New Forester more polished
It’s Subaru’s No 1 model globally and entering the single biggest market segment in New Zealand. David Linklater drives the new Forester.
What goes around comes around. Subaru’s new Global Platform has already been introduced on the Impreza/xv, but now it’s really time to put it to work: under the all-new Forester medium SUV, which is now in its fifth generation and competing in the single largest market segment in New Zealand.
Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?
Back in 1997 when the firstgeneration Forester was launched, a medium SUV with road-car manners was a novelty. Now it’s the norm.
The fifth-gen Forester sticks to the same basic formula as its predecessors: it’s a boxy(ish) family SUV with capable on-road handling and an over-delivery of off-tarmac ability for a vehicle of this type.
But the new model also has a lot more polish than Forester gen-four and some trick new technology.
Aside from the new platform, it gets Subaru’s new 2.5-litre boxer engine, matched to an upgraded continuously variable transmission with seven-step mode.
The Forester comes in three grades: Sport, Sport Plus and Premium. The powertrain is the same across all models.
Subaru’s excellent Eyesight driver-assistance system is standard, as are X-mode for off-tarmac driving, Blind Spot Detection and dual-zone air-conditioning.
But the Sport Plus and Premium introduce several new features, including a Driver Monitoring System (DMS) with facial recognition technology. DMS watches you and will warn if you seem tired or are looking away from the road.
The car can also store up to five
DMS profiles and will also automatically adjust your seating, mirror and air-con preferences when you get in, just by scanning your face. Bit creepy, very clever.
The Sport Plus and Premium also feature Reverse Automated Braking (RAB, a first for Subaru) that can halt the car if you’re about to back into something solid, rear cross traffic alert and a power tailgate that only takes five seconds to go up or down – around half the time of the previous model.
The Premium’s party trick is dual-function X-mode. While X-mode is fitted to all Foresters to optimise the powertrain and electronics for off-road driving, the Premium’s can be further fine-tuned between snow/ dirt and deep snow/mud.
The new Forester is 19mm longer and 21mm wider than the previous model. The 28mm increase in wheelbase has all gone into rear-seat legroom.
There’s a bit of surprise-anddelight practicality stuff. There’s a step built into the rear seat base that can be used by kids to get in, or adults to load the roof rack. The rear seat pockets are compartmentalised for mobile devices (two USB ports back there as well). The door skins cover the sills so you don’t get dirty when the car is.
The 520-litre boot is big but especially handy because it’s also wide and tall – an advantage of having such a boxy body shape.
Where did you drive it?
In Central Otago, starting with some off-road tinkering at Highlands Park, followed by a road drive and some serious greenlaning at the spectacular Bendigo Station near Cromwell, famous for its gold-rush history, farming, wine and Shrek the sheep.
The Forester is still an appealing roadgoing machine. The AWD inspires confidence on seal and for the most part the Eyesight driverassistance functions work seamlessly – albeit with a bit of beeping.
A bugbear for many will be the SLT continuously variable transmission, which continues to polarise. It certainly takes some of the pleasure out of what is otherwise a very driver-centric SUV, but it is what it is and Subaru – like many other Japanese makers – is totally committed to the technology.
On the plus side, SLT helps the Forester achieve that 7.4 litres per 100km fuel-economy figure and it does work very well with Eyesight’s adaptive cruise.
As for the off-tarmac driving, the Forester is brilliant as ever on gravel – well balanced and keen to respond to your inputs.
In rougher stuff it really impresses with an unruffled ride over rocks and ridges. It’s still essentially a road car underneath, but with AWD, X-mode and impressive ground clearance (minimum 220mm), it’ll go much further into the rough than most owners would be willing to take it.
A beautifully engineered package then and full of technology, although it doesn’t always feel like it from inside the cabin.
Interior design has never been a Subaru strength and while it advances in leaps and bounds with each new model, it still lags behind the competition. The dashboard of a Mazda CX-5 oozes class, while the Forester’s errs more towards confusion. The styling is fussy, the graphics old-fashioned (although the glass touch-screen is superb) and the sub-menus hard to fathom at times. But love the driving position, love the practicality, love the space.
What’s the pick of the range?
Subaru NZ reckons the flagship Premium will be the volume seller because it’s more tailored towards the private buyer.
We’d argue the Sport Plus ($2500 cheaper at $44,990) has everything you need. It gets the key technology, including DMS, RAB, an eight-inch touch-screen with sat-nav, rear cross traffic alert and a power tailgate.
If you must however, the Premium’s... premium is easy to justify: it adds dual settings for the X-mode, leather, sunroof, Harman Kardon audio and quite a bit of brightwork. So you can see Subaru’s point.
Why would I buy it?
Because it’s the newest thing in the hottest market segment in New Zealand. SUVS are 41 per cent of newvehicle sales, and 40 per cent of those SUVS are Forester-sized.
Because you love Subaru’s AWD authenticity and the Forester is the one proper SUV in its lineup. The XV and Outback are both very capable, but the former is a tall Impreza and the latter a Legacy-based crossover.
Forester is the real deal. And a real contender on price and equipment.
Why wouldn’t I buy it?
Because you’d like a bit more fashion with your function – especially on the inside, where the cabin styling is more 2008 than 2018.
Because you just can’t stand CVT. Or because you want a replacement for your go-fast Forester XT turbo (there won’t be one).