Subaru launches new Forester

Surprise, surprise - it isn't as interesting as the old one. But there is one exciting thing about it...

By Alex Robbins / Monday, 29 April 2013 / Loading comments

Remember the Subaru Forester? Yep, it’s still around – believe it or not. There’s a reason you may not have noticed: the Forester’s become a pale shadow of its former self, a small SUV aping the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. And now, there’s a new model. Deck the halls...

New Forester: just another SUV

Will it be any more interesting than before?Unlikely. News last year that another turbocharged version was

on its way

provided a brief glimmer of hope – until we found out it’ll have a CVT automatic gearbox as standard. Turns out it’ll also only get 240hp, rather than the 280hp we first thought. You can have a six-speed manual, but only if you choose either of the cabbage-dull 2.0i or 2.0D models. And sadly, it looks as though this is about as exciting as Subarus are set to get in the near future, with the company’s UK chief Paul Tunnicliffe remarking at the launch of the new car that Subaru is now “primarily an SUV brand” and that selling the new

WRX STI

, which looked a cracker in

concept form

, in the UK is “hard to justify”.

The old one was a lot more interesting

It wasn’t always like this, of course. The Forester was at its best when it was a quirky upright estate that hid a thrummy Impreza-sourced boxer turbo beneath its vented bonnet. Thanks to the farmer’s welly exterior, the Q-car quotient was high, and with the engine’s inherent tuneability, it made for an entertaining alternative to an

Impreza wagon

Examples of the original SF model can now be had for Shed money, which makes them really rather a lot of car for the cash, and spending a little more gets a decent example of the later, better-equipped SG Forester. This one’s a little high on mileage, but that shouldn’t be a concern with Subaru mechanicals, and it comes with all the bells and whistles, including cruise control, heated seats and even a panoramic sunroof. 13 months MOT and a whacking great history complete the picture. Not bad for £3,500.

Now, if they could put that turbo engine in here...

But wait... what’s this? There is, it seems, a silver lining to the arrival of the new Forester. That turbocharged model we’ve already discussed uses a boosted version of the FA20 engine. The very same that’s fitted, in naturally aspirated form, of course, to the

BRZ

(and, of course, the

GT86

). So, Subaru, you want to be cool again? You know what to do. Just make sure you bolt a proper gearbox on this time.