Subaru Forester X and S Edition 2011 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $32,990 (Forester X auto), $50,990 (Forester S Edition)
Options fitted (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP (Forester X), 95 RON PULP (Forester S Edition)
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 9.3 (Forester X), 10.5 (Forester S Edition)
CO2 emissions (g/km): 220 (Forester X), 248 (Forester S Edition)
Also consider: Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-7, Mitsubishi Outlander

About our ratings

The Forester must rate as the go-to model in Subaru's range for multi-tasking. You won't find an Impreza with a diesel (yet) and nor can you option up the Outback with a WRX engine. When it comes to covering all trades, the Forester is a true Jack.

But everyone knows the concomitant rejoinder to that old catchphrase.

Over two weeks the Carsales Network sampled Forester variants at extreme ends of the range. First was the flagship S Edition -- with its turbocharged flat four borrowed from the current WRX -- followed by the basic Forester X the week after.

It's important to approach the S Edition in the right frame of mind. Expect the car to be a WRX with added practicality and you'll come away disappointed. Think of it as a Forester with more straight-line grunt and you'll be happier.

The engine in the S Edition doesn't offer the same level of flexibility as in the WRX. Nor does it sound as thrilling. The relative lack of performance in the Forester S Edition is down to coupling the engine through a five-speed automatic transmission -- in a heavier body.

Mostly the lack of ratios makes itself felt from launch. First gear seems like a high ratio and the turbo engine needs a bit of time and revs to crank out some torque. With the manual WRX the driver can rev up the engine and then dump the clutch for a fast start. That option just ain't available in the Forester. Pity…

In fairness to the auto box, it copes better than it should -- providing smooth shifting and adaptive programming. In the case of the latter, the transmission will hold gears longer rather than change up if the car is being driven a bit harder and it will change down at opportune times, but also allow sequential shifting.

The lever shifts through a gated détente that is more intuitive for first-timers to use than some similar systems. Whether it's about finding Reverse from Drive or shifting down sequentially, the Subaru system is definitely easy to use.

Out on the road the S Edition Forester musters plenty of grip, yet provides reasonable ride comfort -- but drivers may be reluctant to use those reserves of grip. On a wet night the S Edition wasn't very communicative through the wheel, for a car with this level of performance potential. When it comes to meaty feeling through the wheel, the S Edition is more your lean, kangaroo steaks than big, thick Angus.

As it approached the limits of adhesion the car began to exhibit mild understeer, but the lack of material feedback through the wheel discourages the driver from exploring the car's dynamic potential further. Steering response itself was good for a Forester, mediocre for a WRX -- which leads back to the opening remarks about this variant.

The driving position in the S Edition is good in many respects. There's a phenomenal field of vision from the driver's seat -- whether backing or changing lanes, it's like driving an aquarium. Subaru has set up seat, pedals and steering wheel so that practically anyone can find the optimal position too.

While the seats looked flamboyant, with a bright blue fabric insert, they were actually more liked dolled-up standard Forester seats than the body-hugging seats of a WRX. In other words, they were much flatter in the cushion and the bolstering was not up to the ideal standard for a car with cornering ability like this one's.

In true Subaru style, the instruments were readily legible through the steering wheel and we never tire of their little dancing light show on start up. Similarly, controls are very sensibly laid out and easy to use -- with the gated transmission selector already mentioned a case in point.

In the centre fascia there's a touschscreen that basically multiplexes Bluetooth, satnav and audio in one interface. It's easy enough to use too, although the Bluetooth connectivity doesn't automatically interrogate the last used Bluetooth-capable phone, as some systems do. Each time the driver starts up the Forester S Edition, he or she will need to go through the process of manually reconnecting the phone.

While the S Edition didn't head offroad during the week in the Carsales garage, the Forester X did -- or as far offroad as seemed prudent.

The entry-level Forester's offroad ability was compromised -- principally by transmission, final drive and traction issues. If the Forester had been really soft across the board, it would have been judged accordingly, but the Subaru's engine is grunty enough for steeper grades, the wheel articulation seems pretty good and the ground clearance and approach/departure/breakover angles seem better than average in this segment.

Thus the Forester's inability to get very far up one benchmark grade was a little disappointing. Other compact SUVs driven up the same incline have got further and the Suzuki Grand Vitara tested a few weeks ago -- admittedly with the advantage of dual-range transfer -- got all the way to the top, and easily. It's tempting to draw the conclusion that the Forester with the manual transmission and dual-range transfer would be much more capable offroad.

On the road, the basic Forester provides a comfortable ride, but with more body roll than many other vehicles in the same market segment. Steering response is a little slow, although the level of power assistance is about right and there's more feedback through the wheel than some of the car's rivals.

As mentioned, the naturally-aspirated boxer engine is powerful enough for the sort of applications expected of it. Even with the four-speed automatic it can launch the Forester quickly enough to catch by surprise the drivers of larger-displacement cars. Fairly refined and willing to rev, the engine also develops decent levels of torque right through the mid range, but could be improved with at least one extra ratio in the auto box.

Despite the lack of transmission ratios, the Forester cruises easily enough, although out on the open road wind noise predominates. On country roads -- and particularly up around 80km/h, tyre noise is more prevalent.

All the packaging elements mentioned for the S Edition hold true for the Forester X as well, including the easy-to-use transmission selector gate, the clear view of the major instruments, the comfortable seats, excellent field of vision and the high hip-point -- all commendable points of design.

Rear-seat accommodation is very good. There's outstanding head and legroom in the rear, without any concessions or compromises. In the luggage compartment the floor seems to slope upwards slightly, from the rear of the car to just behind the seats. It makes loading easier and there's plenty of volume for your gear. Finger pulls either side of the compartment unlatch the seats on the same respective side of the vehicle. After unlatching, the seats can be pushed forward into a flat-folded position.

And so it's the packaging of the Forester and its affordability that accounts for its high standing in the sales charts. Regularly topping monthly VFACTS figures for compact SUVs, the Subaru also boasts handsome looks, a diverse range of powertrains, the renowned build quality, reliability and reasonable running costs.

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