Subaru Forester 2004 News

The Forester is Subaru’s top seller here, and was the best-selling compact SUV for the previous four years. The current model has slid slightly in run-out mode, but the next one – due in the first quarter of 2013 – still has big shoes to fill. Looking at the leaked brochure for the Japanese market, it’s a more attractive vehicle than the outgoing one. And there’s likely to be little visual change for Australia – although the mechanical specs could vary.  Despite the warping of the curved pages, the images show a more streamlined body, with cues from the latest Impreza and the XV softroader. Two spec levels are shown, L and XT – the latter getting a sportier nose and wheels, plus extra chrome trim.  The leaked pages show the next Forester has grown 35mm longer and 15mm wider than the current car, and will measure up 4595mm long, 1795mm wide, 1695mm high and have a 25mm longer wheelbase at 2640mm. Luggage capacity will also grow from the current 450 litres to between 488-505 litres in various models. Overseas markets will kick off with two 2.0-litre engine choices: the naturally aspirated 110kW unit from the Subaru XV, and a twin-scroll turbocharged one for the XT, with transmission options a six-speed manual and a CVT – in both cases driving all four wheels. However a diesel is also on the cards, and would likely be on the wishlist for Australia. The brochure details show that Subaru’s safety ‘Eyesight’ technology is likely to be offered on range-topping variants. However, Subaru Australia spokesperson David Rowley says parent company Fuji Heavy Industries is “not confirming that what we’re seeing is the next Forester” – or any other details. “When it will be unveiled? FHI have told us there is no definite date for the unveiling or for an official on-sale date in Japan or elsewhere,” he says. However he acknowledges that if it is the Forester, Subaru practice means there could be some changes in the engine line-up we get. “There are actually quite significant variations in spec in different Subaru markets,” he says. “We’re not in a position to disclose what our specs might be, but there could well be different technical variations. “There will be a variety of drivetrains available but we can’t confirm what those will be.” However he can confirm the significance of the Forester to Subaru’s sales here. “It’s our top-selling model, and the completely new-generation Forester will be hugely important to us,” he says.

The Forester S-Edition concept builds on the turbocharged following of the existing Forester XT.  It is powered by a turbocharged 2.5 litre boxer engnie with 193kW of power, which is 24kW more than the XT and produces 347Nm of torque, up 27 Nm.Other features are paddleshift five-speed automatic gearbox, revised sports suspension, Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) all-wheel drive, STI 17-inch high lustre alloy wheels, alcantara seat trim with S-Edition logos, drilled alloy pedals, luminescent instruments with centre design unique to the model and S-Edition badging and styling accents.The bonnet wing mirror on the display model is only for Japan which will not get to see the vehicle for another month.  Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says it is an honour for Fuji Heavy Industries to unveil the vehicle in Sydney."It points towards an exciting development in our Forester range early next year,'' he says."Forester is firmly established as Australia's best-selling compact sports utility vehicle, with the most recent addition to the range being the diesel variants that are proving a sales winner for our all-wheel drive brand."There's no denying Forester's appeal to Australians in both urban and rural environments, so we think this concept will only add to the huge interest."Since going on the market in June, diesel variants have represented 29 per cent of Forester sales.  The S Edition will have a $4000 premium over the XT.Senior says the high value of the Australian dollar had not affected Subaru prices as they deal in the Yen which has been as strong as 106c in the past year.The Subaru stand is also showing the recently revised widebody WRX and WRX STI, including the newly introduced sedan variant and paddleshift auto.  Senior commends the one Australian motor show per year concept.“We will see more world reveals with one show on the calendar,” he says.  “We will also have some exciting displays at Mebourne next year.  Maybe not a world first; but instead of five new things we will have one big thing.”He suggests July as a better time to stage the show.  “You just come off the high of June sales and July and August are a bit of a hangover, so a July show would put more spark into sales.”

Subaru Australia will take the covers off a high-performance version of the compact crossover wagon that will sit above the existing turbo XT model in what is expected to be a world first.

