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EPA ratings of 26 miles per gallon city, 33 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined only represent 1-mpg increases in the highway and combined cycles compared to the 2018 Forester. The updated 2.5-liter engine is also more efficient than before, though just barely. Honestly, though, you're better off leaving it alone. Really dig into the throttle and the transmission will change to a stepped shift pattern that mimics the action of a conventional seven-speed automatic, and available paddle shifters will let you move through those faux gears manually.
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The CVT is largely unobtrusive most of the time, quietly humming away and keeping the engine pegged in its powerband. There's 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque on offer, gains of just 12 and 2, respectively, compared to the outgoing model. That's fine, because the Forester's updated 2.5-liter engine offers adequate power and delivers it smoothly. Subaru says both of these versions accounted for maybe 5 percent of overall Forester sales, so the effort needed to keep 'em alive wouldn't be worth it in the end.
#X MODE SUBARU FORESTER FORUM MANUAL#
That's right, the turbocharged XT model is dead, ditto the base car's manual gearbox. The Forester rolls into 2019 with a single powertrain option: a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-4 mated to a continuously variable transmission. But aside from some slightly different transmission programming when driven in Sport mode, this new trim is mechanically identical to every other Forester.Ī 2.5-liter flat-4 is the only engine available for 2019, with 182 horsepower, 176 pound-feet of torque and a continuously variable transmission. And more importantly, it's immediately recognizable as a Forester.Ī new Sport trim joins the lineup for 2019, immediately identifiable thanks to its bright orange exterior and interior accents (which I can't say I love), as well as its black-painted, 18-inch alloy wheels. The SUV's design hasn't changed all that much, either, and retains such characteristically Forester elements as a large glasshouse, approachable height and chunky overall aesthetics. The 2019 model grows by less than an inch in both length and width, while still boasting a bit more legroom inside, as well as a few more cubic feet of cargo space (not to mention the widest load-in aperture in the class).
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So despite moving the SUV to the same global architecture that underpins the Impreza, Crosstrek and Ascent, Subaru has managed to keep the Forester's footprint remarkably similar. Subaru says its customers love the just-right size of the current Forester.