Behind the wheel, the first thing you notice about this third-gen Forester is that, apart from a tiny bump in power at 3000 rpm, there’s little clue that this is a forced-induction engine. Max horsepower now manifests 400 revs sooner, max torque 800 revs sooner. How come? Subaru’s aim was to flatten the power curve and reduce the turbo’s on/off-ishness, goals they’ve absolutely achieved. Bolt a turbocharger to that little barking boxer, however, and what once was Velveeta becomes Pont L’Évêque-witness blown Foresters winning our 5Best Trucks Small SUV award in 2004, 2005, and 2006.įor 2009, the 2.5XT and top-of-the-line 2.5XT Limited benefit from a revised turbo, bigger valves, and a meatier intercooler to produce-hey, wait a sec-the same 224 hp and 226 pound-feet of torque as before. Mated to the heavier Forester, however, it rates about a 4.5 on the C/D passion meter. The base Forester is powered by the same 170-horse flat-four you’ll find in the nose of an Impreza. Flatten the rear seats, and a mountain bike slides in, no sweat. As has always been true of Foresters, there’s headroom sufficient to support the odd cumulus cloud or two. The rear center rider, unfortunately, must perch on a rock-hard hump. The back seat is now something of an amphitheater-legroom is vast, and egress will brighten the faces of octogenarians. EPA passenger volume has swollen by 11 cubic feet. Not true, but it is 2.9 inches longer and 1.8 inches wider, and it rides atop a wheelbase stretched 3.6 inches. Just to look at the thing, you’d swear the ’09 Forester is 50-percent larger than its forebear.

The Forester’s practical, unpretentious countenance personifies Subaru’s ethos, and the model has done much to fatten the pay packets of more than a few Fuji Heavy Industries executives.Įvery body panel is new. During that spell, even boxier boxes have appeared-think of the Honda Element and the Scion xB. It is not uncommon to see more than twenty individuals in an area during its peak flight, and in 2009 I saw over 225 of these at Buena Vista Marsh.Subaru’s Forester has always resembled the shipping carton for a side-by-side Frigidaire, a barb that has become less pointed during this wagon’s 11-year lifespan. One fight, from mid-June to the first week in August AbundanceĪ common skipper throughout Wisconsin. Habitatįound along wetland edges, streams, grassland areas, and roadsides Flight In general, the Indian Skipper flies about two weeks before the Long Dash. Above, the Indian Skipper is much lighter, the male has a much thinner stigma, and the female does not have dark markings across the middle of the forewings. The Indian Skipper is lighter in general than the Long Dash, and the spot band on the hindwing of the Indian Skipper does not contrast with the color of the hindwing below as much as that on the Long Dash. This species is very similar to the Indian Skipper distinguishing these species when and where they both occur is difficult. The hindwing of both sexes is marked similarly above as below. The female is similar with less orange and with dark marks similar to, but wider than, the male’s stigma. Above, the male is orange with a long, wide stigma and a dark border on the forewing.

Below, the wings are various shades of brown with a very distinct lighter spot band on the hindwing.

2009 forest dash