What would I hate about a Forester if I was looking for a WRX?

Question is in the thread title...

What would I hate about a turbo Forester if I was approaching it as a cheaper and roomier WRX?

What stuff doesn't interchange (other than the obvious, like body panels)?

Are there any aftermarket drivetrain/suspension parts for the WRX that won't work on the Forester?

Are they significantly heavier, or have significantly worse balance?

Yes, yes, for those that know me, I have railed against the Forester for a long time... but when I can find them for 75% of the price of a WRX wagon they become a bit more palatable.

depends on if you're talking about the original forester body style, or the new SUV-ish body style. They drive quite a bit differently from each other.

also depends on what year of WRX you're talking about...

I can't find one for less than a wrx. It's hen's teeth to find an XT manual. Kind of same odds as E36 M3 4 door manual.

quick cliffs: My brother has an earlier Forester XT ('05 I think). It's fun to drive, well-mannered, and well-balanced in stock form - if not a bit slow off the line. I wouldn't mind driving it every day, it's an enjoyable car...

I had a loaner '10 XT for 2 months while they fixed my car. The new XT is a noodle-feeling rattlecan. Suspension is too soft in corners but not comfortable on rough roads. It drives like an SUV but you're sitting way too low in the cabin. Interior is bleh. And acceleration is glacial, with a terrible, awful automatic tranny. That was 2 months of commuting misery.

A MT turbo is probably better, but color me uninteresed in the new ones.

I dig 'em.

You're right- they are cheaper and roomier WRX's. And STI parts bolt on!

The old Forester and a comparable model year WRX had similar driving characteristics. Slightly more top heavy, but not significant.

New one drives like a Suburban.

IIRC they have shorter gearing which equates to even less MPGs

I personally would love an EZ30R swapped 98 Forester with your brakes/suspension/transmission of choice (STi drops would be best I figure)

Check out Nasioc, everything you can do to a WRX you can do to a Forester whether it be 400hp engine, transmission, or suspension.

But I have to say that the new generation sucks. Well maybe not suck because it is a competent reliable well made appliance, but it is not an enthusiast car.

fwiw, there's a specific range of years where most/allish STi parts bolt on to a turbo forester (don't recall off the top of my head which years, other than that 04 is one of them) other than that, imo, you gain a tooooooon of sleeper status, and some room in the back.

On my short list of possible automotive shenanigans once I finish up school and get a 'real' job

I believe 04-07? not too sure but instead of naisoc http://www.subaruforester.org/ is pretty useful. I read a bunch of their stickies when i was lusting over one

There's a how to go faster than an STI for cheap sticky It's not cheap in terms of GRM but still an fun read

You can get a basic primer on Forester evolution on my web site: Foresters - SF, SG, SH The first two generations are built on the Impreza platform. The new, disappointing model is based on the Legacy platform. There is very little that isn't interchangeable between the WRX and the Forester. I have a complete WRX suspension on ours including the sway bar. It changes from a boring, tippy feeling wagon into a true corner carver with great utility. I don't know what, if any, changes they made to the turbo models in the suspension vs the standard version. When it comes time to replace this one, I would give the turbo serious consideration though.

It is true the gearing is much more, uh, off-road oriented in the Foresters. My highway rpm's are probably close to a 1000 higher than they were with our Impreza.

I have a 2004 Forester XT that I bought instead of a WRX.

It will do anything a WRX does, and haul a metric buttload of crap as well. The best part is that two rear facing child seats fit in the back, no problem.

For a super duper utility vehicle, get the 5 speed dual range transmission from one of the other markets and swap it in, add stock height King Springs with 25% more stiffness and quick disconnects on Whiteline swaybars. Better road manners, and a capable offroader in the same car. Granted, it won't handle like and STi or crawl a trail like a Wrangler, but it'll do 80% of either job.

Gratuitous hotlink (yes, that's me):

I forgot to add:

In the 2004 Turbo models, the engine is an STI engine. Smaller turbo, smaller injectors, that's it. I'm not sure about the other years.

Anything that bolts onto a 2004 WRX STi will bolt onto a 2004-2008 Forester XT.

2004 is internally the same as an Sti as mentioned above. They also got the banjo bolt filters, that subaru later realized were not the best idea. Research the banjo bolt filter on the subaru websites and form your own opinion as to whether you should remove them or not.

Styling and stock ride are about the only things I can think of in terms of differences you may or may not like.

Other things to confirm are the steering rack turning ratio and whether or not it has the rear lsd. Everything is swappable, so if it's not present it's not a big deal. It's just a matter of factoring in the additional cost to acquire the parts.

lnlds wrote: IIRC they have shorter gearing which equates to even less MPGs

Both of my rigs are powered by pushrod 5.0s... I don't think I'll consider a turbo Forester to have bad mileage, lol.

