Used 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Premium Crossover SUV Review & Ratings

The Subaru Forrester's "sit up and beg "shape has been a familiar site on US roads for close to fifteen years now. Since the launch of the Series One version in 1997, in truth, little change has been made to the Forester 2.5XT Premier Crossover SUV body shape with Subaru preferring to stick to a proven formula which has brought them a lot of success over the years. Designed around the rally winning Impreza platform, the Subaru Forester 2.5XT Premier Crossover SUV boasts the standard Subaru all wheel drive (AWD) system and an ideal combination that runs between a crossover sports utility vehicle (SUV) and a normal family station wagon, although considerably taller.

Reviews of the Subaru Forester consistently smooth and comfortable ride conditions coupled with outstanding handling be it on or off road.

From its earliest reviews the Subaru Forester looked like an outright winner in its field. The first Foresters were fitted with Subaru's standard 2.5-liter, 165-hp flat-4 engine, rated then as the most powerful in any crossover mini-SUV of that time. Not content with providing just power Subaru also spoiled Forester buyers with levels of comfort that would normally only be found in a luxury saloon. With this combination, added to superb headroom, abundant safety features and many other positive features, the Subaru Forester was in a class of its own for a very long time among the crossovers, making the Toyota and Honda versions looking very much like the poor relations.

When the Series Two version of the Subaru Forester was launched in 2005 reviews continued to be favourable, although very few changes had been and those that had been done were mostly superficial. In credit to the popularity of the Forester, sales and reviews remained positive, despite increasing between the lines undercurrents in the car industry that that the Subaru Forester was beginning to earn a reputation of being static as far as its looks were concerned.

In terms of functionability, if there were any complaint about the first two series' of the Subaru Forester it was that the vehicle's low ground clearance was problematic and could cause damage on even the least testing of off-road conditions.

Subaru have done a lot to answer the critics, with the launch of their series three model Foresters, which hit the roads late in 2011. Particularly significant was the Subaru Forester 2.5XT Premier Crossover's new FB engine design, especially as it was the first vehicle from Subaru model to be powered with this fairly revolutionary new engine. Considerably more powerful than that used in previous versions, the Series Three Subaru Forester 2.5XT Premier Crossover SUV is powered by a 2.5 liter double overhead camshaft FB25 engine.