For their 45th wedding anniversary, Stan Majcherkiewicz and his wife drove from Calgary to Banff in a new 2022 Subaru Forester. The timing of his Reader Review test couldn’t have turned out better, and the facelifted for 2022 Forester handled the Trans-Canada Highway and cruised the streets of Banff with aplomb.
His Forester was the top-of-the-line Premier model finished in Cascade Green Silica with two-tone brown leather interior. If he’d purchased the car and driven it off the lot, it would have cost $42,395 including freight and PDI but before taxes.
“When I picked up the Forester the shape did not capture my imagination, and I want to be honest about it,” Majcherkiewicz says. “Maybe it’s just me. I’m known for being very picky and having my own favourites, but there just wasn’t any ‘wow’ factor.”
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
Subaru’s Forester is in its fifth generation, having last been fully updated for the 2019 model year. With that release, the Forester became longer, wider and roomier and was based on Subaru’s then-new Global Platform. As in 2019, all models of the Forester continue to use the 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer engine backed up by a continuously variable transmission, or CVT. The engine produces 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. The 2022 facelift gave the compact SUV revised bumpers front and back and a new grille and sculpted headlights. As well, the suspension has been tweaked. Premier models get lower cladding on the rocker panels and bumpers and hints of chrome on the door handles and grille. The car rides on 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with a two-tone machine finish.
Majcherkiewicz learned to drive in Poland in the late-Sixties when it was a communist country, and he says there were only three or four different models of cars available.
“I could only afford the smallest one, and it was called a Polish Fiat because it was built under license from Fiat,’ he explains. “It had an air-cooled 600cc engine that didn’t have an electric starter; you had to pull a handle to start it and it was very basic, but I managed to get around.”
The Majcherkiewiczs moved to Canada in 1982 and landed in Calgary in late September. As an architect, Majcherkiewicz thought because the Winter Olympics were coming in 1988, the city would be a good place to find work.
“Because of the depressed economy then, I didn’t get a job as an architect, however,” he says, and continues, “instead I got a job as a draftsman. One of the first things we noticed about Calgary was that we needed to have a car to get around, and I managed to buy a Ford Maverick.”
Stan checks out the cargo space in the 2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
A series of large American cars followed before the family downsized to smaller vehicles such as a Toyota Tercel. Majcherkiewicz had a 2008 Subaru Legacy, which he loved, he says, but it was totalled in a collision. He now drives a 2006 Volkswagen Golf that he bought used from a friend. An avid bicyclist – he’s ridden across Canada and around Australia – he often commutes the 15 kilometres one-way to his office via pedal power.
At six-feet tall, Majcherkiewicz says, “The Forester was easy to get into and I didn’t drag my pants leg on the door sill. The controls for the eight-way power adjustable seat were easy to use but I initially found the seat belt buckle was very difficult to get snapped into place — the receiver is located so deep and so awkwardly that it takes a lot of skill to finally get it clipped in.”
Overall, however, he found the interior well laid out and most everything easy to access.
Underway, Majcherkiewicz says Subaru’s boxer engine offered plenty of performance and he liked the smooth operation of the CVT. “It has enough power to do everything I wanted it to,” he says. “Obviously, it’s not a sports car or a truck, and for this size of vehicle it’s perfect.”
During the drive to Banff, the Forester’s combined average fuel consumption was 8.9L/100km. On the highway, consumption was around 7.5L/100km The ride was comfortable, and Majcherkiewicz says the Forester was well-suspended and handled great with a good, solid, connection to the road at all times thanks to Subaru’s all-wheel drive system.
Regarding utility, Majcherkiewicz folded the rear seats flat and managed to load his touring bicycle into the back. It fit without removing wheels or other parts. There were plenty of small storage spaces around the Forester to hold all kinds of personal effects, he says, including an area under the rear cargo floor.
Majcherkiewicz says he’s not in a good position to comment on the technology found in the Forester. His VW Golf is as plain and simple a vehicle as can be, and he says, “I’m not comparing apples to apples when I talk about the technology in the Subaru.
“I liked the camera and some of the warnings (the car was packed with safety and security features, including pre-collision braking, lane keeping assist, blind spot detection), but I wonder how the sensors for many of those will function in our really snowy conditions?”
He figures the Forester best suits an active, sport-oriented family with a couple of young children who “require a good, dependable vehicle that will function well for a variety of activities.”
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
2022 Subaru Forester Premier. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia
DRIVER’S JOURNAL
Day 1
16 km. Picked up the car in the evening but am not much impressed with the colour. First impression of the interior very positive. I love the mix of rusty and black leather. Switching from my simple, basic model of VW Golf I now drive I was aware these modern computerized beasts roam our highways. Still, I could not figure out where the side mirror controls were. The pictograms nearby the knob were about locking or unlocking the doors so… where the heck were those for the mirrors? Eventually I found it (yes, it was that knob) but Subaru needs to add a pictogram of a mirror above it. Electronics inside, although looking simple at first glance, are a puzzle even for a computer familiar guy like myself.
Day 2
30 km. Drove it to/from work. Still struggling with the seat belt fastening. Auto engine shut off/on is driving me nuts! Don’t know how to disable it. Don’t know how to change radio stations other than by switching pre-programmed. Side mirrors and rear view mirror should definitely have a wider viewing range. I know there is all this computerized warning system but still. Cargo floor folds flat (after folding the rear seats down), good idea. Parallel parking effortless. Took me no time to do it right the first time.
Day 3
35 km. My 70th birthday! Drove to Tim’s and bought 1.5 dozen doughnuts plus a box of Timbits for the office folks. While moving slowly on 16 Ave. N.E. suddenly got a “Keep eyes on the road” message. Strange as I was not really doing anything out of normal. Quite a specious interior. Getting more and more familiar with the electronics. My wife seems to like the look and the interior of the Forester. Positive sign.
Banff is just a pleasure to ride through in this Subaru.
Day 4
50 km. First day as a 70 year-old. So far so good. Amazingly warm day and weather is good. While waiting for my son to get his COVID test before his return flight tomorrow to LA I parked the Forester behind the new VW Tiguan. Well, there is a difference, I must admit, when you see them side by side. In styling of course. I am sorry my dear Forester.
Day 5
60 km. Took my son to the airport for his flight to LA. Went for my Saturday chores here and there. Good and effortless ride.
Day 6
290 km. Off to Banff we go! It is the 45th anniversary of our marriage. Smooth sailing up and until before Canmore. Snow, wet surface and -4C in and around Canmore. Not much of a challenge for this well-known AWD warrior as my Forester is. By the time we pass the park gates it is all sunny and almost dry (though chilly). Banff is just a pleasure to ride through in this Subaru. Went for a stroll around the main drag before driving back to Calgary.
Day 7
91 km. Back to work and to daily commuting. Chilly morning so I loved steering wheel and seat heating options. Went for a sportier ride on some empty streets this early in the morning. The Blizzaks and the world renowned AWD system are solid and assuring on the fresh snow. Love it all! The Forester is blending in smoothly with my daily routines. Starting to like it. I love the interior but will be hard to apply the same feeling to the exterior looks. Sorry Subaru. Total mileage 572 km, fuel used about 53L which turns to 9.4L/100km average. A bit higher than the posted 9.0/7.2L/100km.
Keyword: Reader Review: 2022 Subaru Forester Premier