentler driving, does quite well on gas mileage. Driver’s seat is incredibly comfortable, and the first car I’ve driven in a while that I don’t HAVE to get out and stretch after driving 90 minutes. Back seat is comfortable and has TONS of room. Headroom for even the tallest folks, and a sizable cargo area. Lots of comfort, but nimble and a ton of fun to drive. Subaru owners become very loyal, very quickly. I’ve driven a lot of winters in 4x4 trucks and SUVs, and Subarus are the head of the pack, hands down.
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