Forest Fire
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- A new 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer engine gives Subaru’s facelifted Forester scorching performance
By Hadi Soedarsono
THE FORESTER IS Subaru’s weapon of choice in its fight for a bigger share of the mid-sized SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) market, a segment dominated by the likes of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Unlike these two models, though, the Forester has more in common with a station wagon on stilts, and it provides drivers with a more car-like driving position.
The facelifted version retains the old car’s dimensions, but just about everything else has been fiddled with.
It has new headlights, front grille, bonnet and bumpers. The side repeaters have been moved to the mirrors, while the rear gets new lamps and a resculpted tailgate. Overall, the facelifted Forester has cleaner lines than the old car, although we think its new face is not quite as handsome as before.
Even bigger changes can be found under the sheetmetal. There’s a choice of two new engines. The entry-level Forester gets a normally aspirated 2.0-litre horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, while the top-of-the-line version is powered by a new turbocharged 2.5-litre unit. The Forester cockpit has been redesigned also, with some dashboard parts lifted from the Legacy.
