Elboy

Badlands
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Elden
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Subaru Forester
Local dealer just got shipment of their first BS, they gave me a call so i could test drive.

disclaimer, this will be subjective commentary from myself who has had a 2010 subaru forester but just wanna quickly give y’all my first impressions.

First of all it looks bigger in person vs what i’ve seen in photos, which was a pleasant surprise. It was a Big Bend with tow package, no big bend package. Cargo space was sufficient as my worry was it would be too small, seats fold down not completely flat but flat enough to where it doesn’t phase me.

driving this 1.5L off the lot was good. throttle felt responsive enough, got on the freeway just fine as well with adequate speed. seat height felt more commanding / higher than my 2010 forester which felt more ‘truck’ like lol. visibility in rear view mirrors was okay, foresters have very great visibility so i may have gotten used to that. but i don’t see any issues major backing up / blind spots. good daily driver.

inside ergonomics are wel done. cloth seats are very comfortable and everything is where it feels like they should be. interior doesn’t feel cheap. shift dial thing feels solid, takes a good amount (feels balanced tho) of force to put it in drive, reverse etc. appreciate the physical buttons.

Ford Bronco Sport Bronco Sport - test drive first impressions C2BBABDB-9C8D-4F5D-9BE0-BFAAB373FF1E
Ford Bronco Sport Bronco Sport - test drive first impressions BC01F832-E5C5-4001-A444-C552BCA030FB
Ford Bronco Sport Bronco Sport - test drive first impressions 423174B9-F0BB-4E15-9A0F-88F655084163


sorry if this might just sound like a generic first impression you can get with any car, but hoping i could provide at least some insight for people that were wondering. for me i’d rather know there were no noticeable major downsides to the driving experience, as i am not too picky on small features. as long as it drives fine and looks good and takes me where I want to go haha
Ford Bronco Sport Bronco Sport - test drive first impressions 5E1078DC-774F-479D-B465-4AEB783BF5DA


if you guys have any questions for me with my limited knowledge during the quick time with it ask away.
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shakeandbaker

Badlands
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John
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Austin
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Cactus Gray BS Badlands, BMW 135i
Nice! How was the steering feel/handling? Road noise on the highway?

What did you think of the Cactus Gray color seeing it in person?
 

MattH88

Big Bend
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Seattle
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How’s the back support on the seats?
 


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Elboy

Elboy

Badlands
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Elden
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Subaru Forester
Nice! How was the steering feel/handling? Road noise on the highway?

What did you think of the Cactus Gray color seeing it in person?
steering was good! pretty responsive, didn’t get to test the turn radius (just forgot) steering wheel feels lighter than my current car so it feels sportier in that sense.

wish i had asked you guys in advance so i know what to look out for haha. but the road noise was no different than any average compact suv. the fleet director and i were having conversation in the car the whole time and had no problems what so ever hearing each other. neither of us are loud spoken either.

first time i saw cactus gray in photos i didn’t like it but it grew on me as time went on. the CG in person looks lighter than i thought, but it seems to be a chameleon color. i saw it in morning light / in the shade. i personally love it and have it ordered (badlands build week Jan 4). wish it was a little darker, but still on the top of my list for color choices
 
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Elboy

Elboy

Badlands
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Elden
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looool.
Did you have trouble passing cars safely with the 1.5L? Were you wishing you were driving a 2.3L the entire time? Was the manual lift gate a pain in the ass to open? How was the prehistoric sync 3?
loool. i got on the freeway to about 55mph (there was some traffic) with what felt like somewhere around 50-65% ish pushed down on the gas pedal on the on ramp. i would see no reason it would be difficult to overtake someone going 70mph on the highway. wish i had someone to lift the gate for me every time xD jk lol. and the sync 3 is sync 3 nothing further haha. maybe i’ll tape an ipad to the front of it.

that being said. i’m still waiting for my badlands. still think the BB would suit me well, i just want the extra goodies on my badlands
 
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Elboy

Elboy

Badlands
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How quiet is the cabin? Any road noise or engine noise in the cabin?
nothing louder than the ordinary cuv. was speaking with the worker in the passenger the whole time no problems whatsoever, radio on low volume. when going on the on ramp to the freeway to about 55mph (traffic) no major engine noise noticeable in the cabin.

again i’ll probably notice major problems more than smaller details. overall i had no bad experience with the cabin / road noise. cabin noise is a lot better than my current 2010 forester
 
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Elboy

Elboy

Badlands
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Elden
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Subaru Forester
How’s the back support on the seats?
The BB w cloth seats had very ergonomical seats imo. better than my current forester. Cushions are soft but also stiff enough to provide support. didn’t feel any hotspots, good contact through all of my back, i could see road trips be comfortable for front seats.
 


BroncoKong 64

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Future Bronco
Thanks for the pics and writeup! I honestly had no idea you could get a body-colored roof. I've only ever configured a Badlands.
 

TheMalamute

Big Bend
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Kentucky
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Thanks for the pics and writeup! I honestly had no idea you could get a body-colored roof. I've only ever configured a Badlands.
The base and big bend models have color matched roofs. The only thing higher I’ve seen is when so someone gets the grey roof and grey paint.
 
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Elboy

Elboy

Badlands
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Elden
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Redlands CA
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Subaru Forester
Thanks for the pics and writeup! I honestly had no idea you could get a body-colored roof. I've only ever configured a Badlands.
also badlands + badlands package gives you body colored door handles. which me personally would rather have black ones :/
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