Road TestCar reviews - Subaru - Forester - X 5-dr wagonSubaru modelsOverviewSubaru plays it safe with the third-generation Forester, tested here in base X guise30 May 2008 WITH well over 100,000 examples sold in Australia since 1997, Subaru cannot afford to get its bread-and-butter Forester wrong. So, for the third-generation, Impreza-based PF3-series model, out go the frameless doors and quirky styling and in comes an all-new body, platform and interior, with significant increases in safety, space, refinement and features. Plus there’s more performance and fuel economy on offer. But the compact SUV competition hasn’t been standing still either, so how does the new base model X stand? And – in its quest for greater mainstream acceptance – has the latest Forester lost too much of its offbeat appeal? Model release date: 1 March 2008 to 1 January 2013 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelThe second-generation Forester’s mid-life makeover saw a new nose, improved performance, better gearboxes and a host of other minor changes to keep it competitive against the ever-improving competition. The ‘atmo’ non-turbo 2.5-litre boxer four-cylinder petrol engine’s power and torque outputs rose to 121kW and 226Nm respectively. Model nomenclature remained – in ascending order – X, XS and 169kW/320Nm XT turbo, while the transmission choices were a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic with a new manul-shift function. |
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