The Forester has many elements that serve as a model, such as its ability to travel on rough roads, acceleration that makes full use of the power of the motor, easy-to-ride size, neutral, flat and extremely stable turning performance, and well-balanced pricing. .
This is a machine with hidden costs.
Let’s go check out your skills.
About the specs of the test vehicle
It is a grade called “Advance” that was registered for the first year in 2021 and has a new car price of approximately 3.3 million yen.
It is equipped with a 2.0L horizontally opposed 4-cylinder engine with e-Boxer. It’s 4WD only.
Higher grades are also equipped with a 1.8L turbo engine and electronically controlled dampers.
- Vehicle size is 4640 x 1815 x 1715mm
- Maximum engine output is 145 horsepower (6000 rpm)
- Maximum engine torque is 188Nm (4000rpm)
- The maximum output of the motor is 10kW (13.6PS)
- The maximum torque of the motor is 65Nm
- Vehicle weight is 1640kg
- Minimum turning radius is 5.4m
- Transmission is CVT
- Front suspension is “strut type independent suspension”
- Rear suspension is “double wishbone independent suspension”
- Minimum ground clearance is 220mm
I’ve also confirmed the characteristics of the motor on Subaru’s official website.
About interior and exterior
exterior
The light surroundings are distinctive, resembling a Japanese sword.
The lower part of the rear bumper has a hole for the muffler only on the right side.
I think it would have been better to release two episodes or hide it rather than end up like this…
I think so, but STI Sports has two out.
This Forester has great brakes.
There are no particularly noticeable elements on the exterior, but intuitively it has braking force characteristics comparable to that of the Nissan GT-R. Details will be discussed later.
I rented it for about 3.5 hours today. We will travel off-road from the center of Nagoya to Seto Pass and deep in the mountains.
About the interior
It’s a competitive area with new car prices ranging from 3 million to 4 million yen.
Although there aren’t many high-quality materials worth mentioning, it has a good quality for a price in the 3,000,000 yen range, considering the hidden costs involved.
Equipped with electric seats with memory function.
The adjustment range is wide, and it seems that not only the height of the seat but also the tilt can be changed.
The overall quality of the switches is also high quality.
The power window switch has a solid weight and can be operated with a click.
In fact, the turn signal stick has a good weight and can be operated easily.
You can’t really understand the quality of the interior switches until you ride it.
On the right side of the driver’s seat, there is a push start button and assist system switches.
It seems that “SRH” refers to steering-linked headlamps.
There are large mode switching buttons.
There are three: left, right, and push.
When XMODE is turned on, the screen changes to an inclinometer.
On the left side, there is a coin holder-like thing and a camera button that shows the left front.
Electric parking brake with brake hold.
It has no strange quirks and is easy to handle, but it is designed to emit a warning sound when you open the door with N range and electric parking ON.
Sometimes I feel depressed when I want to get out of the car and do something.
A steering wheel heater is installed at the bottom right of the steering wheel.
It’s the perfect balance of getting warm quickly and not getting too hot.
The feel of the steering wheel itself is also very good.
It is smooth to the touch and feels firm when you squeeze it.
Straight shift with clearly separated stages
Although it is a straight shift knob, each gear is clearly separated and there is no strange play, making it easy to operate.
Air conditioner control panel and hazard
The hazard will be placed in a central location that is easy to push and see.
(It’s attached to the bottom of the car navigation system, but I ended up reaching for the top part of the navigation system until I got used to it.)
Operating an air conditioner is physical. It’s not strangely cluttered, and even at first glance, it feels easy to see and use.
The temperature adjustment dial has a very high quality texture when turned.
The inside moves with the weight.
Convenient design that allows the second row to fold down with one touch
There is something like a switch on the side of the trunk, and when you pull it, the second row collapses in seconds.
It’s a wonderful piece of equipment that doesn’t require you to stretch your body or open the doors on either side of the second row.
