Completely New Forester - The Driver's Choice
A completely new Forester goes on sale in April offering more space, a smoother ride, greater ground clearance yet even more agile handling, fully justifying Subaru’s adherence to the low centre-of-gravity ‘boxer’ engine and all-wheel drive system which has made the brand famous.
Even more the keen driver’s choice, the new Forester is Subaru’s third generation of crossover SUVs but now occupies a similar silhouette to the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail or Honda CR-V.
Based on the platform of the new Impreza, the Forester features a new multi-link rear suspension, fuel-saving electric power steering, standard Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control, self-levelling rear suspension, engine efficiency improvements and a revised automatic transmission offering ‘normal’, ‘sports’ or ‘manual’ mode.
Now closer in size to its less agile SUV competitors, the completely new Forester is 75mm longer, 45mm wider and gains 110mm in height.
Rear legroom grows by 95mm, the driver’s eye-line is 30mm higher, while the load space is now 450 litres with the rear seat up – 63 litres more than the previous model.
It also enjoys enhanced fuel economy and driveability thanks to an improved 2.0 litre petrol ‘boxer’ engine which – having its cylinders horizontally-opposed – gives the car a lower centre of gravity for improved grip, reduced body roll and more precise steering response.
This is further aided by the engine and transmission now being placed 10mm lower in the platform.
The Forester 2.0X and 2.0XS petrol models are available from April costing £17,995 and £21,895 on-the-road respectively in manual form. Expected to be the bigger sellers, automatic versions add a £1,000 premium.
