Road Test: Subaru Forester XTL

By Feann Torr - 4/11/05

The Forester has been a mainstay of the Subaru fleet since the late '90s, and it's reputation as a reliable soft-roader is tough to beat. There are a lot of things to like about the vehicle, which we'll no doubt touch upon in this review, but of immediate interest is the XT's position in the world of compact 4WDs.

Take an entry-level Forester with a 2.5-litre boxer engine (121kW) and it stands up against most of the opposition, including the Nissan X-Trail, Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander.

But the XT model on test - yeah, the one with the turbo - appears to have a niche market all to itself. There are virtually no other competitors in this sports compact 4WD segment that offer similar power outputs for a similar price, which is no doubt how Subaru wants to keep things.

The Japanese automaker has always been good at marketing its vehicles in a delicate way, and it's credibility has risen accordingly. Here we have the new 2006 model year Forester XT, which is based on an already popular and well-respected platform. Does this mean it's flawless? Let's find out:

Drive

I've been quite enamoured with the Subaru product we've tested in the recent past, and while I was equally impressed with some of the Forester's ability, I was also a tad glum with some aspects of the force-fed Forester.

But first the impress: the engine is a ripsnorter of a powerplant, gifting the compact AWD with levels of acceleration that would surprise many sports car owners.

The model we tested came equipped with a 4-speed automatic gearbox, and I should say that power delivery with the auto tranny is pretty good, all things considered (including my general apathy towards them).

It's a smooth shifter, and the tiptronic gear selection works, but I disliked using it's counter-intuitive shifts.

To my mind it's illogical to have push forward as change up and pull back on the shifter to change down, as you are fighting inertia when you do this. It's more natural to pull the stick back when shifting up, requires less effort and you don't have to fight increased gee forces.

The shift lever in our test vehicle felt a bit flimsy, as though not attached to the gearbox properly when you shifting between neutral, drive, reverse and other gears. This could be due to a right royal hammering from other journos, which is more likely as we've not experienced this before.

Besides the above quibbles, the powertrain on this car is thoroughly sorted. For a roomy vehicle that sits fairly high (and isn't super light) it still manages to pin occupants into their seats, as the turbocharger forcefully crams more and more air into the cylinders, intensifying combustion - and hence acceleration - markedly.

It would have been nice to have more control over the powerful engine with a manual transmission, but even with the auto it's hard not to smile when you stick the boot in.

The tiptronic does have its uses though. It'll drop into second gear at 100km/h (surprising) at a bit under 6000rpm and won't jump out of gear if you hit the redline, which is nice to know. The engine will spin up to about 7000rpm if you push it, but with peak torque arriving early in the rev range there's very little reason to do this.

The effortless power that makes overtaking, standing starts and going fast a absolute cinch isn't matched by the car's chassis, which gets back to my earlier comment about being glum.

The suspension is too soft for my liking. For instance it pitches back and forth quite a bit under heavy acceleration/deceleration, and because the engine's so powerful it seems a bit odd that Subaru hasn't made more of an effort to tighten things up.

The softer suspension tune enables it to get off the beaten track somewhat, but it's fitted with shiny 17-inch alloys, and one doubts that it would be taken bush very often.

The softly sprung Forester XT is brilliant at soaking up any crags in the road - if it's a smooth ride you're after, look no further - but when it comes time to exploit the copious power hidden below the be-scooped bonnet, the chassis disappoints.

When tipping the nose into corners the XT is very tentative and inspires anything but confidence. That said, one can adapt one's driving style: brake a bit earlier, push a bit slower through corners, and then bang the throttle when things straighten up again, because that 2.5 turbo cranks.

I found the turbo Forester to be more at home in the city than on the twisty roads that slither their way through the Australian high country, and seeing as the steering is fairly sensitive, it turns out to be ideally suited to manoeuvring in and out of dense traffic, the navigation of busy shopping centre carparks and even mounting the odd curb when patience becomes anything but a virtue.

It's also a dab hand at cruising long distances, the engine ticking over at roughly 2250rpm at 100km/h in 'D', which isn't half bad for an engine of this size. It's not too bad on the old hip pocket when you initiate cruise control on the highway, and generally speaking there's a lot to like about the way the car drives.

The AWD setup affords high grip levels when surface friction changes (wet weather, rough surfaces etc), which is very reassuring. The issues I have with the car's suspension setup in regards to rapid cornering probably won't be of consequence to most buyers of this car, though I still think it's a shame the chassis hasn't been tuned for less bodyroll in order to keep up with the potent AWD turbo powertrain.

Perhaps Subaru will answer my prayers and import the Japanese STI Forester with stiffer springs (and more poke) in to Australia …

Engine

Subaru builds boxer engines - and that's it. No V8s, no inline fours, just boxers.

Today, this type of horizontally opposed boxer engine is built by Subaru and Porsche only, making it an anomaly in an automotive world where straight and vee-configured engines reign supreme.

But this doesn't mean they don't work. On the contrary. Take the Forester XT's turbo 2.5 boxer engine for example; it tromps!

Torque builds early thanks to the forced induction of the turbo, and the soft thud-thud you feel through the seats is eternally pleasing. It's not too thirsty either, consuming 11.1 litres of fuel for every 100 kilometres travelled (highway/city combined).

Technically speaking, the engine is the standard 2.5-litre 121kW boxer block used on other models that benefits from a number of tweaks, the most important of which is the air-to-air intercooler (mounted horizontally under the bonnet scoop) and the exhaust-driven turbocharger, which combine to boost power to 169kW for the 2006 model (155kW last year), and modifications to the engine control unit (ECU) have also resulted in power and efficiency increases.

