Subaru Forester XT or Mazda CX-7

[foresterx]

Ah di ba reliable mga installer ng turbo dito? Bahala na... I'll decide after the test drive

installers are reliable naman especially speedlab and orange, the problem is the car itself it would lose it's reliability because the 2.0x engine isn't designed to be turbo'd.

[chocoboy1977]

installers are reliable naman especially speedlab and orange, the problem is the car itself it would lose it's reliability because the 2.0x engine isn't designed to be turbo'd.

ah ic, thanks for the tons of advice dude

[foresterx]

you're welcome, glad i could help!

anyway when you test drive the 2.0x, xt and cx-7 let us know what you think.

[chocoboy1977]

I was able to test drive my cousin's Subaru 2.5xt last night in their village and the cx-7 yesterday afternoon along edsa (ortigas). Here's my review of both...

The cx-7's interior accessories is far more Hi-tech compared to the XT. AC controls are easier to manipulate, Simple plus and minus knobs. Display is well placed (top center of the dashboard) easier to view in a glance. I just wished the rear camera was standard than optional. Radio is prettier though wasn't able to compare sound quality as much as I would want with limited time. Cx-7's leather seats are more cushioned compared to the XT. Though, the XT's are not bad at all. Back seats got to hand it to the XT as it is able to recline further thus making it more comfortable for passengers. Sound proofing wise, I think CX-7 is a notch hihger.

Here is where the CX-7 gets left behind. I'm sorry to say but the CX-7's ride is just terrible (in my opinion). I'm not sure if the wheels are just over inflated but the ride (driver and rear passenger) is simply put as MATAGTAG. My brother riding at the back kept on saying naalog ang tiyan ko. And take note, this is along edsa (from ortigas intersection until santaloan U-Turn underpass) with almost zero traffic.. We also drove along the wide street going to white plains/corinthian hills intersection and aslo along corinthian hills drive. This is really a big minus on the CX-7 for me. The XT's ride is way much softer and comfortable but this is just within village streets. I'll add more on the forester's ride after my test dive next saturday. But it will be the 2.0x model that I will be testing since Subaru doesn't have a 2.5XT test drive unit.

With regards to power, I think we all know the CX-7 and the XT are really not matched. 230ps / 320 torque vs 163ps / 205 torque says it all. It should be more of CX-7 vs 2.0x (even price wise) to make sense. I'll also add more on this (CX-7 vs 2.0x) after the test drive on saturday.

Leg room and trunk space, the forester is just bigger or should I say was utilized more. I'm not saying the CX-7's leg room is campy or anything. In fact, the legroom is adequate enough for the average sized filipino. Again, the forester's leg room just has more space compared to the CX-7. Trunk space is almost the same but the CX-7's rear wheel protrudes thus making the effective trunk space smaller.

Ease of driving, The forester also wins for me at the moment. With regards to driver's view, the Forester has a wider view (front and back) due to the thicker A-pillars and D- Pillars of the CX-7. The massive sun roof of the Forester is also a big plus. Manuverability of both are equal in my opinion even with the CX-7 being bigger on all dimensions. I will aslo add more on this after the Forester test drive.

This is my experience and thoughts with regards to the CX-7 vs Forester. So far, I am leaning towards the Forester but things could change after the Forester test drive as I will be buying the 2.0x if ever due to budget constraints.

[pup2]

Guys, parang hindi naman siya ganun ka into speed. Baka naman OK na siya sa 2.0X with bolt-on mods ...

[chocoboy1977]

I was able to test drive the 2.0x last saturday. Just to continue my review between the two...

Forester's ride is way better compared to the CX-7's. Power wise, 2.0x is more than enough for city driving. Not much difference in torque compared to CX-7 based on my test drive along edsa w/ a bit of traffic. Along corinthian hills drive, I floored the gas pedal and the forester was as responsive as the CX-7 (maybe a touch slower at the end of the first gear). But again, more than enough for overtaking bus n jeeps in the city. Handling, CX-7 is outmatched. Steering was as light as I could ask for. I can comfortably say, the Forester's handling is the best I've ever experienced. Overall, it's the Forester for me. I decided to just wait for the 2011 Forester w/c is dued to come out early next yr according to a SA I talked to (not sure how accurate this info is).

[chocoboy1977]

interested in the steel silver the most. an alternative would be the dark grey

[imperialv]

I was able to test drive the 2.0x last saturday. Just to continue my review between the two...

Forester's ride is way better compared to the CX-7's. Power wise, 2.0x is more than enough for city driving. Not much difference in torque compared to CX-7 based on my test drive along edsa w/ a bit of traffic. Along corinthian hills drive, I floored the gas pedal and the forester was as responsive as the CX-7 (maybe a touch slower at the end of the first gear). But again, more than enough for overtaking bus n jeeps in the city. Handling, CX-7 is outmatched. Steering was as light as I could ask for. I can comfortably say, the Forester's handling is the best I've ever experienced. Overall, it's the Forester for me. I decided to just wait for the 2011 Forester w/c is dued to come out early next yr according to a SA I talked to (not sure how accurate this info is).

Definitely the 2011 Forester will come out next year.. The only question is if there will be a difference in the 2010 model and 2011.. Joke naman yan SA na yan..