Subaru Forester Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Subaru Forester range
Prices: £19,110-£25,960 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 9-10 C02 EMISSION: 167-199g/km
Performance: [2.0D] Max Speed 115mph/ 0-60mph 10.0s
Fuel Consumption: [2.0D X] (urban) 39.2mpg / (extra urban) 48.7mpg / (combined) 44.8mpg
Safety: Twin front and side airbags / ABS with EBD / VDC
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4560/1780/1675mm

FOREST TRUMP

Our Rating: 7.3 / 10

Subaru’s Forester becomes less estate on stilts and more svelte SUV. Jonathan Crouch reports

Subaru’s third generation Forester changes its tack with a slightly larger body and the option at last of an impressive diesel engine. In doing so however, it’s faced with even tougher competition. It remains a rather individualist choice but now also an informed one. Enthusiasts forced into 4x4 ownership looking for a sharper drive than you’d normally expect from this class of car will continue to love it.

A long time before the Audi Allroad or the Volvo XC70 were glints in their respective manufacturers eyes, Subaru had hit upon the idea of a go almost anywhere estate car that could still offer entertainment aplenty on the blacktop. The Forester arrived to a rather puzzled British public way back in 1997, with the second generation version debuting in 2002. Both cars were severely handicapped by the lack of a diesel engine, something that buyers have long expected in this sector. With that put right this time around, it need no longer be a niche player for 4x4 customers who can’t quite make up their minds between a fully-fledged compact 4x4 or an all-wheel drive estate.

This is a larger car than its predecessor, featuring a 90mm longer wheelbase and tracks widened by 35mm at the front and 45mm at the rear. It’s also rides far better (thanks to a sophisticated multi-link, double wishbone rear suspension that’s compact enough to increase luggage space) and rolls less (because the position of the boxer engine has been dropped by 10 mm, lowering the centre of gravity). There’s a clever fuel-saving electric power steering system, a rear anti-roll bar for better handling on the road and 10mm more ground clearance from the self-levelling suspension for more capability off it.

All Forester models feature four-wheel drive but the automatic and manual versions both feature their own four wheel drive system. The manual cars come with a more conventional centre differential system with a viscous limited slip differential whereas the automatic models get an Active Torque Split AWD system. VDC stability control is standard on all models, coordinating the engine, transmission and brakes in order to recover the vehicle’s position should extreme manoeuvres or slippery conditions push the Forester into a skid.

The very first thing that’s apparent when clocking the latest Forester is that the rising waistline and broader front end have given it more of a generic compact 4x4 stance. In fact it’s fully 110mm taller than the outgoing model, 45mm wider and with another 90mm grafted into the wheelbase. This quite significant enlargement takes the Forester out of its old niche and punts it headlong into the midst of cars like the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V, the Land Rover Freelander and the Nissan X-TRAIL, cars that have been refining their talents for quite some years.

The styling is neat, albeit with a rather bland front end. Perhaps this is no bad thing after the rather odd-looking Tribeca, Subaru’s last foray into the SUV arena. Interiors have never been a Subaru strong point and while the Forester is never going to challenge for class honours here, it’s neat and well finished with a brushed aluminium-look centre console and a big driver information system near the top of the dashboard. The front seats can fold fully flat while the rears split 60/40 and recline.

Entry-level Forester customers get a revised 150PS version of the 2.0-litre ‘boxer’ petrol engine that was fitted to the old model, albeit with revisions that see it being cleaner, more frugal and more flexible. If you can afford a couple of thousand more than the asking price for the 145bhp 2.0-litre diesel however, then it’s money well spent.

Much of the engineering and equipment on the Forester positions it as one of the more advanced vehicles in its class. Safety is particularly important for family buyers and the Forester excels in impact absorption for both the vehicle occupants and pedestrians. The front seats get seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters, the brake pedal is collapsible, all pillars feature impact absorbent materials and there are front, side and curtain airbags.

All models include electric windows, 60/40-split rear seats with reclining back-rests, climate-controlled air-conditioning