Forester XT

My 2005 XT auto (USA) has no problems at all at high elevation. It's been over 11,000 ft, and regularly to +8,000 ft. On the way to one of my favorite local hiking spots, we ascend from 2200' to 8300' on a paved road. Other cars I have been in were pinging, and up/downshifting. My XT cruises right up without a problem, even with a load of 4 folks and hiking packs. Because of the turbo, the gas filler has a notice to use premium only. Mileage varies from 18-25 depending on how much you push the turbo. It's fun to drive. I generally average about 20mpg,

Does turbo work well with automatic tran? Or is it better to have manual with turbo?

Boris

The auto trans works fine for me. Especially since we have terrible traffic here. Stop & Go driving is a way of life during rush hour, which seems to be most of the time. It would be tough on a clutch. A great example of turbo performance was when I was driving up in the mountains and had to pass a slow moving truck. When I looked down at the speedomete, I was doing 85 mph.