Popular Mechanics (South Africa)
SUBARU FORESTER XT
ALL- ROUND GOOD GUY
When you make an unconventional range of cars that stretches from certifiably insane at one extreme to “sensible shoes” at the other, you might expect polarised responses. Yet: thanks to universally loyal owners of all types, response for Subaru is enthusiastic across the board.
Still, it remains a minority brand in this market. Buyers prefer to stick with the conventional and the established. They won’t be swayed by the argument that much of the Subaru value proposition lies under the skin, in the engineering. There’s a perception that Subaru’s prices are on the high side and a rash of contenders in the crossover and light SUV segment of the market hasn’t made things any easier for the Forester.
Originally launched as a wagon with SUV characteristics, the Forester is now into its second generation as a ground-up SUV. This model was introduced only three years ago, but has already had a facelift.
As the flagship of the Forester range, the XT adds a healthy dose of turbo power to the Subaru package of all-round practicality. Like all of its stablemates, it runs on full-time symmetrical all- wheel drive built around a flat-four engine.
Spend some time with the car and its good qualities creep up on you. Like the perceived build quality: you can’t put your finger on why exactly it feels a class above, except to say that everything from the ride to the drivetrain and controls reinforce the impression of solidity. Subjective noise levels suggest that work done to upgrade cabin refinement as part of the 2016 facelift has paid dividends; it’s impressively quiet.
Ride is solid without being firm; certainly comfortable enough on normal driving surfaces and well planted when the driver needs to get somewhere in a hurry. Just get used to the body lean when cornering.
Although facelifted, the package is – on the inside, especially – starting to feel a little conservative and behind the curve. The upgraded infotainment system does make up to an extent with clean and clear operation, though perhaps not up with the class leaders overall.
Our two empty nesters were suitably impressed by the accommodation up front, as well as the supportive seats (a long-standing Subaru trait). What we weren’t prepared for was how spacious the rear seating was; the legroom in particular is excellent. That being said, there’s a tradeoff in terms of boot space, which although only really adequate, is at least relatively boxy, with no tricky protrusions.
In transitioning from on- to off-road, the Forester barely skips a beat. On gravel, like its predecessors, it is pretty much the SUV to have. It’s surefooted and well balanced, in wet or dry. When the beaten track disappears altogether, switching to X-mode should get you around trails of around Grade 3 classification. What this mode does is tune engine, transmission and traction control to manage arduous off-road conditions. Ground clearance is an exceptionally high 220 millimetres, though front and rear angles aren’t great.
Low range? Who needs it when you’ve got an automatic transmission that will be able to take care of most off-road conditions short of mountain climbing? Subaru’s take on the CVT is well conceived and allows the driver to take advantage of the engine’s characteristics.
Combine a relatively bulky body and a turbocharged engine and you’re not likely to see great fuel economy, particularly if you use the readily available performance. Still, having zeroed the economy meter to wipe out the 11,8 showing on delivery, we were pleased to see that over a wide spread of driving conditions, we were able to keep consumption around 9 litres/100 km.
Summary
The Forester is the ultimate all-rounder: as capable on-road as it is off-road. Cheaper models in the range look to be better value for money, though.