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08/02/2011
By EWAN KENNEDY
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Subaru has added an interesting new variant to its Forester SUV range. Tagged S-Edition it follows the same sporting track as hot SUVs from the big German marques. While we aren’t suggesting the quick Forester will challenge the hotrod SUVs built by BMW M Sport or Mercedes AMG, the Subaru is priced from ‘only‘ $50,990, which is less than a third of the price of the Germans.
Subaru has a long, successful history of quick turbocharged cars in Australia, with the WRX redefining the affordable bang-for-your-bucks scene when it arrived in 1994.
We’re not sure if Subaru realises that the tag S-Edition could be shortened to sedition, which our dictionary tells us means, “Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against authority”. Though come to think of it many current owners of WRXs already do just that...
The hottest WRX models are the STI variants and the new Forester S-Edition borrows a lot of technology from it. The turbocharged 2.5-litre boxer engine produces 193 kilowatts at 6000 rpm, with a strong spread of torque, 347 Newton metres, all the way from 2800 to 4800 revs. Note that this is a variant of the existing STI engine, it’s not based on the just introduced FB series powerplant.
Power is taken to all four wheels, Subaru would do it no other way, by way of a five-speed automatic transmission with sports settings. The transmission has manual overrides by way of both the floor shifter and paddles behind the steering wheel.
The paddle shifts are sensibly mounted on the steering column, not on the wheel itself, so the driver instantly knows where to reach when a new gear is required.
The boxer engine is a power packed unit that can haul this SUV from zero to 100 km/h in only 6.5 seconds. There’s more turbo lag than we like but, like the Impreza STI, once you do get it on song, which can take a while, it’s great to sit behind, with plenty of midrange grunt for conquering hills and safe overtaking. On the downside, the fuel consumption was in the 15 to 17 litres per hundred kilometres range during our test, admittedly during some spirited motoring.
Suspension is similar to that of the WRX STI, with firmer settings in the bushes, dampers and springs.
During some hard driving conducted during our initial review of the S-Edition in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains we were a little disappointed in the suspension. It was softer than we anticipated and tyre squeal came in at speeds that were not aggressively high for a vehicle in this class. On the positive side, this Subaru S-Edition holds onto the road well, remains neutral in its feel at decent speeds and the dampers keep things nicely under control even when encountering mid-corner bumps and potholes.
Ride comfort is good, even on dirt roads, and an owner of an older standard model Forester who rode with us for a while says the ride is probably as good as that on his well-kept car.
The brakes on the new Subaru Forester S-Edition are the same as used on the Forester XT turbo and proved to be more than adequate.
Body modifications on the Forester S-Edition include a bolder grille in black with chromed highlights, a rear spoiler and silver finished roof rails. The spoiler is shared with the Forester XT and is a new design to further improve aerodynamics.
The wheels are a new design 17-inch alloys and are fitted with Yokohama 225/55 rubber.
Inside are WRX blue highlights, including footlights that we didn’t get to test during our daytime driving, leather and alcantara trim with special S-Edition embroidery and blue stitching.
Note that the Forester XT turbo models continue to sell alongside the new Forester S-Edition. The XT’s 2.5-litre engine has 169 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque.
The full Subaru Forester range, with prices (excluding dealer and statutory charges) is:
Forester X: $30,990 (manual), $32,990 (automatic)
Forester XS: $34,990 (manual), $36,990 (automatic)
Forester XS Premium: $38,490 (manual), $40,490 (automatic)
Forester 2.0D manual: $35,990 (manual)
Forester 2.0D Premium: $40,490 (automatic)
Forester XT manual: $39,990 (manual), $41,990 (automatic)
Forester XT Premium: $45,490 (manual), $47,490 (automatic)
Forester S-Edition: $50,990 (automatic)
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