Forester XS+ - much better than expected.

** LONG TERM UPDATE - SEE BOTTOM OF REVIEW ***

I have a 2003 XS+ 5 speed. It is basically loaded - it just doesn't have the sunroof & leather interior.
The car is a rock in both rain & snow (I live in the mountains of northwest NJ).

At the pump:
Gas mileage for the 5 speed has been a consistent 28-30 mpg in a mix of local & highway driving (above the EPA rating of 21-27).

Transmission:
Stick shift is easy to shift & drive. Hill holder feature is nice in the mountainous area I live in. Clutch engages low - like a sports car.

Engine:
Engine is silky smooth and quiet. Wind noise starts up about 80 mph - but this is true on most vehicles in this class & price range.

Brakes:
Brakes are very good stopping the car straight w/o any brake fade.

Suspension:
Good - approaching very good. I can fling this car into a corner and it just puts smiles on my face! It is very fun to drive!
The car does not feel tippy at all (as it's built on a car platform - not a truck platform like most other small SUVs). There is some mild body lean, but nothing that makes you think you are going to tip over or lose control of the car. The car is a very predictable handler.
The car takes most bumps w/o incident. For a car priced in the low 20s, it rides like a more expensive car.
On soft-road riding, it is alittle more choppy, but this is to be expected in a soft rider SUV.

Lighting:
Headlights seem to be the brightest on any car I have owned in the past 20 years. Not sure why...but I like it! :)
In addition, power window buttons are illuminated so you are not fumbling around for them at night.

Interior:
Interior is quite nice and approaching close to near-luxury
quality. Very solid, very quiet, yet practical in function. No squeeks or rattles to speak of.

Rear seats fold down flat. Head rests don't have to be removed for this if the front seats are not set all the way back (for me they're not, so it works nicely - I am 5'9 in height).

Cloth material proves to be quite practical, and easy to clean. They don't appear to be lint magnets! :)

There are lots of cubby places to store things throughout the vehicle. The center arm rest allows you to plug in your cell phone, and also store the phone inside of it allowing you to keep your phone in your car charging w/o having to worry about passer bys seeing your phone charging in your car. Thoughtful touch! :)

Accomodations for hauling things as well as 4 grown adults is very good. Remember, you are not driving a Ford Excursion - so you can't fit the entire house into the car - but for day trips it proves more than adequate and gets the job done nicely for us.

Other info:
Heated Wipers (front & back), mirrors, and seats all work very well.
CD/Cassette Radio with upgraded sound system & subwoofer sound great.

Safety:
The car was just rated the safest small SUV on the market in recent crash tests by the US government.

Maintenance:
Cheap to maintain. Gas, oil changes (less than $25 at the dealer), insurance are all excellent so far compared to other cars in it's class.


Based on my experience so far (the last 6 months), would I buy it again? DEFINITELY!
This is the best car I have owned.

Prior cars I have owned:

1975 Chevy Monza (V8)- my first car - a piece of crap to start with.
1982 Honda Accord Hatchback - in an accident and totalled.
1988 Honda CRX - had alot of oil leaks.
1992 Saturn SC - After the forester, the best car I ever owned. Should never have traded it in.
1998 Saturn SL2 (still have this car with 130,000 miles on the clock and still running strong - but lots of squeeks & rattles inside).
2001.5 VW Passat GLX - traded it in for the Forester XS.
The VW was a good car with alot of electrical gremlins. Cost of repair & maintainance was higher.



*** UPDATE - May 2006 2005 ***
I have put another 20,000 miles on the car in the past year (now at 64,000 miles).
The car has continued to run flawlessly. Only routine
maintenance has been performed thus far.
My first set of front brakes were recently put on - so I received pretty good mileage from the stock brakes.

The new Good Year Triple Treads I put on last year have been wearing very well, and I am pleased with how they handle in all weather conditions (much better than the stock Yokohama G900s that came with the car).

I am extremely happy with the car and would buy another in heartbeat if I had to. Though...I dont care for the new styling of the 2006+ models.