After only four months of service, our long-term Forester has accrued 12,952 miles, thanks in small part to associate Web editor Rory Jurnecka's trip to Las Vegas. "While the Forester isn't what one might ideally find himself in while cruising the Strip, it was in fact where I found myself a month ago. For transporting buddies to Sin City, the Forester served its purpose, but it didn't do much more than that. The largest annoyance was the anemic base-level engine. On slightest inclines, I was constantly shuttling between third and fourth gears. As soon as I thought I'd built up enough revs and shifted to fourth, a lack of power would have me back in third. Can't help but think how much better this 'ute would be with the 2.5-liter turbo."
| 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X |
| Months/miles in service | 4/12,952 |
| Avg econ/CO2 | 22.0 mpg/0.88 lb/mile |
| Unresolved problems | None |
| Maintenance cost | $121.20 (1 - oil change/inspection/rotate tires and cabin air filters) |
| Normal-wear cost | $0 |