subaru forester performance in mountains at altitude

[mr]

I am considering purchasing a 2005 Subaru Forester with the standard (4
cylinder, automatic, non-turbo) engine. While the engine seems to have
plenty of power in the flatlands, I live in the Sierra foothills and
spend a lot of time in the mountains. I'd appreciate any feedback from
folks who have experience with the Forester (or any other Subaru with
the same engine like the Outback or Legacy) and its performance in the
mountains at altitude. Does the standard engine have enough power on
the mountain roads? Any problems with performance at higher altitudes?
Do you wish you had bought the turbo engine? Thanks!

 

[David]

Does the standard engine have enough power on
the mountain roads?

With a 5-speed, certainly. With an auto? Couldn't say. I've only spent a little
time driving one of those.

Any problems with performance at higher altitudes?

Not yet. I doubt I've had mine higher than Tioga pass (9000+ feet),
but no problems there. It can still pass at that altitude.

Mine is an '03, with a MAP sensor, and I think '05s use a MAF sensor,
so their behavior at alititude could be different. I've certainly had cars in the
past that seemed to run out of air in the mountains.

Do you wish you had bought the turbo engine?

It would sure be fun, but the NA motor works fine for me.

 

[jbaker]

I've got the Outback with 2.5 and auto. I do a lot of driving between
Portland and Sun Valley, ID so I go from sea level to about 5500 ft.
My experience is the 2.5 is a very capable little engine. If you go
with the 5 speed I think you would be happy. The auto is just a slush
box and does a lot gear hunting pulling up grades. Even with that, by
driving the auto I can maintain 65 going up Cabbage Hill outside
Pendleton, OR. That is about an 8 mile 6-8% grade. Being that the
Forester is a little lighter I would expect it to do even better.

Jack

 

[Danny Russell]

I am considering purchasing a 2005 Subaru Forester with the standard (4
cylinder, automatic, non-turbo) engine. While the engine seems to have
plenty of power in the flatlands, I live in the Sierra foothills and
spend a lot of time in the mountains. I'd appreciate any feedback from
folks who have experience with the Forester (or any other Subaru with
the same engine like the Outback or Legacy) and its performance in the
mountains at altitude. Does the standard engine have enough power on
the mountain roads? Any problems with performance at higher altitudes?
Do you wish you had bought the turbo engine? Thanks!

I took my OBS 2.5 4EAT on I-70 through the rockies and it did good. The trick is to anticipate
major grades by putting the tranny in 3rd and keeping the revs near 4000 rpm (70 mph). This'll keep
you moving with the fast traffic uphill.

Having said that, you will definately notice the loss of lower RPM torque at 8000-9000 feet
elevation. -Danny

 

[S]

Hi Mr.!

Does the standard engine have enough power on
the mountain roads?

We live at ~7,500ft, and my wifes Forester is often chosen for trips
into the mountains where the elevations run between 9,000 and 10,000
ft in the valleys, and 12,000+ on the passes.
While you _do_ notice some power loss, particularly above 11,000ft or
so, there is still plenty of reserve.
The turbo will have more, of course, but you will sacrifice your fuel
economy to utilize it. Also, experience suggests that it is often
difficult to keep the turbo spooled on twisty mountain roads (unless
you have the highway to yourself, and ignore the speed limits . . .
;-)

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[hwolf]

I have a 2003 Forester - automatic (took me a week to decide on manual
versus auto - and I'm glad I went with the auto - fits our driving
style better)

Anyways, we live on the coast and go to South Lake Tahoe regularly -
and I have not noticed any power issues at 7000+ feet.
I drive Hwy 50 all the time, no problems.
Note however that you should manually shift into third gear to prevent
"seeking" when climbing steeper grades - I have been loaded with ski
gear, wife and 2 kids, and climbed steep grades at 60+mph in third no
problem.

Car does great in the snow of course, but watch out for those stock
Yokohama tires - they wear out fast and suck in the snow.