May 28. 2008
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Page B4
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News and reviews on new motor vehicles
sive value. Subaru shaved some
$ 1,200off the sticker price fo r 2(X)9,
including a temperature/gas m ile ­
age display, A /C , cruise control, a
C D player w ith an MP3 auxiliary
jack, power accessories and remote
keyless entry.
2 0 0 9 Subaru
Forester 2.5XT
The Boxy
Chiirmer Grows
in Character
Standard safety equipment in ­
cludes six airbags, w ith side-impact
airbags fo r the front seats and side
curtain airbags fo r both rows. The
curtain airbags have tip sensors to
deploy during a rollover. A ctive
head restraints, four-w heel-disc
anti lock brakes, traction control and
m K athleen C arr
The 2009 Subaru Forester, the
third generation o f this versatile,
sure-looted pack m ule, and Subaru
still isn't quite sure what toeall it. So
far as we can discern the fuzzy
corporate d e scription, the 2009
Subaru Forester is acrossover-util-
ity vehicle on a sport-sedan chas­
sis.
In its first fu ll redesign the Subaru
Forester has moved closer to the
mainstream than some funs m ight
have hoped it would. The old model's
boxy charm has been toned dow n,
and what's left is a compact S U V
whose d riv in g dynamics are on par
w ith some o f the nim b le r players in
this segment. A few Forester die-
hards may cry fo u l. The S U V re­
mains as practical as ever, but now
boasts enough refinem ent to merit
serious consideration from anyone
in the market to buy.
W h ile the 2(X)9 is o nly 3 inches
longer than the previous genera­
tion, its proportions have changed,
and it seems like the models excep­
tio n a lly tall greenhouse was re­
placed by one o f average height. In
particular, the hood is higher, even
though Subaru has always noted
that its ho rizo n ta lly opposed en­
gine style helped keep the hoodline
an electronic stability system are
also standard. A ll five seats have
adequately high head restraints.
We haven't said much about the
styling, w hich unless you own a
previous Forester, won't do much
Specifications: 2.5-Liter 4-cylinder 224 hp @ 226 Ib-ft. torque turbocharged engine: 4-speed automatic w/manual-shift mode
transmission; AWD: 19-City 24-Highway MPG; $30,660. MSRP
lo w and v is ib ility high.
Ground clearance is also raised a
bit, to 8.9 inches. Fog lights are an
option. T urbo versions are distin ­
guished by a hood scoop that fun­
nels cooling air into the intercooler
ju s t under the hood.
Standard dual exhaust pipes add
a sporty touch, as do the 17-inch
a llo y wheels that come on all but
the base trim level. The doors have
w indow frames now. w hich gives
them a much sturdier feel when
slammed than last year's frameless
doors had.
The turbocharged 2.5-literboxer-
4 has been substantially revised fo r
2009 and includes a new intake
system , in te rc o o le r and tu rb o ­
charger as featured by the Legacy
and Outback engines.
The turbo makes highway d riv ­
ing much more fun, merging into
tra ffic less dramatic. The turbo re­
quires prem ium gas; something to
consider w ith the daily increases at
the gas pump.
The 2009 Forester transmission
is a fi ve-speed manual or four-speed
automatic fo r the base-model en­
gine. w hile the turbo gets o n ly the
4-speed automatic w ith manual-
Bringing Hope
continued
from Metro
lives.
T h ro u g h a rigorous encounter
w ith great texts and ideas, the
program hopes to foster the in te l­
lectual and personal g ro w th o f
the p a rticip a n ts, to fu rth e r th e ir
engagement in c iv ic and c o m m u ­
n ity life , and to make it possible
fo r them to choose to con tin u e
th e ir education.
The 12-week class met 23 tim es
to e va lu a te e ve ryth in g fro m w orks
shift mode.
excellent.
