ALL THE TRIMMINGS
1. IS ORANGE THE NEW BLACK?
When marketing and product planning bods get together to inject a bit of life into a model line, they invariably follow the tried and tested route of bringing out a special edition. And more often than not, the design theme is “paint it black”. Black wheels, black spoilers, black side mirrors — the list goes on. Nissan bucked the trend a little by introducing orange highlights on its Navara work ute and now Subaru has followed suit with its Forester “Sport” variant. There are splashes of orange on the front, side and rear scuff guards, as well as the roof racks. Other cosmetic enhancements include LED front fog lights, dark surrounds for the headlights, dark metallic 18-inch wheels and a black surround on the front grille. On our white test car, it looked pretty good. The Sport also has an exclusive colour — dark blue pearl.
2. THE THEME CONTINUES INSIDE
Ford designers dabbled with orange lettering and stitching in the cabin of the Ranger ute, but the Forester Sport goes a step further. The surrounds for the gear selector and aircon vents are both orange plastic, which sounds tacky but actually works pretty well. Elsewhere, there’s orange stitching on the steering wheel and seats, sports badging and a unique instrument panel. The seat material is water-repellent grey cloth with faux leather bolsters and that treatment is repeated on the door panels. It all comes together pretty well and Subaru throws in a sunroof to give the cabin an airier feel than the dark and formal look of the Premium model it’s based on.
3. THERE’S VALUE FOR THE EXTRA DOLLAR
The Sport will be a permanent addition to the Forester range, slotting in between the Premium and the S models. It is roughly $1500 more than the Premium model and $1500 less than the S. That translates to just shy of $47,000 on the road. It is, however, well equipped for the price. Comfort and convenience items include an auto rear tailgate, dual-zone aircon, satnav, electric parking brake, heated front seats, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and digital radio.
4. IT’S CAPABLE IN GREAT OUTDOORS
The Forester isn’t as soft as most softroaders. It comes with full-time four-wheel-drive, decent ground clearance and clever off-road tech that makes it more capable on slippery surfaces. Called X-Drive, it manages the throttle, transmission, traction control and all-wheeldrive functions for optimal grip and drive in mud and snow. There’s a dual-mode version that caters for more extreme conditions on the Sport. Unlike many SUVs, it has a full-size alloy spare. Towing capacity is up from 1500kg to 1800kg.
5. AND COMFORTABLE ON THE HIGHWAY
It has one of the better thought-out cabins in the SUV market. There’s acres of head room, leg room in the back is generous and all-round vision is excellent. Rear passengers can recline their seats, while the driver’s seat is well-padded and supportive for longer journeys. The engine can get raucous when pushed and the CVT transmission is a bit jerky in stop-start traffic, but there’s reasonable urge available for overtaking and the cabin is well insulated. The Forester soaks up bumps and corrugations well, while also providing reassuring grip and poise through the corners. The list of driver aids is endless and includes a camera that scans your face to see whether you’re distracted or fatigued. Overall, it’s an impressive all-rounder for a family wagon.
My wife and I are in our 70s and want to downsize from our 2004 SsangYong Rexton seven-seater. I can see your eyes roll, but it’s been reliable, easily pulled our caravan and is comfy to drive. We want a smaller diesel SUV with all-wheel-drive, no dual-clutch or CVT gearbox and lots of safety equipment. We’re considering a Volvo XC40 T4 Inscription, SsangYong Korando EXL, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5. Any thoughts or suggestions? Colin Bridgford, email
No eye-rolling here. SsangYongs come under more criticism for their, ahem, “interesting” designs rather than their mechanical reliability — Mercedes drivetrains help there. If you’re a fan of the brand, I’ve recently tested the new Korando and it is both stylish and loaded with kit. Great value for money, bar the depreciation it’ll suffer. All on your list are solid choices, but if you can afford one and it’s large enough (it’s a small SUV), the Volvo XC40’s a safety-laden package of brilliance. Try a Toyota RAV4 Edge too — it has a conventional 8-speed auto unlike other RAV4s.
DONE NOTHING WRONG
Re You Will Obey, unlike John Appleby, my 2020 VW Golf R had the nannying “follow traffic regulations” message setting turned off. I can’t see why turning it off should be an issue with a VW dealer or it being a warranty issue if you do. It does not affect operating parts on a vehicle, or render it defective or unroadworthy.
Laurie Rucker, email
Agreed. My advice was more a word of warning that if you or a third party mess around with a car’s computer — be it for settings, tuning or otherwise — you run a risk it may void your warranty. I’ve seen it happen with tuning chips for a car’s ECU. Simply removing a warning message is clearly very different, but a small risk nevertheless remains.
COVER YOURSELF
Re You Will Obey, if we’re expected to wear face masks to prevent an offensive virus, perhaps Mr Appleby could put a mask on his Golf’s screen to prevent transmission of offensive messaging?
Norm Warren, email
Good idea. Expect to see genuine accessory infotainment screen masks at dealerships in time for Christmas.
UNWANTED ASSISTANCE
Above 80km/h our brand-new Hyundai i30 NLine’s steering begins to feel vague and somewhat unsafe. The dealer told me this is Lane Assist, a “safety feature”. I can disable it on the steering wheel or touchscreen, but it resets when the engine is started. Why? J Dalmer, email
I agree the i30’s lane-keep tech can be a bit invasive, much like many other brands’ efforts. These safety systems default reset to “on” in case a different driver uses the car next and expects them to be active. If you expect (for example) lane-keep assist, traction control or auto emergency braking to work and they have been turned off by the previous driver, that could end in
tears. It’s a pain, but if you can’t tolerate your Hyundai’s lane-keep assist (it’s active from 60km/ h) turning if off has to become part of your predriving routine. Seat belt on, lane keep assist off, check mirrors, go.
BRASSED OFF
Re dull headlights, for lenses made from polycarbonate plastics, a good way to remove grime is with a terry towelling cloth and a dab of good old Brasso, rubbed in a circular
motion. Let it dry, then buff off. Lenses will look like new.
Mark Keys, email
Brasso. Now there’s a smell from our childhoods. As with last week’s toothpaste suggestion, go on the internet and you’ll find those agreeing with Brasso, and others warning against it. For the record, auto stores sell headlight restorer kits from about $15.
HEADS UP
The head-up display (HUD) in my Holden
Calais VF, where the likes of speed are projected on the windscreen, is one of the best extras I’ve experienced. Is there a large 4WD with integrated HUD? Once you have it, it’s hard to go without.
Michael Matthews, email
HUDs are commonplace in prestige vehicles these days, but not often seen in more mainstream models. On the large 4WD front you’ll find built-in HUD in most Ford Everests or Land Rover Defenders. You can buy aftermarket HUDs, but they won’t be the same quality as from the factory.
SHOP WINDOW
I bought a new Isuzu D-Max in 2016, which for four years had a continual problem with the driver’s window going back to the half open position after closing. Isuzu tried replacing the window, everything inside the door, then the whole door, all to no avail. Isuzu ultimately offered to buy back my car and give me a replacement, like-for-like. To my delight I’m the proud owner of a new 2019 Isuzu D-Max. Well done Isuzu.
Rob Shaw, email
Great outcome for you, Isuzu doing the right thing here. It reminds me of the USA’s Lemon Laws. This entitles new car buyers to a replacement car or refund if it is so defective it’s not able to be repaired by the dealer in a reasonable amount of time. I know many disgruntled car owners would love lemon laws this tough in Australia.