Road Test: Subaru Forester 2.0 XS 5dr Auto
And because its cars were designed around the boxers, there was no way of taking the standard industry shortcut and buying-in an in-line engine from Fiat or Peugeot. So the new Forester launches as a petrol only, as previous Foresters always were.
But those diligent engineers have stuck their necks right out and developed the world’s only boxer diesel engine. It’s in the Legacy just now and is great. It comes to the Forester this September, with a six-speed gearbox.
Which is a relief, because the petrol engine doesn’t really have the guts required. Sure, it’s smooth and makes a nice burble and revs like a yo-yo, so it’s pleasant to use in town or on a curvy road.
The trouble comes when you have to overtake something. Worse still is the auto: it’s just a four-speed, and in the interests of eking out a not-too-catastrophic CO2 figure, it has been given cripplingly high gearing. I was in the auto and passing a full-size white van on a dual carriageway when the road took a tiny upward incline and he unceremoniously undertook me right back again.
The Forester uses the new Impreza platform, which is wider than before and longer in the wheelbase. You feel the generosity of space in the cabin, especially the back, where there’s even a split reclining seat.
The boot’s bigger and squarer too, though it still has a high floor. No worries about loading it right up, as there’s self-levelling suspension — another purist bit of engineering most customers won’t even realise they’ve got.
Ditto the dual-range transfer lever on the manual version, which lowers the overall ratio, effectively giving you another five shorter gears,which is dead useful for off-road control, or towing. Approach and departure angles are good for off-roading too: no specious spoilers and sill extensions here, thank you.
There’s plenty of more obvious interior kit: even the £17,995 2.0X base model has cruise, climate control, aux-in stereo, fog lights and heated seats, even a heated bit of screen under the wipers, plus ESP and self-levelling. Sensible kit for an all-roads all-weather vehicle.
Being dedicated blaggers, team TG jumped in the 2.0XS, which costs another £3,900 but adds leather, alloys, a CD stacker, better hi-fi, xenons, huge sunroof, smart key and a leccy driver’s seat.
The complex centre-console colour navigation-and-hi-fi screen won’t be coming to the UK until they do a top-of-the-line diesel version. So, at the moment, you’d probably want to add a TomTom and some sort of Bluetooth hands-free gadget, but they cost buttons these days.
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Blue dials liven up the cabin a bit, certainly more successfully than the slightly dodgy metallic trim strips in two different shades. Adding to the mild shortage of surprise-and-delight, Subaru is evidently still using up an early-1990s bulk order from the First Nippon Standard Fascia Vent and Column Stalk Works.
See, that’s the trouble with the Forester. It’s commendable and enjoyable and (especially when the diesel comes) an all-round good vehicle. It’s a great tool, and past Subaru form shows it’ll never let you down.
But it’s not a piece of clothing or a lifestyle statement. Even the people who own it aren’t bothered about appearances. Subaru UK staff say the buyers, who are intensely loyal, just think of it as a tall go-anywhere estate, not as some lifestyle-statement SUV. But then, the less you feel the need to make a statement about it, the more likely you are actually to have the lifestyle.
For that, I hugely admire the Forester, even though it seems to have been deliberately styled to be unloved. You could spend thousands more on a basic X3, and you’d have a worse vehicle, albeit one that did more to elevate your social status among the know-nothings.
Subaru is demanding a lot of self-confidence from you, because the Forester, by its drabness, refuses to massage your ego. Surely it would have been possible to make something smarter-looking that was just as useful and didn’t cost any more?
Road Test: Subaru Forester 2.0D XSn 5dr
Have a long, hard look at the rear of this Forester. Take a mental picture. Got it?
Now replace that image with a horse’s arse. ‘Cos that’s what’ll obscure your view of most Foresters. That, and the big clanky horsebox hitched to the Scooby’s towbar.
This is a car aimed at affluent, rural sorts. People with horses, in other words. Horses that need shifting from stable-yards to show-grounds.
Luckily, the Forester now comes with Subaru’s excellent boxer diesel engine. It’s smooth, powerful and torquey — ideal for towing.
But the horsey types have been made to wait. Subaru launched the Forester back in April, but has watched buyers digress to Kugas, X-Trails, RAV4s and Freelanders. All of which had diesel power. Now, Subaru hope to win back their loyal customers with an oil-burner of their own.
