I'm driving a '98 Forester sometimes, and I'm in the same boat - the 2.5 flat-4 makes plenty of go, but the tranny downshifts as if it's bolted to the 2.0. It doesn't let the engine dig into that store of power at all. Even up modest grades, I have to take off the cruise control and feather the throttle to keep it from downshifting.
I notice in the photo that your roofrack doesn't have its crossbars on.
