Subaru tries to give power to the people
ROAD TEST: But Forester turbo compact crossover isn’t quite at the WRX level yet, especially the handling
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 Impreza-based compact crossover arrived in the late 1990s. The 2005 Forester 2.5XT, with its turbocharged 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, 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 2016 Forester 2.5i (not including a $1,675 freight and pre-delivery inspection fee). 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.
My $33,495 Forester 2.0XT Limited is the least expensive way to get the upgraded 250-hp and 258-lb.-ft. turbocharged engine 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.
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 pedal is a positive experience. The blown four is strong and smooth when pressed. 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 Ford and Mazda competition.
The Forester’s turbo four also makes the CVT more livable. When matched to the less powerful non blown 2.5-L 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.
If you want to drive your Forester 2.0XT like a sports compact, tap the 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 La-Z 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 hard.
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-wheel-drive 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 it intervenes earlier during wheel slippage.
If you find yourself navigating a slippery hill, X-Mode deploys hilldescent 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.