FWIW, I would most certainly not be looking at the most recent gen, probably the earliest one I could get my hands on, and only if I found a MT.

Here's mine. First graph is e85 second is 91.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S-Vyf6GxZQ&feature=feedu

!

Brett_Murphy wrote: For a super duper utility vehicle, get the 5 speed dual range transmission from one of the other markets and swap it in

Wait. What?

Aussie market Foresters had a dual range transmission available for some years.

Yeah, I want a dual range 5 speed diesel forester.

Taiden wrote: Yeah, I want a dual range 5 speed diesel forester.

Ugh. Not me. I can't think of many cars I would want less than that, actually.

ReverendDexter wrote:

Taiden wrote: Yeah, I want a dual range 5 speed diesel forester.

Ugh. Not me. I can't think of many cars I would want *less* than that, actually.

I would want one as long as it is a turbo diesel and can be chipped. TORQUE cures a lot of ills! (Plus diesel is running 10 cents a lire cheaper than gas these days!)

NGTD wrote: I would want one as long as it is a turbo diesel and can be chipped. TORQUE cures a lot of ills! (Plus diesel is running 10 cents a lire cheaper than gas these days!)

L0L WUT? Gas is 104.9/L here, diesel is something like $1.25

Apparently one of our refineries going down doesn't affect you guys out east...

Still, a diesel dual range 5 speed forester would be amazing!

Between my wife and I, we've had three non-turbo Fozzies: two '01 Ls(one stick, one slush), and one '04 XS slush(current).

'98-02(SF) were the most "rough and ready", least refined, auto box is awful, but the most cheerful to drive of the bunch. Better trunk space than the SG, but a bit smaller in the rear seat. The tweedlike front seats of the '00-01 L are fantastic. Drives much like a GC 2.5RS from the strut towers down, because for all intents and purposes it is one, save for rear drums, softer springs, and a lack of rear LSD. The wife and I both want another.

'03-08(SG) is quite a bit more refined, but still rather squashy for the street. X/XS models are essentially a 2.5i underneath. Aftermarket bushings go a looooong way toward tightening these up, particularly in the front control arms and the whole of the rear suspension. Interior is the nicest in fit and finish of the bunch, though the front seats are flat, hard, unsupportive, and don't wear well in the non-turbo, I can't speak for the XT. Optional sunroof is the largest I've ever seen. Needs more trunk. The auto box is halfway decent. Subaru's exterior styling has always been subjective, but '06-08 is pretty fugly up front. The wife's XS would be the perfect rally weekend getaway car with better front seats and a bit more passing power.

'09(SH) and newer drive like a base model E46... Kind of heavy, underdamped, and numb, though not nearly as responsive. They're quiet and more spacious than previous iterations, but the new NA 2.5 is more suited to a lighter car, the torque band is all wrong for something so bloated. Handling is tuned toward understeer like the others, but is much more Camry than STi in responsiveness. "Giant trunk" is about all I've got to say that's good about it.

If I had it to do over again, I'd have kept my '01 L 5MT. It really was a fantastic daily. Able to be fun in corners one moment, and romp through mud puddles the next. Kind of a golden retriever of sorts. Parts interchangability with GC Imprezas means the aftermarket for handling bits is endless, and they're quite simple to work on.

Say all that to say this: you want a '03-05XT with a stick. You may also consider a turbo Outback, as they're a bit more road ready out of the box, just as good in the rough stuff, good looking, and have a bit more useful interior space.

sachilles wrote: 2004 is internally the same as an Sti as mentioned above. They also got the banjo bolt filters, that subaru later realized were not the best idea. Research the banjo bolt filter on the subaru websites and form your own opinion as to whether you should remove them or not.

We have an '04 XT 5spd. I took the filters out. I can think of no good reason to leave them in and since Subaru stopped installing them on newer models, apparently they can't either.

HiTempguy wrote:

NGTD wrote: I would want one as long as it is a turbo diesel and can be chipped. TORQUE cures a lot of ills! (Plus diesel is running 10 cents a lire cheaper than gas these days!)

L0L WUT? Gas is 104.9/L here, diesel is something like $1.25 Apparently one of our refineries going down doesn't affect you guys out east... Still, a diesel dual range 5 speed forester would be amazing!

Paying almost $1.30 a litre for gas right now. Diesel is around $1.22 so not quite 10 cents, but it has been 10 cents not long ago.

We haven't seen gas under $1.20 a litre since last year.