Boxer goes back to the future
SUBARU’S history has been an interesting one.the company went from producing quirky yet effective four-wheel drive estates, that were good value and very popular with the farming community, to producing mind-bendingly fast Impreza Turbos.
The latter not only won multipleworld Rally Championships in the hands of
British rally heroes Colin Mcrae and Richard Burns, but also attracted a cult following among a generation of high-performance car enthusiasts. Quite rightly too, because they were brilliant cars.
But then the rallying stopped and Subaru lost the plot and came up with an Impreza that looked very average to put it politely.
Subaru had completely changed its image by going into motor sport, from supplying rugged vehicles suitable for taking a pig to market to a high-performance trophy winner. I can think of few car makers that got so much back from their investment in motor sport.
But that’s history.today Subaru offers a range of cars that go from the BRZ coupe (which Subaru developed with Toyota, which sells the car as the GT-86) via a decidely non-performance Impreza to more traditional utility 4x4s like this Forester.
The car’s full name is Forester e-boxer. The Boxer part of the name refers to the flat-four petrol engine that lives under the bonnet. Flat-four cylinder ‘boxer’ engines are a Subaru trademark.the ‘e’ bit refers to
I£36,995
Petrol – 2.0 148bhp, plus 16bhp electric motor
0 to 62mph in 11.8 seconds, 117mph top speed 34.7mpg 154g/km Honda CR-V hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander
PHEV
5/10 the fact it is electrified – the first European Subaru to go the hybrid route.
It’s not a plug-in hybrid but neither is it a mild hybrid because there’s a lithium ion battery in the boot and a 16bhp electric motor between the 148bhp
2.0-litre petrol engine and the CVT automatic transmission.
F YOU are expecting miles of silent motoring on electric power you’ll be disappointed because the electric-only range is no more than a claimed one mile at speeds of up to 25mph. In our test this Forester spent hardly any time at all running in EV mode.worse news is that its emissions are an unimpressive 154g/km under the old NEDC test.
Subaru hasn’t declared the car’s emissions under THEWLTP test but it’s likely it could put the car into the 37 per cent tax band that comes into force in April.
Our test car is in Premium spec which means an on-the-road price of £36,995.
Hefty, but you get a lot of standard equipment.this fifth generation Forester is built on Subaru’s new global platform that is 40 per cent stiffer than before, with more passenger legroom.we didn’t take the new Forester off-road but there’s no doubt with Subaru’s tried and trusted mechanical permanent four-wheel drive system and 220mm of ground clearance it’ll perform impressively.
A mode selector gives you the choice of normal and snow/ dirt deep snow/mud settings.the Forester has a towing capacity of 1,800kg and also features self-levelling suspension.
It’s beginning to sound like a traditional Subaru that’ll appeal to farmers.
The Forester’s interior is a bit of a mismash: some hard plastics in places, with leather upholstery and chunky controls.
It’s packed with driver assistance systems including active cruise control, pre-collison braking and lane departure warning.
What’s novel is the Driver Monitoring System that points a camera at the driver and uses facial recognition to detect whether you’re paying attention or if your eyes have wandered off course.
Apparently the system can recognise up to five drivers and will automatically set seat, mirror and heating settings depending on who’s behind the wheel.
The Forester e-boxer is perfectly average to drive.the ride is comfortable with most bumps absorbed and steering is precise with just the right amount of assistance.
Its 2.0-litre engine performs well enough but it’s impossible to feel any assistance from the electric motor.
Subarus, pre-rallying days, were niche vehicles appealing to a drivers who wanted rugged simplicity and go-anywhere capability, but also a level of comfort.
This new Forester e-boxer offers that, at a price.the question is, how big is that niche today? It’s hard to see what this new
Subaru SUV offers that many rivals don’t.