Subaru unveils the more powerful Forester
Subaru Southern Africa presents the MY2021 Subaru Forester with more power, new derivatives as well as more tech and practicality.
It’s been 24 years since the first Subaru Forester defined what the world now refers to as the modernday SUV. It was a defining moment in the brand’s illustrious history, opening up a chapter that would see the Forester become the bestselling model in the company’s line-up.
The new 2021 line-up will extend this with the addition of 2 new flagship variants from which to choose. Starting with the new Subaru Forester 2.5i Sport ES CVT, this is an entirely new derivative that brings a refreshing and sporty design to the model lineup. Designed for those seeking a car with practicality and sporty aesthetics, the Forester Sport
exudes power and athleticism. The range-topping 2.5i-S ES CVT represents the contemporary Forester SUV, exuding classic Subaru design that brings safety, practicality and adventure to the fore.
“The introduction of the 2.5-litre models and the Sport model to the line-up is so important for us as a brand, because it gives our customers more options and a more personalised experience,” says Nteo Nkoli, Marketing Lead for Subaru SA. “These long-awaited models are what many of our customers have been asking for, models that suit a particular lifestyle.”
The Power of Freedom
For the first time since the launch of this 5th generation Forester, Subaru Southern Africa introduces the new direct injection 2.5-litre
Boxer® Engine. The engine is mated to a lightweight Lineartronic CVT transmission with shift paddles behind the steering wheel for stepped / manual control. The 2.5-litre engine delivers 136kW of power, an additional 21kW over the 2.0-litre engine. Maximum torque is 239Nm, an increase of 43Nm over the 2.0-litre.
The Forester features the Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive) function that allows the driver to select a more efficient driving programme or something a little more sporty. The SI-Drive system will recalibrate the engine mapping to deliver the desired output. In Sport mode, the 2.5 Forester will accelerate from 0 – 100km/h in 9,3-seconds.
Despite the increase in power and performance, the 2.5-litre remains as efficient as the 2.0-litre model, delivering impressive fuel
consumption figures of 7.6l/100km on the combined cycle. CO2 emissions are 193g/km.
Subaru is a name synonymous with safety and agility, a reputation built across the extremes of rally in the past as well as through impeccable safety ratings achieved over decades of car-crash testing. As standard across the entire Subaru range in South Africa is the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive™ system that is engineered for improved safety, agility and control. Subaru is one of the only manufacturers within the segment that offers this as standard across all our models, including the base models.
Fitted with a Boxer engine that sits very low in the engine bay as well as Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive™ means the Forester’s dynamic abilities are excellent. No matter what the road conditions are, the drivetrain combination ensures a confident and well-balanced drive and even under extreme corrective actions taken by the driver, the Forester is exceptionally stable. Part of the confident nature of the Forester is the Vehicle Dynamics Control system that makes use of ABS, EBD, ESP and Torque Vectoring to ensure traction and control is maintained.
It isn’t just agility and safety for which Symmetrical All Wheel Drive is beneficial, but also for that other trait for which Subaru is well known – an ability to conquer terrain and obstacles generally reserved for more serious offroaders. The new Forester is fitted with X-Mode and Hill Descent Control as standard across the range. X Mode is a system that uses gear ratios and torque distribution to deliver power to specific wheels where the most grip is detected. In a nutshell, it gets you up and over, into and out of some tough terrain. The system has 2 driver-selectable programmes. SNOW/DIRT mode for slippery or loose surfaces such as dirt or gravel or snow. The other option is D.SNOW/MUD mode for heavier terrain like thick mud and deep, steep ruts. Hill Descent Control works as soon as any of these modes are activated, keeping a smooth reign on downhill speed.