Subaru Forester 2011 review

Living in a consumer-driven nation is Nirvana for those who are stress-free enough to dream and actually have the money to afford the dream.

It has created an industry of dream makers - manufacturers who will, at a price, make you anything you want. And if you've ever yearned for more power for Subaru's perpetual Forester, you can stop dreaming.

The S-Edition is the offspring that resulted after a one-night stand between a Forester and Subaru's performance arm, STI. It gets a massaged turbocharged engine and STI-inspired extras inside and out but retains the practicality and spacious cabin that have fortified Forester through a barrage of attacks by newcomers.

VALUE

Sleeping with STI isn't cheap. The Forester S-Edition is based on the XT Premium model but costs $5500 more because of the more highly-tuned engine, the five-speed automatic transmission (why don't all Subaru Imprezas get this?), a leather and Alcantara mix for the upholstery and a few other bits and bobs.

Pretty much everything else is from the XT Premium's goody list, such as the huge sunroof, leather trim and top-notch radio/sat-nav system. But while it's comparative in price to similarly equipped rivals, the Forester doesn't look as stylish and the $50,990 doesn't translate into metal.

DESIGN

This is where it all goes a bit wonky. The Forester is a very practical wagon that isn't made in Germany only because Subaru created the shape first. It's based on the time-old line drawing of two boxes - one big, one small - backed into each other and while some of us admire the pragmatic sketch, it's not stylish.

It's also been around for a while. Against the Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage and Hyundai ix35 for example, it's dated. Effective, but dated. That aside, it has a lot of clever family-friendly features.

I love the flexibility of the cabin - there's flip-up cupholders in the rear seat cushion, remote levers for lowering the back seat, and the back seats are higher than the front so kids have a clear view out the side windows.

TECHNOLOGY

STI has either breathed more mumbo into the 2.5-litre turbo-petrol from the XT Premium or detuned the WRX engine. Regardless, it's the hottest box on the Subaru block with 193kW/347Nm, a jump from the XT's 169kW/320Nm. Yet fuel consumption is identical at 10.5 litres/100km average.

Best news is the five-speed automatic from the Liberty. This is the only Forester with this box and Subaru goes the extra distance by equipping the S-Edition with paddle shifters on the steering wheel column. Cool.

The rest is constant all-wheel drive, MacPherson struts at the front and double wishbones at the back. The S-Edition tightens up the screws in the suspension for flatter cornering and this means it misses out on the self-levelling rear end that's a feature of its sisters.

SAFETY

Five-star crash rating, electronic stability control, six airbags and lots more little nanny aids in the electronics all make this one safe little truck. The high seat height is arguably a potential safety feature, as is the full-size spare tyre.

DRIVING

This was driven back to back with the normally-aspirated 2.5-litre XS model with the four-speed auto. Pointless me talking about which I prefer. The S-Edition has a delightful linear bottom end that gets a kick about 3200rpm as the turbo becomes fully awake. It is, in fact, two engines.

Drive it smooth and you'll get decent economy and no ugly photographs in the mail of you in the car. Give it a boot and it raises its head and really gets going. The bonus here is for overtaking, as in the country when passing a truck, for example. Not on the freeway.

It's a nice drive but it's no WRX. Part of the problem is it feels like it's on stilts - which it is in comparison to the WRX - and there's some nervous jiggling and hints of some vagueness in the suspension and steering when the power is up.

Personally, I'm not confident about pushing this anywhere near as fast into a corner as a WRX. That's not the aim. It's just a quick wagon in the same mold as the Mazda CX-7 turbo and some much more expensive Euro-wagons.

VERDICT

No doubting this is a lot of fun. The auto is superb and really makes it an easy drive in the city. It's roomy, comfortable and well equipped but you have to ask yourself if there's value here particularly when there's the less powerful and (only) four-cog auto version in the XT Premium.

Perhaps the S-Edition is for the WRX owners who just wants a bit of comfort. Or room for the kids.

SUBARU FORESTER S-EDITION

Price: $50,990
Engine: 193kW/347Nm 2.5-litre turbo-petrol
Transmission: Five-speed automatic, AWD Warranty: 3 years, unlimited km
Resale: 54%
Service Interval: 10,000km or 6 months
Economy: 10.5 l/100km; 248g/km CO2
Safety: six airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC
Crash rating: 5 star
Body: 5-door, 5 seats
Dimensions: 4560 (L); 1795mm (W); 1700mm (H); 2615mm (WB)
Weight: 1585kg
Tyre size: 225/55R17
Spare tyre: Full-size alloy

Rivals

SKODA OCTAVIA RS 147TSI-compare this car

Price: $39,490
Engine: 2-litre, 4-cyl turbo-petrol, 147kW/280Nm
Transmission: 6-spd DSG automatic, front-drive
Body: 5-door wagon
Thirst: 7.7L/100km, 95 RON, CO2 179g/km
 

MAZDA CX-7 LUXURY SPORTS

Price: $45,990
Engine: 2.3-litre, 4-cyl turbo-petrol, 175kW/350Nm
Transmission: 6-spd automatic, AWD
Body: 5-door hatch
Thirst: 11.5L/100km, 95 RON, CO2 273g/km

VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN 147TSI - compare this car

Price: $42,990
Engine: 2-litre, 4-cyl turbo-petrol, 147kW/280Nm
Transmission: 7-spd DSG automatic, AWD
Body: 5-door wagon
Thirst: 8.8L/100km, 95 RON, CO2 205g/km