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By
EWAN KENNEDY
14 August 2006
As it enters its fifth year on the Australian market, the Subaru
Forester continues to sell well. There's something about the pragmatic
nature of this medium-sized 4WD wagon that really appeals to Australian’s
nature and that has stood Forester in good stead on our market.
The fact that it scores a maximum of five stars
on the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and has been
named as the safest of all used vehicles following a study by
Monash University, certainly hasn’t done Forester any harm
either.
But nothing lasts forever and, to keep it up
with more modern competition, Subaru has added extra features to
the Forester range for model year 2007. And done so without adding
to the price.
Forester has never pretended to be a sports SUV,
nevertheless the XS and XT turbo models now come with a ‘wing’,
or ‘spoiler’ to give it a more accurate name. Sitting subtly
out from the rear of the roof, the spoiler is complemented by dark
‘privacy’ glass on all windows behind the driver’s seat.
Pragmatism comes back into the equation on the
inside of the Forester. There's now a more powerful radio to
assist you in picking up signals at a greater distance while
exploring the great Aussie bush.
And satellite navigation is a $2990 option in
the Forester XS and XT should you get lost in the aforementioned
GAB – though it will be better suited to telling you your
position on the planet than actually giving you information on
which track you are travelling. So don’t rely on its knowing
which sand dune you are attempting to conquer. Satellite
navigation is standard on the Forester XT with the Luxury package.
Forester has long been one of our favourite
crossover 4WDs. Nowadays all are powered by a 2.5-litre flat-four
engine, with the unit on the Forester XT receiving extra torque
and power by courtesy of a turbocharger.
The safety of ABS brakes with EBD is standard in
all Forester models. This works well on dirt, as the system has
been specifically programmed for Australian gravel roads,
something that doesn’t apply to as many 4WDs as we feel it
should.
Though it can tackle light to medium-duty
off-road work, Subaru Forester is really only intended as an
all-road vehicle not an off-road one. It has good traction thanks
to the well-sorted permanent all-wheel drive. The limiting factor
is generally not loss of traction, but the longish overhangs,
particularly at the front of the vehicle.
The 2007 Forester range, with prices is:
Forester X: $31,990* (manual ), $33,990* (automatic)
Forester XS $34,990 (manual ), $36,990 (automatic)
Forester XS Luxury $38,490 (manual), $40,490 (automatic)
Forester XT $40,990 (manual), $43,490 (automatic)
Forester XT Luxury $44,490 (manual), $46,990 (automatic)
* Forester X prices include free CTP insurance, stamp duty and
registration but not dealer delivery. Other prices do not include
any on-road costs.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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