With just 145lb ft of torque available at 3200rpm, the Forester’s petrol-powered 2.0-litre boxer engine could be considered rather weedy. Subaru’s excellent new 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, due to be dropped into the Forester later this year, will hopefully sort that issue out.
In reality, the petrol-powered Forester actually performs quite well against the clock. A Honda CR-V diesel takes 10.3sec to reach 60mph, while a Ford Kuga TDCi dispatches the same increment in 10.6sec. The Forester does it in 10.2sec. One of the lowest kerb weights in the class no doubt helps the Forester here; it tipped our scales at 1510kg,
With such a meagre torque output, in-gear performance is inevitably less impressive. Getting to 70mph from 50mph in top gear requires 15.5sec (a Kuga does it in 10.6sec), while the jump between 30mph and 50mph in fourth takes 9.9sec, compared with the Kuga’s 6.1sec.
However, even with such tardy in-gear times, the five-speed manual gearbox is a slick, well weighted affair that makes swapping ratios an enjoyable experience.
Despite the new car’s longer and taller body, it continues the family tradition of surprising agility. The wider tracks (by 35mm at the front and 45mm at the rear) help to offset the effects of a lofty roofline, as does the fact that the engine is positioned 10mm lower than in the previous model.
This endows the Forester with remarkably sprightly handling, though the commendably precise electrically assisted power steering feels too light to instil real confidence on turn-in. Even so, the Forester never feels anything other than utterly safe and secure.
The ride is not the softest, but the tyres’ relatively tall sidewalls work well with the suspension to create a controlled yet supple ride quality. Most impressive of all, though, is the hush with which the suspension deals with humps and bumps – whether those are coarse motorway surfaces or lumpy suburban side streets.