Subaru has become synonymous with fire-spitting handling and performance - spearheaded by cars such as the WRX and STI - and the bushwhacking Forester SUV has now joined this high-adrenalin club.
A new flagship performance model called the S-Edition has joined a revitalised Forester range. Selling for R439 000, its top dog status is visually conveyed by a unique colour selection: black grille, STI-design 17” alloy rims, a rear spoiler and a gaping airscoop in the bonnet.
The powder in the grenade is a 2.5-litre, turbocharged and intercooled, horizontally-opposed (boxer) four-cylinder engine - the same one that powers the high-performance WRX sedan. It pumps out a healthy 193kW at 6 000 rpm and 347Nm at 2 800-4 800 rpm, and is matched with all-wheel drive and a five-speed automatic transmission offering paddle-shift manual control.
Spending a week with the S-Edition left me in a bit of a quandary because, as much as I enjoyed the athleticism of the powerplant, I’d like the car so much more if it had a better transmission.
The five-speed auto is lethargic and doesn’t make a great fit with the energetic engine. It’s slow to kick down when you boot the throttle, causing power pauses that prevent you from stealing many a gap in busy traffic. Thank goodness you can manually override the auto’s slow-thinking brain by using the paddles on the steering wheel, which makes for a more pleasant and responsive driving experience.
However, the auto transmission also aggravates the trace of turbo lag this engine develops at high altitude. If you’re wanting to make a Vettel-style getaway from the robots, you have to sit it out for a few tenths of a second waiting for the turbo to jump out of bed, get dressed and start working.
The only way to overcome this delay is by applying some Lenasia Launch Control (hold the brake with your left foot while revving the engine, then release the brake). It’s not necessarily mechanically sympathetic to the car, but by using this method we achieved a pretty impressive 0-100km/h time of 7.6sec, which places the S-Edition right in hot-hatch territory.
Once it’s rolling - and in the right gear - the Forester S-Edition shoots forward with pleasurable gusto, delivering strong overtaking pace that gives you confidence to zip past long trucks. The unique thrum of the boxer engine combined with the whoosh of the turbocharger creates a sound that, whilst not especially refined, is not uncharismatic. It adds that Subaru touch.
We’re getting pretty used to modern sports SUVs that defy physics with their sharp handling but, on first acquaintance, the Forester isn’t one of them. Its marshmallow-soft suspension causes it to lean like the tower of Pisa in cornering, particularly quick lane changes.
However, with the help of its symmetrical all-wheel drive, stability control and great chassis, the big Subaru is surprisingly good in twisty extremes and delivers safe and predictable handling. The essential Subaru-ness is felt in its quick and responsive steering, plentiful grip, and the lack of premature understeer that afflicts many an all-wheel drive car - the Forester’s nose stays nicely tucked into sharp turns.
An all-round good roadholding performance despite the soggy feel, and I suppose you’d expect nothing less from a company that hangs its reputation on precision handling.
Also, the flipside of that marshmallow suspension is a smooth and yielding ride; the Forester glides over rough roads like cream being poured over strawberries.
This brilliant bump-absorption makes the big Subaru very content to be driven in off-tar situations, even though it lacks a low range gear (only manual Forester versions get this feature) and isn’t intended as a hardcore off-roader. But its generous ground clearance and all-wheel drive ensured the car clambered happily over hills and obstacles in a medium-difficulty off-road course we put it through, without losing traction or scraping its belly.
Inside Subaru’s SUV you’ll find a roomy interior and bountiful boot space, and a well-stacked features list that includes, among others, cruise control, panoramic sunroof, reversing camera, and a high-end audio system with USB and auxiliary slots for music devices.
The interior trimmings are distinctly Japanese in flavour, with a dashboard that’s neat and solid but full of hard plastic - Subaru has resisted the temptation to move to the richer-feeling soft-touch type. The S-Edition’s blue suede seats inject some design flair (Elvis Presley would love them), as do the motorsport-style aluminium pedals.
VERDICT
Is this a performance car trying to be an SUV or the other way around? No matter, the versatile Forester S-Edition is proficient both on- and off-tar, all delivered with an enjoyable dose of turbocharged performance a la Subaru.
If only it wasn’t watered down by not-the-world’s-greatest auto ‘box. - Star Motoring