Yahoo Autos Road-Tripping a 2025 Subaru Forester Sport to Subiefest California
It is against the law to touch a sea otter. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, you're not even supposed to get within a few feet of them, which can be a challenge when you're kayaking in the Elkhorn Slough along the California coast and curious otters keep popping up next to you. "Just row away from them," said our guide, with the patient voice of a man who spends a lot of time instructing amateur kayakers to move away from sea animals.
This was my first time kayaking, and I hear you aren't supposed to end up quite as soggy as my sister and I did. Somehow I kept making my oar into more of a spoon than a paddle, but the sea otters didn't seem upset, and we managed not to touch any. We floated through a channel of roosting pelicans, a baby seal winked at us, and at the end of it all, we were able to change in the back of a Subaru Forester Sport and then dump all the wet clothes in the rubber-floored rear cargo area, which felt like exactly the right use of a Subaru Forester. A lot of car brands claim to represent a lifestyle, but most are interchangeable transportation equally useful in any situation. Sure, I could have changed out of otter-damp pants in a Ford Escape, but driving off in a slightly oceany-smelling Subie felt like it gave me legitimacy in the otter-watching community.
The kayak adventure was just part of a week-long attempt to live like a Subaru owner. I picked up the 2025 Sapphire Blue Pearl Forester Sport in Los Angeles, cruise-controlled up the highway to San Jose where I picked up my sister and brother, and then sat in traffic on our way out to Moss Landing. We'd rented rooms there in a nautical-themed hotel where all the beds were made out of boats and the windows looked out onto the slough. It's very popular with bird watchers.
It was also an antique fair weekend, so we ended up having to park a quarter-mile away in a grass lot, something that would have been more stressful in say, a Mercedes S-class. The Forester, of course, was perfectly at home in a scenario of very light off-pavementing. It earned its second points by having plenty of room for the potted plants we bought at the fair. The pink poodle lamp and full suit of armor would have also fit, but sadly, other shoppers got to them before I could.
I've already explained how useful the rubber mats were post-kayaking, and they came in handy again later when, after a twisty road on which the Forester performed with surprising agility, I realized I had dumped over the potted plants. Love a good sweepable cargo space.
I've always been more of a station-wagon person than a small-SUV fan, but I can't deny that the Forester Sport did exactly what I needed for a sibling get-away with my slightly granola, non-auto-enthused, prone-to-car-sickness family. On the way up, alone, I listened to podcasts via wireless Apple CarPlay over the optional Harman Kardon 11-speaker system. If the Subie's 180-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder is a bit coarsely ground, it wasn't noticeable over a road-trip mix of tunes and true crime. The most irritating aural interference from the Forester was the speed-warning beep, and I left that on to avoid tickets, and because I was somewhat impressed that a Subaru Forester can exceed the speed limit.
Loaded with my kin and our luggage, the Forester was a smooth ride that offered just enough handling finesse to be enjoyable on the twistier parts of our trip, but not so much grunt and stick that I was tempted to risk a queasy sister. My family liked the Forester quite a bit, but to truly immerse myself in the Subaru family, I finished my week at Subiefest in Santa Anita, California.
Subiefest California is a Subaru-only event that's nearing its 20th anniversary. Held in one of the massive parking lots near the Santa Anita horse racing track outside of Los Angeles, it's a gathering of Subaru vehicles modded for everything from overlanding to autocross. I didn't even make it a few feet from the Forester in the attendee parking lot before I was stopped by a purple metal-flake 2013 WRX STi.
It would be far from the last wild paint or wrap I'd see at the show... or that would see me.
Concerned about ground clearance? Make your car into an overlander, as Christopher Landon did with his lifted and tent-carrying 2010 Impreza.
The Subaru Baja has been growing on me over the years, I used to think it was an ugly duckling, but now I find them rather charming.
The Baja has charm, but for a true Brat summer, you need something like Paris Lasek's 1984 Brumby. Paris built this car with her dad, pro skateboarder Bucky Lasek, who also had some builds on display.
Speaking of famous Subaru-ers, I had a chance to catch up with Alex and Rhianon Gelsomino. Both professional rally co-drivers, Alex famously right-seated for Ken Block, while Rhianon braves ridealongs with Travis Pastrana. Rhianon joined Bucky and driver Scott Speed for a Q&A followed by autograph signings.
As a nice bookend to my sibling adventure, I spotted these pastel sisters in the parking lot on the way out.
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