Comparsion review: eight compact SUVs (second place)

The 2009 Subaru Forester is hardly bare-bones, but it's the closest car in this group to a good basic SUV. See more photos of 
the Forester below the article in today's slideshow.

‘Basic’ is not a word that can be applied to many new cars, especially those over $20,000, at least not in its traditional meaning. A good ‘basic’ $20,000 SUV is one that does everything well but that doesn’t go the extra mile in noise suppression or interior quality to feel like a nice car instead of just a very good one. 

The Subaru Forester, recently redesigned for 2009, is a good basic SUV. It’s not junky-feeling like a Jeep Patriot – that SUV is a different kind of basic – but with a noisy, somewhat harsh engine and an interior that appears durable but in no way luxurious, it doesn’t offer the extra frills that would make ideally pleasant.

A good basic SUV isn’t uncomfortable. Inside, the Forester is roomy and the high-mounted front seats are well-shaped and comfortable. The rear, too, is spacious – rare in a Subaru – but although the seat cushion is nicely shaped it could be higher off the floor. A basic boxy shape without swoopy stylistic details leaves the Forester with excellent visibility and plenty of cargo space – 33.5 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 68.3 cubic feet when the rear seat is folded. 

However, a good basic SUV doesn’t have to feel upscale inside. No cloth feels plush, few plastics are soft. Nothing feels flimsy and panels fit together properly, but the hard plastics feel too close to cheap. Some might argue that this makes the interior more durable, which is more desirable in a utility vehicle, but you can have sturdy materials that are more pleasant than the Forester’s.

However, a good basic SUV does drive well. The Forester has a smooth, comfortable ride that doesn’t isolate occupants from minor road imperfections but that keeps bumps from slamming through. It handles well enough, but the steering is numb and could be more responsive. 

However, a good basic SUV doesn’t have to be quiet. The Forester’s noise doesn’t interfere with conversation, but the engine gets loud and gruff-sounding under acceleration and sticks around even at cruise or idle. There’s also more vibration at idle than in most of the others here. Wind and road noise is moderate. The harsh-sounding engine is a Subaru staple that has been with the automaker for decades, and despite recent power bumps it does not deliver zippy acceleration, though it’s adequate. The 4-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly enough. Gas mileage ties with the Honda CR-V at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway. 

However, a good basic SUV must be safe, and this is one of the Forester’s strongest points. It aced every crash test it was subjected to, including the challenging new IIHS roof-strength evaluation. (Though it only got four at out five stars in NHTSA’s rollover resistance test, that’s as good as it gets for an SUV; few cars even get five stars.) A handy roster of standard safety features also helps, though the Forester’s checklist doesn’t stand out from the competition as much as its impeccable crash test scores.

And a good basic SUV must be inexpensive. At $20,165 out the door as tested and with top-notch depreciation projections, the Forester does very well on the value front as well.

However, for over $20,000, some people might want more than basic. They may demand an extra dose of refinement that would have made the Forester feel more than a very good budget-grade vehicle. 

You can get a small SUV with that added refinement that gives up fairly little to the Forester, and that SUV ended up with the top podium spot in this comparison. But if you want to keep all the safety and all the value for the money and don’t mind a noisier engine and some harder interior plastics, or if you prefer the character of the basic durable SUV, the Forester is your winner rather than your runner-up.