Subaru Forester X 2008 new car review
Fozzie, as it’s affectionately known to the Subaru community, has taken a step in a new direction with its latest model.
The Foz, or Fozzie as it’s affectionately known to the Subaru community, has taken a step in a new direction with this latest incarnation.
- Easy to use, spacious and comfortable interior
- Decent handling (for an SUV)
- Economy
- The exterior design has some weirdness
- Too easy to grab the high/low ratio lever instead of the handbrake
- Centre cup holder is awkwardly positioned
It’s a ‘mainstream’ step certainly and as with the new Impreza, opinions on looks will be divided for some time. The very first Forester was a traditional wagon looking affair, being relatively boxy but quite unique, forming a cult following here in NZ. The second Foz was a little bigger but very much from the same mould.
Inside and out
Now much more of a grown-up, the new Forester boasts 20mm more ground clearance (now 120mm), height is also up by a whopping 110mm, length by 75mm, width by 45mm, wheelbase by 90mm and it now tips the scales some 70kg heavier. Being wiser too it now stops 7m sooner under emergency braking, packs a massive 63 additional litres of luggage capacity (total 450l), has 6 airbags, a 5 star ANCAP rating, Datadot security, a high/low range for extra self-control and a viscous limited slip diff’ to help get a grip.
On the road
Jumping into the Forester and heading off on the treasure hunt was surprisingly easy, with no nasty surprises. The interior is a bit of a gem, being comfortable, pleasantly tactile, easy on the eye and requiring very little discovery or consultation with the guide to operate. One nugget of information not represented in the usual fashion was the engine temp gauge, now making do with a warning light.
Whilst tackling the stop, start, u-turn, reverse, double-back nature of the event it’s clear the ride and driving sensitivities are definitely more BMW X5 firm and sporty than say Honda’s CR-V or Toyota’s RAV4 soft-roaders. The braking, damping and steering feel gives just enough feedback and connection to the road – well as much as you can in a high-rider anyway.
The 2.5 flat-four boxer engine produces an adequate 129Kw at 6000rpm and 229Nm at 3200rpm and only feels like it’s really making progress above 4500rpm. At speed, you get a glimpse of gold in that the Impreza-derived chassis does reveal itself occasionally. The economy is not bad at 9.3L/100km especially considering the engine capacity, weight and permanent 4wd being punted.
Overall
In summary, it’s a capable and comfortable vehicle offering some sporting heritage for not too much cash. Easy to use and easy to drive, the manual is the one to go for, giving you a $1000 saving to add to your pot of gold. One small niggle may remain however, and that is the divided question of looks. The new Forester isn’t a case of ‘one man’s trash, another man’s treasure’ — I found that X really does mark the spot in the Forester.
Note: This was reviewed as a new vehicle.
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Kyle Cassidy 
NZ Autocar Magazine 