Subaru Forester X 2011 review

Whatever Subaru's game plan is, it seems to be working. Sales are up despite the fact that the cars are more generic than ever, with design that ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous.

The Forester is a good case in point. Over the years it has morphed from a knockabout, all-wheel drive station wagon into a just another high riding, roly-poly SUV.

Be that as it may, earlier this year, Forester became Subaru's biggest selling model of all time, eclipsing even the Impreza — with sales in excess of 150,000 since launch in 1997.

It comes as no surprise then that Forester leads the fiercely contested SUV segment in Australia and has done for the past three years.

For whatever reason, it has struck a chord with buyers.

But one wonders whether time is running out for the niche Japanese car maker, with its "symmetrical" all-wheel drive mantra.

The thing is, all wheel drive is starting to lose some of its gloss, with electronic braking systems able to achieve the same level of safety these days.

And you end up paying more for all-wheel drive at the pump, because driving all four wheels all the time by necessity pushes up fuel consumption.

Having got that off my chest, I'd like to now sing the praises of the new Forester and its new third generation 2.5-litre boxer engine.

It might have lost some of its character, but the new model distinguished by a new front grille exudes a real feeling of quality and is a pleasure to drive, with a sporty spring to its step thanks to the Boxer engine.

TECHNOLOGY

The new FB engine which makes its debut in the Forester offers no additional power but there has been a small increase in torque.

The flat four definitely feels more refined and responsive and the switch to chain drive means no more cam belts to replace.

The new engine, the first completely new design in 21 years, puts out 126kW of power at 5800 revs and 235Nm of torque at 4100 revs, with 0-100km/h taking 9.2 seconds.

Fuel consumption is rated at 9.3 litres/100km, compared to the previous model's 9.6 litres (we were getting 9.8).

Sadly, however, while the engine might be new, we're stuck with the same old five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions, although we're told the auto has been improved.

The rest of the world has moved on.

Our test vehicle, the base model Forester X with a five-speed manual, has dual range gearing (low and high range).

DRIVING

The engine sounds fabulous and the ride is exemplary, but pushed hard the wagon with its higher centre of gravity exhibits plenty of body roll.

Corners taken at speed will spark an extreme reaction from the electronic stability control system.

Low range is handy for slippery boat ramps and the like, but off road the Forester can get further than you think in the hands of an experienced driver, with 220mm of ground clearance.

Steel wheels are standard fitted with 16 inch Bridgestone 215/65 Duellers and a full sized spare wheel is provided.

Inside you get cloth trim and manual airconditioning, but it lacks outlets for rear seat passengers.

The dash include a darker finish and darker tone metallic-type highlights for enhanced appearance.

Cabin noise levels are reduced through use of an enlarged, higher density, under bonnet noise insulator.

Bluetooth is also standard and there's a 12 volt outlet plus AUX and USB ports in the centre console box, with controls for the phone and audio mounted on the wheel.

AT A GLANCE

Price: from $30,990
Warranty: 3 years/ unlimited km
Safety: 5 star ANCAP2 occupant safety rating , Symmetrical all-wheel drive, ABS, EBD,VDC, SRS Airbags – dual front, dual front side and curtain, Active Head Rests.
Engine: Horizontally-opposed Boxer 4-cylinder, petrol engine
Body: 5-door Wagon
Transmission: 5-speed manual transmission, 4-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.
Thirst: 9.3L/100km, CO2 220g/km