8 February 2011
In this country we're fortunate enough to be able to travel from balmy beach to snow-peaked mountains in merely hours. This makes us by in large quite the outdoorsy orientated society; a perfect demographic for carmakers to pitch a mid-sized SUV.
Subaru New Zealand has long been aligned with the Kiwi tradition of getting amongst it through various outdoor sports partnerships, and their latest Forester perhaps best represents those ideals. It's easily the most rough and tumble vehicle in their versatile range.
There's a distinct SUV appearance, but unlike the luxurious Tribeca flagship it bears some resemblance with, the Forester looks and feels right at home on a gravelled kiwi back road.
Alloy wheels are now standard on all Forrester models, 16" on X, XS and XS Ltd variants while the top spec XT turbo receives 17".
Loosely based on the very competent new Impreza, the Forester shares not only underpinnings but also interior components; it's not the liveliest of cabins to look at, especially with the mid spec XS model which features some unfortunate faux wood grain.
On the plus side, there's little to distract from driving as it's well laid out and comfortable.
There's a workhorse quality about the entry level X model, which may endear it to fleet purchasers with a need for an all-road vehicle at an affordable price point.
Bare essentials include fog lamps, a tilt/telescopic steering column, ISOFIX child restraints, six-airbags (front, side and curtain), stability control (VDC), roof rails and a hill hold and dual range transmission with the five-speed manual.
There are also the added creature comforts of a MP3 compatible CD player with auxiliary jack and cruise/audio controls on the leather bound steering wheel.
Moving up the range, the XS is more family friendly adding climate control, a seven speaker, six stack CD player, metallic door handles and privacy glass. The XS ltd offers leather upholstery, electric seat adjustment and sunroof for a further $3000.
The range topping XT is a sport variant, which adds larger wheels and turbo power plant to the XS specification; thankfully, it also looses that wood grain.
Forester cargo areaBe it for a surfboard, snowboard or both, with 450 litres of luggage capacity that easily converts to 1660 litres with the 60/40 seats folded, outdoor junkies won't be wanting for space.
The naturally aspirated versions are fitted with Subaru's proven 2.5 litre flat four, similar to that used in the Legacy 2.5. Developing 126kW @ 6000 rpm and 229Nm @ 3200 rpm, pulling power is adequate although performance, refinement and economy is marred by an aging four-speed automatic transmission. Claimed consumption is 9.3 L/100km for the manual, 9.6 L/100km for the automatic.
With a claimed 0-100 km/h time in the vicinity of 7 seconds, the XT offers comparable performance, but increased fuel economy to V6 competitors like Mitsubishi's V6 Outlander or Hyundai's V6 Tucson - albeit marginally at a claimed 10.5 L/100km which on our hilly launch drive proved a difficult target to maintain.
On the road or off it, the Forester feels well-planted with constant all wheel drive and the boxer engine's low centre of gravity.
Particularly on loose surfaces, the use of the Impreza's taut underpinnings quickly become evident and despite looking top heavy, the Forester feels anything but. It's an easy and communicative steer when compared to its class rivals.
The addition of low-ratio gearing on the manual versions - which in previous Forester's have been the preference - is a bonus on snow or slick boat ramps alike.
It's not just a marketing campaign either, the Forester is a genuine outdoorsy vehicle well suited to our varying terrain. With prices ranging from $36,990 to $45,990 they also cater to a variety of budgets.