New Subaru Legacy Gets Turbo, If Outback Gets 2.4XT Why Not Forester?

Your angle is correct - capacity. At a Subaru meeting I attended that was pretty clear. The next special Forester will get the 2.4 Turbo and it will rock (my speculation). Subaru needs a US factory for the Forester. That would change a lot for the model.

I have a high-mileage 2008 Forester XT with manual transmission, which I will have to replace in the next few years. Absent a turbo option on either the Crosstrek or the Forester, they're simply too nerve wracking during merging or passing maneuvers on the highway. And both the Outback and the Ascent are too large for convenient city use. And the WRX hatchback is currently unavailable in North America. Basically, Subaru seems to be doing its absolute best to oblige even long-time Subaru customers to look at other brands for a hatchback or wagon that is both small enough to be useful in the city and powerful enough to be safe on the highway. I thought safety and utility were hallmarks of the Subaru brand?

As a Forester owner, this news isn’t good. I’ll be trading up to an AWD Tesla Model Y. The Forester engine just doesn’t have enough.

The only reason that I have not ordered a new 2019 Forester is because they don’t offer a larger engine. It is woefully underpowered. It takes 9.5 seconds to go to 60 mph and that’s not fast enough to merge onto today’s high speed highways.

Well the Outback and Legacy always had a 6 cylinder option. The 2.4 turbo is replacing that.

I'm quite interested in a 2.4T Outback.
If they can make it do the run in under 7 seconds, I'll be impressed and interested in about 3 years.

The first forester had a proper 5 speed and sporty handling and hood scoop. This thing did 0-60 in just over 5 seconds. The last xt lost the hood scoop, lost the manual tans, gained over 500lbs and has a 0-60 of over 6 seconds, if you’re lucky (unpredictable CVT). It handles like a boat and you can’t even disable the traction control. No fun. Subaru almost methodically took away the character and performance true car enthusiasts wanted and then cite poor sales when they axed the xt model. Just as other compact suvs add turbo/performance models, subaru decides to do the opposite. Makes sense.

We have a 2014 xt which we love because of the turbo. Don't think we'll be looking at the Forester when we replace this one.

To all of you upset regarding the speed or underpowered nature of the new Foresters, have you driven one?

My wife and I just purchased one and it merges on the highway just as well as any other car. It’s also capable of easily overtaking a slower vehicle.

No, it’s not “fast”, or even really “quick” by today’s standards, but it’s certainly not so slow as to be “unsafe”... The idea that you need to measure the safety of a vehicle by its ability to accelerate quickly is kinda silly. I mean, c’mon guys. There are TONS of vehicles out there with average acceleration figures.

I understand from an enthusiast perspective that it’s not as fun, but let’s not spread misinformation regarding safety as a way to support that argument. It makes us sound like we don’t know what we’re talking about.

I have a 2014 Forester XT Touring with Turbo. I was waiting for the 2019 Forester and can't tell you how disappointed I was when I found out that Subaru eliminated the Turbo on the Forester. How stupid! I do a lot of highway driving and take road trips out west quite a bit. The Turbo got me out of many bad situations with trucks and stupid drivers. I test drove one and it's a pig. 0 to 60 takes almost 9 seconds. My 2014 does 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds. That difference could cost you your life.

I have a 2009 Forester XT and I really want to replace it with another Forester, but not without the Turbo. Any Subaru manager that parrots the "we aren't going to offer it because we don't have to" is sounding like they work for GM. To bad...I really liked the 4 Subies I have owned, but I guess it's time to move on.

The difference with a 2.4 Turbo on the Forester is the 87 octane fuel requirement. For the customer like myself who would like a better performing but even more practical Forester it's a winner. The old Turbo appealed to a much more limited market of "performance enthusiasts" who want a small boxy SUV. I think the real reason it's not offered is Subaru doesn't want to erode sales of it's higher end models. Historical Subaru moves engine/Trans upgrades down the food chain over time. Hopefully the 2.4 makes it to the Forester in the next two years before trade in time.

It's interesting to me how when the bean-counters hold sway, great companies stop doing what made them great. Isn't performance what made the Subaru brand? And boy, can they shoot themselves in the foot. The high price premium for the Forester XT was certainly a large factor in limiting sales, but can they just write off 5% of Forester buyers? My 2017 XT is due back off lease in a year, and now I see so many better options. My next car is likely a CPO Porsche Macan, for just a little more money than the Forester I now have, and I'm never coming back. They might be selling all the Foresters can make, but I won't be clamoring for a new one.

I should have added: The 5% of Forester XT owners they are chasing away are customers willing to pay a premium price to get the vehicle they want to drive. I don't mean to exaggerate my own importance by any means, but I believe I make a valid point. My wife drives a 2018 Outback, to me the driving experience is like night and day, and I would not even consider an Outback XT.

I bought the lease on my 16 Forester turbo because Subaru i not offering any new Forester better than my old one.....

I had a 2014 XT that I purchased in 2016 with 18,000 miles on it. Loved the car but discovered the rpevious owners had damaged the undercarriage so I traded it for a Subaru Certified 2017 XT. 2017 had to go in for an oil leak from the timing chain so I drove the Forester Sport for 5 days. Hated it! It was sooo slow compared to my 2017 and 2014. Plus the orange accented trim made the interior look cheap . I'll keep the 2017 XT, thanks.

I had a ‘14 forester XT which I really loved, the lack of a turbo in the new model was a big turn off. I looked around at wagons and crossovers that still had turbos and AWD and opted for the Audi allroad which I took ownership of last month. Subaru lost a sale from someone who has owned only Subaru’s for the last 20 years. Basically, Subaru turned their back on me so I returned the favor and did the same to them.

We have a 2002 Forester Turbo GT. It now has 305,000 kms on the clock. It doesn't miss a beat and is still a pocket rocket when needed. The gearbox and clutch has never been touched. It was an expensive car when we bought in 2002 but you get what you pay for. It has been brilliant car and the right size for battling supermarket parking. Can't believe the turbo model has been dropped from the line up!

I was going to upgrade to a 2019 forester from my 2015 XT turbo until i found out that it was not available. I would put up with the bland appearance of the 2019 model but without the turbo it was a no buy situation . I would love to by a new forester but until the turbo is reintroduced i will be looking elsewhere, stupid idea Subaru

Subaru Forester need the Turbo Engine fast. Subaru Image is going down....

The Forester is the money maker model for Subaru. That can change really fast for people who want/need power to enjoy!

Subaru dropped the ball on this. Made cosmetic changes to the Forester and now it is just another underpowered suv that is not that good looking. I'm looking at the Mazda CX-5, they just added a 2.0 turbo for 250 hp, plus the CX is a much sleeker looking vehicle. Loved my XT, but time to move on...

My wife just transferred from a Forester to a plug in hybrid Prius as Subaru doesn't make plug in hybrids.
I have a 2026 Forester XT and as I don't like the longer Subaru vehicles and Subaru is giving up on my 5% segment, it is likely going to lose me.

Both my wife and I were longstanding Foresters owners and had no other cars for the last 15 years. Had Subaru come up with like cars, we would have stayed with Subaru.