Subaru Forester XT Premium 2013 Review

In earlier generations, the Forester XT was the Q-ship SUV that blew away sports cars in a straight line, but this new model is positioned to be a rival to other SUVs, typically powered by six-cylinder engines. If the Forester lacks the full complement of six cylinders, it compensates with turbocharging and, now, direct injection for more power and torque.

Somewhere between facelift and all-new design, the new XT looks like nothing more than a substantial cosmetic upgrade, but the changes go much further than skin deep. There's no bonnet scoop now, reflecting Subaru's efforts to lower the new car's drag coefficient and improve engine efficiency. The bonnet scoop is probably a signature element of the car's design some current or wannabe Forester XT owners will miss, but the swings and roundabouts are evened out with worthwhile changes elsewhere.

Subaru's marketing of the car has taken a new direction also, with the XT now aimed more broadly at aspirational families. Indeed, Subaru Australia's MD, Nick Senior, expects the share of Forester sales accounted for by the XT variants to rise from seven per cent for the previous generation to between 15 and 20 per cent.

There's added equipment in the new model – including such features as Subaru's vaunted EyeSight safety system and a Harman Kardon audio unit – without the burden of significantly higher purchase price and the previous four-speed automatic (or five-speed auto for the Forester S-Edition) has given way to a continuously variable transmission. At least one driver in the family should be happy with that...

New comfort and convenience features for the base model include electric sunroof, dual-zone climate control, multi-function display. In addition, there's a standard reversing camera, SI-Drive, 18-inch alloy wheels, X-Mode all-wheel drive system and the new engine with the CVT. Plenty enough, in other words, to more than offset the price increase.

A six-speaker CD audio system with MP3 compatibility can be set by means of switchgear located on the steering wheel. Cloth trim, cruise control, a sunroof, remote central locking and electric windows/mirrors are also standard.

For $7000 more the Forester XT Premium adds: EyeSight driver assistance system, eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, start button, rain-sensing wipers, satellite navigation, auto-on/off headlights, heated external mirrors, keyless entry, push-button starting, leather upholstery, heated front seats with eight-way power adjustment, and an automatic tailgate with a low-height function for garages or when long loads are fastened to the roof.

Displacing 2.0 litres, the FA series engine remains a horizontally-opposed DOHC four-cylinder, but is based on the FB series engine. Subaru refers to the engine as a DIT unit (direct injection, turbocharged). Changes from the engine that powered the previous Forester XT include a timing chain in lieu of timing belt, higher compression ratio, shorter stroke with larger crankpins (48 to 50mm), rigid block design, stronger diagonally-split conrods with larger big end, and reinforced/redesigned pistons with coating on the skirts to reduce friction resistance. Subaru engineers have located the twin-scroll turbocharger forward and below the engine to reduce the distance and complexity of the path the gases must take to drive the exhaust turbine. The catalytic converter volume is larger, the inlet manifold is now plastic and air/oxygen sensors are more accurate.

Other technology features of the new engine comprise a cooling circuit for EGR gas, tumble generator valves to create vortices in the combustion chambers, isolated cooling channels for the cylinder heads and an Active Valves Control System (AVCS) for cleaner emissions from a cold start, which also benefits from a bottom bypass channel that heats the engine oil faster.

Only one transmission is now available in the Forester XT – a continuously variable transmission that Subaru names Lineartronic. The CVT, with ratios ranging from 3.505:1 at low speeds to 0.544:1 for freeway cruising, has been developed for the Forester XT application with a short-pitch chain that negates the whine frequently encountered in other CVT-equipped Subarus. In manual mode, the CVT offers the driver up to eight artificial steps. The CVT comes with a torque converter that features a damper clutch to lock up the system and enhance fuel efficiency.

Subaru has chosen the SI-Drive (Subaru Intelligent Drive) developed originally for the STI to provide drivers with a selection of three modes: Sport Sharp, Sport and Intelligent. Sport Sharp delivers the ultimate sports sensation with the CVT operating in eight 'gears' the driver can manually select through the CVT's shift paddles. Sport provides some degree of performance driving, but the CVT operates conventionally, unless the driver uses the paddles for short-term shifting. This is the mode Subaru recommends for every-day driving. Intelligent mode is aimed at reducing fuel consumption or ensuring the torque available is optimal for driving on low-friction surfaces.

The drivetrain operates in the Forester XT through Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel drive system, with a multi-plate transfer system for a normal-operation torque split of 60/40 for front to rear. When the car's active torque split system receives data from the stability control system and other monitoring devices to indicate a loss of traction or roadholding, it reduces torque where needed and redirects more torque to the rear wheels.

Additionally, the Forester XT's X-Mode facility will automatically control the vehicle's speed on descents up 20km/h, without any input from the driver. At speeds up to 40km/h the X-Mode system changes the engine's throttle settings for off-road work, while increasing the multi-plate transfer clutch pressure to reduce the differential speeds of the driveshafts, front to rear. Bundled with the X-Mode feature is the Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), which applies extra braking effort to reduce wheel spin from left to right or vice versa.

Forester XT now comes with electrically-assisted rack and pinion power steering that further reduces fuel consumption. Subaru claims that steering feels more natural, thanks to revised MacPherson struts at the front, with thicker outer cylinders and larger strut top anchorage. Rebound springs have been fitted to the struts, for reduced body roll during cornering, which is also aided by a thicker anti-roll bar (21 to 24mm).

At the rear, toe changes in the double-wishbone suspension have been reduced by adopting pillow ball bushes in lieu of rubber. The front cross members are stiffer and dampers have been upgraded. Front brackets for the lateral links in the double-wishbone system and the rear cross members are thicker. According to Subaru engineers, the net effect of these suspension changes is better handling without detriment to ride comfort.

