I got to drive a 2019 Forester all day today as a loaner. My Ascent was molested by the garage door which tore the 'shark-fin' antenna off the roof. Ouch! The removal of the headliner for the repair work upset the Eyesight camera and after many attempts to calibrate it, the camera had to be replaced. All is well now. Comparing our 2014 Forester (still in the family) to the 2019, I can tell the Forester has evolved. My impression is that 2019 Forester and the 2019 Ascent feel like the same car, only one is obviously larger than the other. If we didn't need the extra space, I would definitely get a loaded Forester. The engine stop/start thing is off-putting and the first time the engine stopped in traffic was startling. I have driven the Impreza and Crosstrek before and after Global Platform and I also noted the remarkable improvement. I have also driven competing car brands that compare to each of the Subaru cars and each time it reinforces my preference for the Subaru. There may be a built in bias due to driving so many miles in a Subaru; it is familiar. Driving coast to coast during the winter months will shape your preference. It would be great if the Subaru was widely available in rental fleets.
