Subaru Forester XT 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $43,490?
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Nil
?Crash rating: Five-star ANCAP?
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
?Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 8.1
?CO2 emissions (g/km): 187?
Also consider: Mazda CX-5 (from $27,880), Ford Kuga ($27,990), Range Rover Evoque (from $49,995) Range Rover Evoque (from $59,000)

The hero model in the new fourth-generation Subaru Forester range, dubbed XT, is powered by a fiery new 2.0-litre turbo engine that pumps out a very hearty 177kW.

The new engine is a corker, with 350Nm providing the car with meaty acceleration. It's properly fast, and now that the 2.0 engine takes advantage of direct-injection fuelling, it uses less petrol but generates similar power to the previous models' 2.5-litre engine.

More bang for your buck then? Well, not quite. The new XT is priced at $43,490, which is a price increase of $1500 over the previous auto-equipped model.

Like the rest of the new Forester range there are many improvements -- the interior layout is practical, there's loads of standard features and the engine is a pearler. But, the elephant in the room is Subaru’s continuously variable transmission (CVT) – the only gearbox offered in the turbo XT.

Having fond memories of fanging along wide open unsealed roads in the Victorian alps in the old XT -- with the odd moment of lift-off oversteer to keep things interesting – the move to CVT is a negative for this writer. Sure, the old four-speed auto wasn't brilliant but it kept the driver involved -- something the new CVT-equipped Forester XT fails to do.

The engine is plenty punchy and hauls like billyo whenever you drop the hammer, but a CVT is a peculiar way to showcase such a lusty powerplant. This is the same [basic] engine expected to power the new giant-slaying WRX, yet with no manual available in the Forester XT the closest you get to driver involvement are the paddle shifters.

In pure engineering terms the CVT is a more efficient, more flexible transmission for the new Forester XT. It is probably better suited to where the vehicle will spend most of its time to boot. And using steering wheel paddles to change gears via an eight-speed shift program is better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick, but transmission response is average at best. And if you don't change gear after five or six seconds, the car decides to slot you into eighth gear to save fuel. Snore...

Overtaking acceleration response is impressive too, but frankly the XT just feels a bit soulless. And while we’re at it -- what happened to the bonnet scoop? It was a beacon of authority, a bastion of brawn! Now the car blends in. Maybe that was the idea all along...

For trundling around town and commuting, Subaru's CVT works very well. It's smooth, quiet, and has none of the noisy 'whine' that afflicts some of these transmissions. It is more suited to saving fuel than burning through it at warp speed. At the end of the test period the Forester's trip computer displayed fuel economy of 11.5L/100km, well above the claimed 8.1L/100km

Another issue that could be related to the gearbox was the cruise control, which is best described as apathetic. Set to 105km/h, it would indicate almost 110km/h on the analogue speedo and always seemed to be trying to catch-up or back-off. In the end I stopped using it, such was its inconsistency.

Another problem I encountered with the car was the low rear tailgate, which I bashed my head into when loading the shopping; another time loading the baby's stroller; and a third time seemingly out of the blue. I'm not particularly tall at around 180cm and in more than a decade of testing cars I've only had this problem once before.

That’s the where the grumbling stops [I’ll believe that when I see it: Ed]because the Forester XT represents honest value, highly equipped with features such as a giant electric sunroof, a very useful reversing camera, easy to pair Bluetooth phone and audio, dual-zone climate control and 18-inch alloy wheels. There's also the SI-Drive system that allows the driver to switch between three drive modes (slow, fast and really fast) and the X-Mode off-road system, plus cloth seats, remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors, and the abovementioned ‘iffy’ cruise control.

A six speaker CD stereo with decent clarity and a multifunction steering with lots of buttons rounds out the main features, but a pair of extra-large cup holders (big enough to hold a medium-sized metal flask) and decent front seats were the most used and appreciated features.

My colleague Ken Gratton thought the seats were a bit flat but I had no problem with comfort, even on longer journeys.

Rear seat room has improved largely because the car has grown in size, and all seats have been raised slightly, which together with upright windows makes for very good outward vision and clear views of the road ahead.

With soft touch dash plastics and good fit and finish, the interior has a smart look and feel to it, except for two elements - the dated looking stereo and digital display wedged between the speedo and tachometer.

The go-fast Forester is fun to drive but living with the car is easy, too. Despite thicker anti-roll bars and tweaked suspension designed to make it more of a corner carver, Subaru has managed to maintain a cushy ride quality, so you'll rarely be bumped around uncomfortably on anything but cruddy roads.

The steering is a bit lifeless when driven enthusiastically but is perfectly suited to urban driving and I was surprised at how easy the car was to park. It still feels like a compact SUV, as opposed to the 'medium' SUV it's now classed as.

We also took the Forester XT off-road and though it couldn't keep up with the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, it performed well on the rough stuff.

With 220mm of ground clearance (almost class-leading) it can get through moderately deep furrows and the full-time 4WD system is very good. Though you can't lock the centre diff like many medium SUVs, all four wheels are always engaged making Forester one of the most capable vehicles in its class.

At the end of a two-week long journey, three tanks of fuel, covered in mud, baby food smeared on the back seats (my daughter's, not mine), the Subaru Forester XT's positives outweighed its negatives. Though the gearbox lacks character, it's overshadowed by the vehicle's flexibility and in due course this will help the speedy Sooby find a lot new friends.