Subaru Forester XT 2003 review

The Subaru Forester has always been one of our favourite four-wheel-drives.

And a favourite car, too.

The boxy baby Suby will never take you to the top of the toughest trail, but it's a top choice for people who need a car but enjoy the fun that comes with a 4WD.

Explore the 2003 Subaru Forester range

• Subaru Forester XS 2003 review
• Subaru Forester 2003 review
• Subaru Forester XT 2003 review

The Forester has always had its shortcomings, led by the cramped back seat, but it has the edge – for us – over its rivals, mostly because it's more car-like and comfy than a Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4.

The Forester also picked up points when it picked up punch as the turbocharged GT, even if it didn't have the all-out go or grip of the WRX cult car. It was too gangly in the suspension and turbo lag also cut its appeal.

But Subaru has done a substantial update on the latest Forester, even if it has lost the sexy GT badge and picked up an XT label instead.

The newcomer has been given more go, which works well with the bigger and bolder Forester II body, as well as substantial tweaks on everything from headlamps to air-con.

It's still a good deal, priced from $39,490 for a five-speed manual gearbox or $41,490 for a four-speed self-shifter. There is also a big list of extra kit – from a rear roof spoiler at $389.68 and fender flares at $363.15 to a Rola bicycle holder at $225.83 and a cargo net at $165.21. A fully-loaded automatic with the Luxury Pack will cost $44,990.

To put things into focus, the Forester line-up now starts at $31,490 for the 2.5 litre X model, while a Toyota RAV4 starts from $27,600, a basic X-Trail from Nissan is $31,990, a four-cylinder Hyundai Santa Fe is $29,990 and the cheapest of the Honda CR-Vs is $31,990.

The Forester XT makes the pace for the Subaru corner with a new 2.5-litre turbo motor that makes a romping 155kW of power and 320 Nm of torque.

That's one-third more power and 50 per cent more torque than the basic four-cylinder engine, and awfully close to the original figures from the early days of the WRX.

The driving force in the XT includes a limited-slip rear differential, anti-skid four-wheel disc brakes and self-levelling rear suspension. The safety systems include twin airbags with a two-stage inflator on the passenger's side, active front head restraints and – Subaru's signature item – the "symmetrical all-wheel drive".

The equipment list is even more impressive, with 16-inch alloy wheels, a six-stack CD sound system, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, and even automatic air-con.

Our favourite items are the front-seat armrests and the outside temperature gauge.

On the road

We got a surprise when we uncorked the new Forester flagship for the first time.

The turbo bites with a kick that reminds us of the slingshot start of the original WRX. It was a whoo-hoo moment.

Subaru says the XT will run a 0-100km/h sprint in 6.4 seconds, and we believe it.

It also makes it the most spritely of the compact all-wheel-drives and helps justify a price that's higher than that of many of its rivals.

It's easy to jump the $40,000 hurdle for a well-equipped Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute with the lot. But the engine is not the only attraction in the latest Forester.

The suspension has also been firmed and flattened to make the XT less like a roly-poly four-wheel-drive truckster and more like a car.

You still sit up high in the "command position" but the view doesn't tilt when you tackle a turn.

The XT also has a better cornering balance than the earlier car, signalling its limits earlier and without hinting that it would be happier to just shuffle off the road.

It now responds with more front-end grip if you lift the accelerator, and – if you want to go a bit wild at a closed course – it will slide from the rear but recover quickly with good grip and surprising traction.

But that's at the limit, and few people push the Forester that hard.

Even so, it's nice to know it will give you an early and obvious warning if you overcook things, particularly on the sort of slippery gravel and loose dirt roads the Forester is likely to tackle.

It still doesn't have the sort of "crawler" low-range gears that would please serious 4WD explorers, but these people should be looking first at the X-Trail, or even a baby Suzuki Jimny, for rock hopping and mountain climbing.

The turbo torque in the XT means it will grunt up serious slopes and it has better ground clearance before and the extra grip that comes with the limited-slip diff.

The engine also makes the XT a swift overtaker and a confident and easy highway car with almost no sign of the dreaded "turbo lag".

It makes boost from little more than 2000 revs and pulls really hard from 3500. And there is always that (whisper it) WRX-style hoot if you push to the redline and hammer through the gears.

We also enjoyed the cabin comforts, equipment and headlamps.

The latest Forester also has better visibility and more space in the tail, and is quieter than the first model.

It's a pity the back seat is still upright and cramped for adults, but Subaru says most Forester buyers are singles or youngish families who can always graduate to an Outback when they need more space.

We liked it before, and we like it even more now.