GO POWER
SUBARU’S SPORTY TURBO CROSSOVER HAS PLENTY OF OOMPH.
One of the reasons Japan’s Subaru has become so popular with Canadians is the automaker’s split- personality products. On one side of a Subaru showroom, you’ll find practical vehicles, such as the Impreza compacts, mid- size Legacy sedans and Outback wagons. Across the room, you’ ll discover Subaru’s wilder side, in the BRZ sports car and rally car- inspired WRX models. On which side of the Subaru showroom should we park the practical-yet-sporty 2016 Subaru Forester 2.0XT Limited compact crossover?
Fans of the brand have been asking for a “Forester WRX” since the Imprezabased compact crossover arrived in the late 1990s. The 2005 Forester 2.5XT, with its t urbo-charged engine and manual transmission, came pretty close to making that wish come true. However, we’ve yet to see a truly sporty Forester from the wrenches at Subaru Tecnica International ( or STI), the automaker’s motorsports division, with the same level of overall performance as the Impreza WRX and WRX STI models.
Subaru can’t use weak sales to argue against not building a new “Forester WRX”. A redesign for 2014 saw a larger, more refined Forester garner a broader audience. With sales over 12,000 last year, the crossover has become the most popular Subaru in Canada, helping the Japanese automaker’s overall sales gain more than 10 per cent compared to 2014, to more than 46,000 new cars and trucks sold in Canada in 2015.
Competitively priced with its rivals — the Ford Escape, Honda CR- V, Mazda CX- 5 and Toyota RAV4 — base prices start with the $25,995 ( not i ncluding a $ 1, 675 freight and pre- delivery inspection fee) 2016 Forester 2.5i. All- wheel drive and a six- speed manual gearbox come standard, along with a 2.5-litre flat-four gas engine, which produces 170 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque.
The $ 33,495 Forester 2.0XT Touring is the least expensive way to get the upgraded 250 - hp and 258 - lb.- ft. turbocharged e ngi ne based on the Subaru BRZ sports car’s naturally aspirated 2.0- L flat-four. A mandatory continuously variable automatic is the lone transmission choice. My top- line $ 37,995 Limited with Technology package added such features as a large touch screen with navigation and satellite radio, Subaru’s Starlink apps and services, and the Eye Sight driver- assist system.
Outside a Subaru showroom, you’ ll find comparably equipped 2016 rivals; the 184- hp Mazda CX- 5 GS and 240- hp Ford Escape Titanium run $ 33,275 and $34,399, respectively.
We’ll get to the Forester 2.0XT’s CVT in a bit. But the immediate reaction, when you put your foot on the Subaru’s go pedal, is a positive experience. The blown- four is strong and smooth when pressed. It also makes for one quick cute ute. Going from zero to 100 km/h takes only 6.5 seconds, almost 2.5 seconds faster than a Forester 2.5i, and that is also quicker than the Subaru’s Ford and Mazda competition.
The Forester’s turbo- four also makes the CVT more livable. When matched to the less powerful non-blown 2.5L unit, the Forester CVT can drone on like a campaigning politician. But the 2.0XT’s additional torque delivers the more natural feel of a conventional autobox.
The Forester 2. 0XT’s CVT comes with Subaru’s SI- DRIVE, which offers a choice of modes that can greatly vary the Subaru crossover’s driving attitude. Intelligent is normal CVT, Sport affects throttle mapping and mimics a six-speed automatic and Sport Sharp allows manual selection of eight ratios via shift paddles.
If you want to drive your Forester 2.0XT like a sports compact, t ap t he Sport Sharp button, but don’t expect WRX- like handling. It may be quicker in a straight line, but Subaru’s suspension has been left in the LaZ- Boy setting — great for softening potholed roads, not so great for spirited driving. The Escape and CX- 5 lean less and offer sharper turn-in while cornering.
Where the sporty Subaru crossover still excels is when the pavement gets slippery or disappears completely.
The Forester 2.0XT offers a generous amount of ground clearance, just the thing to traverse unplowed winter urban streets. In addition to Subaru’s full- time all- wheeldrive system, the handy X- Mode button employs lower gear ratios to generate extra power at the wheels that have grip, deactivate the transmission’s lock- up clutch to better direct power to slipping wheels, and makes the traction- control system extra sensitive, so that it intervenes earlier during wheel slippage.
If you find yourself navigating a slippery hill — as we did at a friend’s ski chalet — X-Mode deploys hill-descent control so you don’t need to apply brakes and risk locking them up when headed down steep slopes.
In the end, the 2016 Subaru Forester 2.0XT Limited is definitely the sportiest model in the lineup, but it does not quite warrant a WRX badge. Its non-WRX handling simply can’t match the WRX- like acceleration. And while the Lineartronic CVT is one of the better CVTs out there, some drivers will still want the command of a six-speed manual.