SUV Styling

Where previous generations looked more like tall wagons than SUVs, this redesign moves the Forester a lot closer to what it purports to be. There are still some windswept lines here and there, so it's not yet in the territory of more upright SUVs like the Saturn Vue or Ford Escape, but for better or worse it will now blend in with the herd much more easily. The creased headlights and stacked bumper looked a bit busy to me, but they're attractive enough. The tail closes things off with a tidy, clean design.

Standard dual exhaust pipes add a sporty touch, as do the 17-inch alloy wheels that come on all but the base trim level. The doors have window frames now, which gives them a much sturdier feel when slammed than last year's frameless doors had.

    See also:

    Audio set
    Your SUBARU may be equipped with one of the following audio sets. See the pages indicated in this section for operating details. NOTE If a cell phone is placed near the audio set, it may cause the ...

    Rocking the vehicle
    If you must rock the vehicle to free it from snow, sand, or mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly and move the shift lever/select lever back and forth between “1”/“D” and “R” repeatedly. Do ...

    Arming the system
    CAUTION In passive mode, the system will automatically activate the alarm but WILL NOT automatically lock the doors. In order to lock the doors you must either lock them as indicated in step 4 be ...