The tweak to the Subaru Forester is a typical value-added deal, with extra equipment on the basic X model for no added cost. The difference is a Columbia connection, which puts a badge on the car and a $500 shopping voucher into the wallet for everyone who takes one of the cars.  "Columbia sportswear fits our recreational image . . . well, like a glove," says Subaru Australia spokesman, Dave Rowley. "We did a similar thing about a year ago with Columbia and it worked well, so we decided to re-visit it." The price of the Forester X Columbia is unchanged from the regular X at $33,990 driveaway, or $35,990 for the auto, with the upgrade running to 16-inch alloys, fog lights, roof cross bars, a cargo tray and rear step panel.  Of course, there is special Columbia badging and the gift voucher. Subaru Australia has ordered 1050 cars for the deal, which means it is unlikely to last beyond February for a car that's the best seller in its class. AT A GLANCESubaru Forester X Columbia Price: from $33,990Body: five-door station wagonSafety: six airbags, ESP, anti-skid brakes, all-wheel driveEngine: 2.5-litre four cylinderOutput: 126kw/229NmEconomy: 9.3L/100kmEmissions: 220g/km  

The impeccable safety record, the reliable boxer engine and the constant improvements to ride, all contribute to my fondness and expectations. So it’s slightly disappointing to reveal that the latest Forester doesn’t do much for me at all*. And it’s not because it doesn’t deliver in the aforementioned areas – it does. It just looks so damn drab. But that’s no surprise; the Forester has always struggled aesthetically. It’s a real wonder, given our growing demand for style and looks that it has been such a successful car. I suppose ‘successful’ is an understatement; this car has bobbled around in the top three in its class for over a decade. It’s the most popular car Subaru sell. So what’s going on here? How is this happening? Is it because it has such a good reputation? I don’t think these heady days for the Forester can last without dramatic improvements to styling, inside and out. First it was the boxy, two tone brick; now it’s bigger but still boring. The base model interior is plasticky and unimaginative. Like I said, I’m being harsh because I like Subarus. Great engine and safety, and it’s a comfy drive. I just think they can do a lot better in the looks department. Do you agree, people? Am I going crazy and simply missing something obvious? Why are they so popular? Help? *The XT turbo does look a bit better with its big bonnet scoop, buldging guards and wheel arches and other muscular features, but I am talking about the XS, the base model that most of us will be buying.

There is a clear-cut champion in the compact four-wheel-drive class.It is the Subaru Outback, which does easily the best job for the majority of shoppers who want the size, comfort and command driving position of a soft-roader but don't plan to do much of the rough-and-tough weekend work in the bush.The Outback is a high-riding and tougher-looking Subaru Liberty wagon, which means it is a new-age station wagon for people who are convinced that four-wheel-drives are the best bet for the 21st century.But it's not the only way to go in a class which is as varied as any in Australian motoring.The all-paw smalls are a split-personality line-up which ranges from serious bush buddies to suburban shopping trolleys, with everything in between.Some talk the talk, but don't go remotely close to walking the wilderness, and others are surprisingly capable despite their soft-form looks. And looks aren't always the best – or easiest – way to make a choice.The Daihatsu Terios has the high-rider style you expect to see in a serious four-wheel-drive, but it could have come just as easily from the world's best-selling carmaker – Matchbox.The Suzuki Jimny is much the same, though it can really romp in the rough and is priced from just $17,990.At the other end of the action, there are several contenders which push past $40,000, including the over-priced and under-done Land Rover Freelander.The compact class also opens the options between "all-wheel-drive" vehicles focused on blacktop work and "four-wheel-drive" vehicles with serious off-road grip and dual-range gears, in a battle which rages all the way to the $100,000-plus machines in the luxury four-wheel-drive world.The split between the soft-road and hard-rock vehicles means it's important to split the winners, with the Nissan X-Trail taking top honours for real off-road work and the Subaru Forester and best-selling Toyota RAV4 – now with a punchier 2.4-litre engine – scoring on the soft side. The Outback was completely updated last year and picks up the five-star safety and top quality from the latest Subaru Liberty.But it also gets a tougher look, extra ground clearance, rough-road tyres and all the other gear you need for weekend expeditions.The price is pretty rich in a class where most of the action is below $30,000 – the H6 engine can lift it from $31,180 to more than $50,000 – but it's the one to recommend to friends and family if they can afford it. The Nissan Patrol is a heavyweight four-wheel drive star and you can see and feel the family connection to the X-Trail.It has the stumpy looks of a serious off-roader and backs it with a 2.5-litre engine hooked to a grippy drivetrain and a tough body.Nissan has also created a funky cabin for the X-Trail, with all the right stuff for twentysomething owners.It's not cheap, with pricing from $31,990, but the price is right for the class and the competition. The Forester, like the Outback, was developed for rougher roads than the regular all-paw Subaru family wagons.So the Forester sprang from the Impreza, as the Outback did from the Liberty, but with a much bigger change to the body.The Forester looks like it will work off the bitumen and it does, provided you recognise its limits.It also comes with a punchier turbo engine, though it's not WRX, and Subaru Australia has just rejected a Forester STi which would have really rocked the compact four-wheel-drive scene.