Subaru's two-and-a-half litre turbo engine gets a slightly different combustion chamber shape as well, which alters the compression ratio (raised from 8.2:1 to 8.4:1).

If you read the break out panel you note that the 0-100km/h time is 7.6 seconds - far from slow for a compact SUV. This is with the 4-speed automatic transmission, which has shed some 2.5kg this year by changing from hydraulic to electronic control.

What the break out panel won't tell you is that the 5-speed manual XT Forester is almost as quick as the WRX, firing from 0-100km/h in 6.0 seconds. To me this says one thing - Subaru needs a new auto tranny, preferably with a few more ratios. One point six seconds is quite a gap, and it's obvious the engine is hamstrung by the auto.

Hamstrung or not, you can still feel the torque building when you squeeze open the throttle, and though the specs state that peak torque arrives at 3600rpm, it felt just as strong from as early as 2500rpm.

This engine has massive mid-range punch, and the auto is fairly brisk at dropping a cog when you want to overtake or at highway speeds. At the end of the day, this engine is without peer in the compact AWD market segment. It's as simple as that.

Exterior

Compact AWDs are popular here in Australia, and the sales charts are testament to this, but to be brutally honest my interest has rarely been piqued by the exterior styling of any of these lifestyle vehicles.

The XT Forester is arguably one of the better looking vehicles in the genre, and I must admit that after spending a week with the vehicle I came to appreciate the broad headlights, the sturdy-looking grille and the subtly pumped wheel arches.

Save for the wheel arches, these features have been changed since the last model, and though not radically different they unquestionably give the new Forester a fresh face.

Of course, there's dirty great big bonnet scoop that sends a signal to all and sundry that this is not your token soft- roader, perceptibly connecting the vehicle with Subaru's world-famous WRX pocket rockets.

Fog lights are a nice touch, adding a bit more sportiness to proceedings, while the 17-inch alloy wheels (215/55 R17 tyres) contribute, and also lend the Forester a more commanding road presence.

At the rear the Forester's design has been tweaked as well, and it looks good. New-look clear lens brake light clusters attract the eye, while large rear windscreen stays the same (no bad thing, that).

Interior

Step inside the Forester XT and it quickly becomes apparent that Subaru has gone for a sports/luxury finish, and it works well. With the luxury pack option the interior colour scheme is tremendously pleasing; dark charcoal blacks are mixed with light grey tones giving the interior purpose, and at the very least is not a monotone affair.

It's a nice place to be, and the seats proved comfy even during longer road trips, and the ergonomic headrests were surprisingly good too. The head rests in some cars are next to useless, so it was nice to be able to rest one's neck on boring highway journeys.

As per usual, the dash plastics are not the greatest, but they never are until you reach the top end of Europe, but I must add that I liked chrome-rimmed dials, and with the Momo steering wheel they help to create a certain level of sportiness for the driver, one that almost matches the engine's fervent performance.

There's a soft rubbery finish on the middle section of the dash that adds a much-needed dose of a tactile variance, and on the whole the front cabin is well laid out with intuitively placed controls and storage bins.

Leather inserts on the doors are a nice touch, and though the mid-level quality of leather used to upholster these (plus everything else, from the seats to the gear shifter) is pretty good for a Japanese marque that doesn't have a 'Lex' or an 'Us' in it's name, and it should be said that there are enough luxury touches here to raise the few eyebrows of those who think Subaru can't do plush.

Taller drivers will be pleased to hear that headroom is plenteous, and leg room is pretty good for the driver and front passenger too. Back seat occupants won't be squished together like sardines either, with enough room to sit another pair of adults comfortably, though things tend to get a bit too cosy with three big people in the back (three lap sash belts are provided). And seeing as this vehicle lays claim to the wagon style body, boot space is generous, and a full-sized 17-inch spare wheel is polite effect.

The car measures 4485mm in length, but step inside the vehicle and you'd think it was much bigger. Subaru has packaged the interior very cleverly. The stereo pumps out clear, bass-filled audio (if you like it that), complete with mid-range satellites and tweeters up front, and other ancillaries - such as the HVAC controls - are nice and smooth in operation, lending them a high quality feel. The luxury pack model we tested came complete with a massive sunroof (moonroof?), which almost reaches back seat passengers.

Overall: 3.5/5

Subaru rarely puts a foot wrong with it's small - but growing - range of AWD vehicles, and the turbo Forester XT is another job well done by the Japanese automaker.

I personally would have liked to see more response from the chassis, in order to match the vehicle's copious power supply. I should stress however, that if enthusiastic, white-knuckle driving is not on your must-have car shopping list, you should add another half womby to the score.

Apart from the flaccid suspension, I found very little to complain about with this vehicle. It offers ample space for most passengers, and the boot is more than useful, plus it looks good too. The model we tested fetches almost $47k, but you pay extra for the automatic gearbox and luxury pack, both of which aren't necessarily tantamount to a good time.

You can pick up the 5-speed manual XT for $40,990, and it comes with beige-coloured cloth seats upholstery, which looks almost as good as the leather black/charcoal interior decor.

It's a well-built vehicle inside and out - no rattles, snaps or pings to report - and as with most 4WDs it offers a slightly raised view of the road, which seems to be highly sought-after these days.

This is another impressive AWD from Subaru, one that combines good safety levels and the feisty nature of the turbo WRX with the more practical value that a sizeable wagon body brings.