The Filipino car buyer is increasingly becoming picky. In the olden times, whether you wanted a luxury car or a pick-up, as long as it’s got four wheels, you end up with a Toyota. Now, there are more than half a dozen ‘mainstream’ brands, each one promising its own breed of ownership experience; be it bulletproof build quality or enthusiastic handling. Subaru is one of these new players. After initially staying out of the limelight, they’re now starting to take their ‘rally cars for the road’ to Main Street Manila. Now, not a day goes by without seeing at least one car with the Star of Pleiades badge upfront.
One of the star attractions (pardon the pun) in Subaru’s line-up is the Forester. Though it’s always been lumped together with the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4, the Forester has always been a leftfield choice. It looked nothing more than a tall wagon fitted with all-terrain tires. It didn’t have the interior room to match its rivals, and it didn’t have a commanding driving position desired by SUV owners. However, it did have exemplary handling and a creamy, smooth Boxer engine.
For the 2009 model though, Subaru is taking the Forester back to the drawing board. With world domination set in their sights, Subaru designers have shunned the mutated wagon look and went for something more conventional. The Forester’s stance is fairly similar to that of the Mitsubishi Outlander, with the long hood and the boxed up body as opposed to the turtle-like look of the CR-V. In order to avoid downright obscurity, Subaru designers have thrown in some family design cues, but these are largely located upfront. The turbocharged 2.5XT model has slightly more character thanks to the large intercooler hood scoop and a set of spiffy 17-inch alloys. But overall, the Forester lacks dramatic flair, but at least it’s more palatable to a vast majority of buyers.
The lack of on-road presence is perhaps the only criticism you can level at the new Forester, because the rest of the car is downright awesome. Just like the previous models, the new Forester is based off the Impreza. This is evident the moment you step into the Forester’s cabin. Getting in and out requires a bit of a step up because of the Forester’s thickened door sills (an integral part to Subaru’s world-renowned C-shaped reinforced crash safety structure). It’s not discontenting, but those who’re used to sliding in and out of their seats and onto the pavement in other SUVs, may find it a chore. The seats aren’t mounted as high compared to other compact SUVs; but at least the driver’s seat has an electric power adjustment setting for a more mainstream feel. It must be noted though that even in the highest setting, it’s just “normal”. The seats themselves are finished in a combination of perforated and smooth leather and are highly supportive. The rear occupants will enjoy a “theatre seating” arrangement, where they sit slightly higher than those in front.
The Forester’s dash design is lifted straight off the Impreza, so expect a pretty straight-forward experience. The materials aren’t as soft to the touch as the CR-Vs, but the fit and finish are still very good. The wing motif design makes not just for a dramatic statement but allows for the excellent placement of buttons and controls. At first glance, the Forester’s interior looks bare, but upon closer inspection, it’s formidably equipped in its class. For instance, the gear-inspired three-knob ventilation controls is actually a full-featured automatic climate control system. It blows very well, cooling the Forester’s cabin better than the Impreza’s, despite the Forester’s large standard moon roof. As for entertainment, not only is the built-in head unit able to take on the usual AM/FM, audio CDs and MP3s, it also has an auxiliary audio jack as well as SW or Short Wave length radio capability! The 2.5XT has seven speakers, including a small under seat mounted subwoofer. The sound isn’t chest-thumping powerful, but the clarity is superb. And there are nice touches like a Mute Button on the steering wheel switch that actually pauses a CD track when pressed. All the controls glow a sporty red hue at night with the exception of the gauges which are very ‘Christmassy’. It’s a distracting attempt to needlessly jazz up the interior when the more straight-forward display from the Impreza could have been used.
Expectations are high with the 2.5-liter turbocharged Boxer engine even before the first crank because it’s a multi-award winning engine from Ward’s Auto World. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. The most noticeable thing with this engine is how smooth, quiet and vibration-less it felt. Even as the revs climb up, the engine will not cause a ruckus and the interior will not succumb to shudder from the heavy acceleration. The previous Forester XT was notorious for turbo lag, resulting in a not too comfortable experience for the passengers. This new one is much better tuned with no turbo lag, and yet the rapid acceleration and power are still there. Progress is delivered in two ways: at lower engine speeds, before the turbo kicks in, the Forester relies on its generous 2.5-liter displacement. As the turbo spools, it delivers a healthy 230 horsepower and a faint whoosh from the waste gate. The Forester may only have a four-speed gearbox, but the spacing is well-tuned to the engine and the fuel economy doesn’t seem to suffer that much (7.69 km/L in city traffic).
Because of its Impreza platform, the Forester is on the sportier side of the SUV equation without being harsh. By mounting the suspension on a subframe, the Forester quells even the worst of road ruts and reduces the transmission of road noise into the cabin. Plus, it feels as if the Forester has unlimited suspension travel as it goes through the various jungles of Manila. With a 225-mm ground clearance and a shielded engine compartment, this Forester is also highly capable of going through flooded streets more than ever before. Despite sharing the same chassis architecture though, don’t expect the Forester to behave 100 percent like its hatchback sibling. Because of the higher center of gravity and softer suspension, the Forester gives up the Impreza’s Teutonic handling characteristics for something a bit more Japanese. It still feels glued onto the road, but there’s some body roll when going through tighter corners. Vehicle Dynamic Control System (VDCS) is standard, but the mechanical grip is such on a high level, that the stability control warning light never lit up. The steering effort has been lightened, but there’s still a degree of weight built into it for high-speed stability and control. The brakes bite very well too, but the pedal feel could have been improved better—it feels a tad mushy at the first degrees of engagement. All in all, the Forester feels more mature on the road.
Subaru’s move to soften the Forester experience may have diehard fans crying that ‘it has lost its charm’. And this may be true to some degree, especially if what you’re after is a wagon version of the Impreza WRX. But for the rest of us, the Forester’s move to the mainstream cements it as a top pick on anyone’s mind. The P 1,718,000 price tag and the lack of discounts and freebies may not seem like a bargain, but in reality, the Subaru has nailed the Forester package with the right balance of standard equipment. In fact, the Subaru Forester 2.5XT offers a formidable blend of performance, practicality and comfort that’s largely unmatched by anything close to, or even double its price range.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos by Ulysses Ang
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