Braking is handled by four-wheel ventilated discs and the alloy wheels are shod with Bridgestone 225/55 R18 tyres.

But in the main, the focus of Subaru's designers has been to shave weight from the new car, without giving away anything in terms of safety. High-tensile steel in the side sills and A/B pillars is rated at 980MPa and the bonnet is now aluminium. The vehicle development team, concerned with the challenge of improving the new car's drag coefficient from 0.37Cd to 0.33Cd has shifted the A pillars forward 200mm and lowered the roof section at the rear. Door sills have been relocated 30mm inboard and the lower sections of the doors have been extended at the bottom to seal against dirt, weather and noise, aided by a secondary sealing strip. Door mirrors were also updated and relocated from the A pillars to the door skins.

More interior space and easier access to the cabin results from raising the seats front and rear, with the front-seat back rest raised 60mm, with the rear seats set back 15mm and raised 36mm. All the seats have been redesigned for improved comfort, with new cushioning. The dashboard is set further forward from the front passenger's position and the dash top has been lowered between 50 and 80mm by the adoption of a more compact heater unit and ventilation ducts.

Fifty per cent of the Forester XT's new body is constructed from 440-grade high-tensile strength materials. New engine bay design, stronger front bulkhead and reinforced roof pillars have all served to raise the new car's ANCAP safety rating from 34.31 for the old model to 35.64 points.

The Premium variant of the Forester XT enters the market with Subaru's EyeSight active safety system fitted as standard. EyeSight offers Pre-Collision Braking, Pre-Collision Brake Assist, Pre-Collision Throttle Management, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Vehicle Sway Warning and Lead Vehicle Start Alert. These features, through the office of three forward-looking cameras, can either reduce impact speeds or avoid impacts altogether. Throttle Management automatically reduces the prospects of collisions occurring, due to unintended acceleration when the driver has either pressed the accelerator rather than brake or selected Reverse rather than Drive.

Nick Senior also suggested the Volkswagen Tiguan 155 TSI was there in the mix. The Subaru chief pointed to the difference in (transaction) pricing and declared he was satisfied with Subaru's recent progress in respect of interior design, which is one point where the Forester XT might suffer in comparison with the high-priced Euro competitors.

"The XT Premium with everything in it is a $50,000 car, where we can demonstrate that some of those other [models] are $70,000 plus," Mr Senior told motoring.com.au during the car's launch.

"So I'm comfortable – very much – about the price points where we are, with the equipment levels, the specification and safety. And I think we've made huge headway in terms of the interior of this car, compared to its predecessor. I think with features like EyeSight, which they don't have [and] we are now getting much better at infotainment, with the mix between the satnav, the Bluetooth and the audio – and to have the Harman Kardon on top – I think we're in a pretty good space."

The powerful engine was exceptionally quiet, even when being given some stick. It was largely inaudible and free of vibration at 5000rpm, which is certainly something to be applauded. Driving enthusiasts will prefer to leave the SI facility in Sport Sharp, we expect, since this system actually charges through the artificial steps of the Continuously Variable Transmission (LinearTronic) stopping along the way for each 'change' and thus mimicking a stepped epicyclic transmission. That said, the turbo engine combined with the CVT will probably push the Forester up to speed quicker if left in Sport mode and allowed to adjust the ratios constantly while the engine is up around the 5000rpm mark.

Unless you're planning to undertake a long journey on a freeway, the 'Intelligent' mode holds little interest. It hampers throttle response and power delivery for the sake of saving fuel and, as far as we can tell, it's only other party trick is limiting torque in slippery conditions. Still, once the novelty value of performance and manual shifting has fizzled out the Intelligent mode may well prove its value in daily driving.

Subaru claims that the CVT is quieter than earlier examples, and certainly we didn't detect any of the whine we've come to associate with CVTs in the Impreza and XV. It was a little hard to say just how quiet the new Forester is, since there were strong, gusty cross winds during much of the drive program. But the engine – particularly in the Platinum variant – was very hushed and tyre noise was subdued even on typical country roads.

Turning into bends at open-road speeds, the new Forester felt hesitant at first, but would settle into a neat arc and grip the road with zeal – by the standards of other SUVs in the class. It's a car that leaves us feeling more confident in tighter bends than the S-Edition from the previous model range. There's more feedback through the wheel and significantly less understeer. On dirt, oversteer can be provoked with some judicious use of trailing throttle, but the Forester immediately responds to positive torque with an obvious shift to understeer.

Ride comfort is better than we expected. It's well damped and rides comfortably over small shocks and larger bumps equally well, only being caught out by cut-up bitumen and other, similarly sharp impacts.

Accommodation inside was more than enough for most adults, both front and rear. But no eyeball vents for rear-seat occupants? Not even in the Premium variant?

Instruments were easily read through the wheel and controls were naturally easy to use. The seats were, frankly, rather flat. It's the view of this writer that the Forester's interior remains less than inspiring, despite Nick Senior's view that the new car's interior design is a major step forward. If the French can produce a more interesting design in a $22,000 hatchback, and the Koreans – for roughly the same money as the basic Forester XT – can use attractive and pleasing trim materials in an elegant combination, why not Subaru?

For all that however, the Forester does pack in some pretty good technology, as Mr Senior explained. And not everyone buying a Forester XT is doing so for interior design flair and soft-touch materials anyway.

So here's what we anticipate will happen: plenty of punters will moan about the Forester XT's looks or the CVT, or the fact that 95 RON fuel is the recommended type – and Subaru will still sell as many as they can bring into the country.

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