When the Forester comes w ith a
Interior quality is good, i f occa­
four-speed automatic transmission, sionally inconsistent. The m ateri­
the torque split fo r the A W D sys­ als vary: The upper dash panels
tem constantly varies according to have an upscale finish, but some o f
a c c e le ra tio n , d e ce le ra tio n and the plastics lining the glove com ­
wheel slip, and as much as 100 partment look grainy and cheap.
percent o f power can he directed to The steering wheel has a satisfying
the wheels w ith the most grip.
grip, but I found the blue-and-white
The Forester's dash sits higher gauges a bit tacky. Other controls,
against the w indshield than you’ll from the turn signals to the w in d o w
fin d in many SUV s, w hich gives the switches, show sturdy construc­
cabin a more carl ike feel and a lower tion, and overall fit and finish is
perceived d riving position. Thanks respectable.
Given that all-wheel drive is stan­
to the large side and rear windows,
how ever,overall v is ib ility remains dard, the Forester packs impres-
to tickle your excitement meter. The
2(X)9 Forester looks a bit more up­
scale and sophisticated than its
predecessors and avoids the cute-
ute look.
D riving the 2009 Subaru Forester
is more exciting than staring at it.
T ip the throttle on the turbo model
and you get a smooth, lag-free re­
sponse. The four-speed automatic
could use another gear, but it had
no problem w orking w ith the a ll­
wheel drive to power us up and
do w n steep ro c k y slopes and
muddy, rutted trails.
It doesn't matter what you call
the 2009 Subaru Forester. Although
it's bulked up a bit and taken on the
look o f something serious, this is
still at heart the same funky station
wagon we have grow n to love. It
was a crossover; before crossovers
were cool, a u tility vehicle that's
easy to live with.
L e a d e r s h ip
Housing Designed Affordable and Green
continued
continued
o f Plato to the U.S. C o n s titu tio n .
"T h e A dventures o f H u ckle b e rry
F in n ” and W .E .B . D u B o is ' "T he
Souls o f B lack F o lk ."
The EPCO inmates w ho par­
ticip a te d say they plan on leav­
ing prison m ore co n fid e n t and
ready to con tin u e on a road to
h ig h e r learning.
"A lth o u g h we s till have a long
hard road to the perfect w o rld , we
have the a b ility to accom plish
a n yth in g we put o u r m in d to ,"
w ro te another inmate.
from Metro
ShaverGreen w ill include most
i f not all o f the fo llo w in g green
features: S ixty percent o r better
performance beyond the Oregon
Energy Code, saving 7,320 therms
per year; solar roofing system to
achieve some on-site power gen­
eration; use o f materials w ith su­
perior d u ra b ility fo r high tra ffic
areas: use o f recycled and pre­
fabricated materials; storm water
management and zero potable
water fo r irrigation; dual flush
toilets and shower heads; and
r
lo w -flo w lavatories.
A rm stro n g said his com pany
is selecting finishes and b u ild in g
m aterials to not o n ly achieve the
goals o f su sta in a b ility but also to
keep cost as low as possible w h ile
b u ild in g liv in g spaces that w ill
last and rem ain a ffo rd a b le fo r at
least 60 years.
“ O ur hope is that through this
developm ent, we can encourage
o ther a ffo rd a b le housing d e ve l­
opers to incorporate more sus­
tainable elements. We intend to
dem onstrate that a sustainable,
h ig h -q u a lity b u ild in g can have
an im pact beyond the local and
regional green b u ild in g m arket,"
A rm stro n g said.
The fu lly-fu n d e d development
is being financed by A rm strong
Stafford, the city o f Portland's
Bureau o f Housing & C om m unity
Development, U.S. Bank Commer­
cial Real Estate Division, Key Com-
m u n ity D e v e lo p m e n t C o rp .,
M ultnom ah County, State o f O r­
egon Housing and C om m unity
Services, Portland Development
Commission and Housing A uthor­
ity o f Portland. The architect is
D E C A Architecture.
/
from Metro
influence the American educational
system.
He was attracted to “ the idea
that you can take people w ho
w o u ld n ’ t readily have access to
this h ighly valued kind o f educa­
tion and bring it to them and say,
‘ W hat can you do w ith this?’ ”
For more inform ation about the
H um anity in Perspective program
fo r low -incom e adults w ho have
struggled w ith education from a
young age, contact Phoebe Wayne,
503-241 -0543,extension 12ore-mail
pw ayne@ oregonhum .org.
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