It’s a bloody good one too, and well worth the wait. We’re familiar with Subaru boxers in petrol form, but this is a first in diesel guise. We’ve driven it in the Legacy, and liked it. Don’t expect the usual turbodiesel traits though; the boxer has less lag and, appropriately, a more instant punch. It likes to rev too, so you can hold on to gears longer. It even sounds quite interesting. It’s a diesel with soul.
So the Forester will whisk an equine load around with ease. It has self-levelling suspension as standard too, an improvement over the old car.
But improving on the old Forester doesn’t necessarily mean it is good enough. Engine aside, there’s little to compliment. The interior trim is from an Impreza, and feels a bit cheap (you’d be disappointed if you’d forked out £25,495 for the top-spec version).
And, at speed, the ride is horribly choppy. Taking a series of bumps feels like bouncing off a springboard, only to land on a bouncy castle. You just can’t get this thing to settle down, without killing speed. Seems the engineers did a fine job on the engine, but forgot all about the damping. Which is surprising, considering the suspension is a posh, multi-link affair.
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Subaru Forester e-Boxer review
In the past, TG has been a big fan of the Subaru Forester. Previous versions were honest, able and reliable – favouring substance and actual off-road ability when so many others searched (often fruitlessly in this crossover SUV segment) in pursuit of style points. However, although it may not look like it at first glance, big changes have come for the Scooby SUV. Yep, like so many of its rivals, the Forester has gone hybrid. So, to give it its full name – this is the Subaru Forester e-Boxer.
The vitals are as follows: as you might have guessed, at the e-Boxer’s heart is still a Subaru classic – a 2.0-litre four-cylinder Boxer engine. When combined with a small lithium ion battery and electric motor, power stands at 164bhp and 193lb ft of torque. There’s also permanent four-wheel drive and a CVT automatic gearbox to get said power to said wheels. Exterior changes over the old internal combustion-only Forester are extremely slight, but park the two side by side and you’ll just about notice a more upright grille, a revised front bumper and the black contrast tailgate on the e-Boxer.
Underneath it’s now based on Subaru’s new Global Platform, which not only simplifies production, but also means body strength is increased by around 40 per cent and rear legroom by 30mm over the old car. But has hybridisation changed the Forester’s character? Is it still as loveable as before?
What’s the verdict?
The Forester e-Boxer then is a tricky one to sum up. The Forester part is still an extremely loveable, practical SUV that has been enhanced with updated safety systems and interior tech. It retains the chunky, reliable feel of the old one and is bigger and thus more practical than it has ever been previously. It also retains its off-road abilities without compromising the on-road ride quality. Unfortunately, the e-Boxer powertrain just feels like an error, or at the very least a missed opportunity – depending on how you view hybrids as a whole. That one mile of electric range isn’t enough to justify the extra development and thus purchase costs for buyers (it’s almost £3,000 more than the ICE Forester), and how many customers are realistically going to see the benefits of being ULEZ-exempt? Do Welsh farmers head into central London that often? Couple that with the slightly dosy gearbox and some poor mpg figures, and – disappointingly – the Forester actually becomes difficult to recommend. Make no mistake, it’s still a very capable thing, but it’s lost some of that old-school charm that we loved about the previous generation.
Subaru Forester review
The Forester’s 2.0-litre petrol engine sounds great and revs sweetly, but simply doesn’t have enough guts. It lacks torque and it’d be an unpleasant thing to pilot if towing a trailer full of horse. The boxer diesel is a far better choice (the cylinders lie flat and punch across each other, hence the name). We’re familiar with Subaru boxers in petrol form, but this is a first in diesel guise. Don’t expect the usual turbodiesel traits though; the boxer has less lag and, appropriately, a more instant hit. It sounds interesting and likes to rev too, so you can hold on to gears longer. It’s a diesel with soul. So they’ve done a fine job on the engine, but not such a great one on the damping – the ride is too choppy at speed, which is surprising, considering the suspension is a posh, multi-link affair. None of which will matter to most Forester buyers, who are more interested in its excellent four-wheel-drive duties and rugged durability. This could be the most honest SUV out there.
Variants We Have Tested
£ 24,595
