Subaru Forester 2015 review

Full-of-fruit Forester maintains the brand's staple qualities but the opposition is catching up.

Two years ago I was quite taken by the new Subaru Forester.

The chunky midwest American styling grated and the cabin quality was down a bit from what I expected.

However, it drove well, had more space and the price was good. I enjoyed myself on country Victorian roads.

It ran well against its medium-sized SUV rivals, although it was eventually out-gunned by the then-new Honda CR-V.

Now the value is even better as Subaru leads car makers on price rollbacks in Australia, which should make the Forester even more likable. It's a smart move by the Japanese company, whose Australian chiefs are banking on currency wins and a cut in import duty to trim showroom stickers on the XV, Impreza and Forester.

My personal favourite in the Forester line-up, like many of the cars I drive, is the starting-price car. It's a 2.0-litre petrol job currently listed at $29,990.

But my latest time with a Forester is with a heavily loaded 2.5i-S that puts more than $10,000 on the bottom line.

The payback is in everything from better wheels and multimedia system to the Eyesight safety system, which brings the sort of driver assistance — automatic braking, radar cruise control and lane-departure warning — that is becoming commonplace (and essential for a five-star ANCAP safety score).

There is a 2.5-litre petrol engine, too, and Forester buyers can now also get a diesel. The car is immediately familiar and I find I've warmed a little to the styling.

The Forester, and every other new Subaru these days, is being pitched strongly to US buyers and they want a car that won't be dominated by the heavyweight utes that fill their roads.

Cabin space is good, with a useful boot, although there is talk about the front seats. I feel they're a bit flat, but The Boss says they're ideal for her. She's not as complimentary when she takes the wheel, complaining about some jerkiness in the throttle response, a "tippy" feel in corners and aircon that's not coping well with our latest burst of hot weather.

She prefers the Hyundai Santa Fe that's also in the driveway, not because it's bigger but because she feels it is nicer.

For me, the chief shortcoming is the constantly variable transmission that's focused on fuel economy and robs the Forester of some response and driving enjoyment.

The suspension, too, is not as compliant as the Kia and Hyundai models, which now get special suspension tuning for Australia.

As always, and this is a complaint that goes back more than 15 years, the headlights are not good enough. This is supposed to be a safety-first Forester and the low beam is good, but the high-beam performance is mediocre.

For me, the Forester has been overtaken. Two years ago, it was one of the frontrunners in its size and price class, but others have done more since.

Nissan has completely overhauled its SUV line-up, from Qashqai to Pathfinder, while the Koreans have put more focus on Australia and even Renault is promising more with its Koleos successor and new baby Captur.

The more time I spend with the Forester the more I'm thinking about its rivals, and worrying about Eyesight.

It's a good idea but needs fine tuning to match Europe's benchmark systems. It's oversensitive and too eager to intervene, constantly sounding a lane warning along one of my favourite twisty roads because of the painted markings.