Test drive report
Regarding ease of driving
At first glance, it seems to be the same size as the Harrier and CX5, but the Forester is clearly more compact and easier to ride.
Even in Seto’s urban areas, where the roads are extremely narrow, you can drive without fear of utility poles or oncoming cars.
Even on winding roads with a 40km/h limit, you can freely draw your driving line left and right.
There are times when it feels a little big when parking, but overall it’s within the range of what can be called “compact” and is easy to handle.
About quietness
I was surprised at how quiet it was.
Especially when driving around town at speeds below 60km/h, you can clearly feel that this car is somehow quiet.
Additionally, as you drive faster on a highway, the wind noise becomes louder.
About the engine and hybrid system (e-Boxer)
This Forester is equipped with a hybrid system called e-Boxer.
(Note: The engine in the grade I drove is a 2.0L naturally aspirated engine, but higher grades are equipped with a 1.8L turbo engine.)
Looking at the specifications on the official website, the motor output is 13.6PS and 65Nm.
However, it is a powertrain that allows you to feel the assistance of this motor very powerfully.
It has extremely high acceleration considering its 2-liter displacement, and it accelerates quickly without having to turn it much.
However, if you try to push further from the high speed range, you will feel a slight sense of stalling.
For the first time in that area, you paradoxically understand the power of motor assist.
Subaru’s hybrids are characterized by the fact that the motor plays a major role.
In terms of numbers, it’s only about 13 horsepower, but 60Nm has some acceleration and a decent battery capacity.
If you slow down the accelerator to the limit and drive slowly at around 40 km/h, you can instantaneously produce 30 liters using just the motor.
In practical terms, around 22 seems to be an upper limit…
There is also sufficient regeneration power, making it possible to turn off the engine from an early stage and run the car idly.
Unlike the Crosstrek, which only had the functionality of an idling stop, the Forester’s hybrid can be used normally.
One thing that bothers me is that there is a fairly large vibration when the engine starts after starting with only the motor.
It’s a big improvement compared to XV, but some people may be interested.
I was also concerned about the unique feeling of empty running.
Specifically, after applying strong acceleration at the exit of a winding corner, I felt that the acceleration continued even after I took off the accelerator.
It feels strange as if the motor is accelerating rather than the engine.
It’s a momentary event, like just a few tenths of a second from when you let go of the accelerator to when you press the brake and the car starts to slow down, but you’re struck by the fear that the car is moving forward on its own.
This seems to be something to keep in mind when driving, paying close attention to the subtle movement of load in the front and rear directions.
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The handle itself is light, but there is a sense of unity from the moment you start cutting.
It bends steadily while remaining stable, and although its posture itself is flat, it bends by the amount of the cut.
A feeling that matches the words “on the rails”.
Even when turning in, you don’t feel the weight of the nose at all, and the car maintains a flat posture and turns with a limit performance that is unimaginable considering the size and weight of the car.
Due to its weight, it didn’t have the same cornering limits as the XV, but its stability and maneuverability were inexplicable without a horizontally opposed engine.
The front and rear balance of the stabilizer is also consistent, giving you a neutral turning feel that makes it difficult to feel under or over. You can enjoy both winding roads and highways.
I tried cornering the car on the left at the exit of the Tomei Interchange, but I didn’t really notice the weight, height, or large body of the car.
Regarding stability at high speeds
I drove on the expressway late at night, and it was extremely stable and I was able to speed up with confidence.
It’s just enough to make you forget that it’s an SUV. The steering wheel wobbles slightly near the center.
Also, perhaps because the motor’s assist cannot keep up, the acceleration is noticeably lower than the feeling at speeds below 80km/h.
However, if you press the pedal firmly when the passing lane opens, the motor assist will go into full effect and the car will accelerate comfortably.
about ride comfort
The frame seems to be quite stiff.
Unfortunately, it feels like it’s always shaking, but the balance between making a stroke and then holding it down is exquisite, so it can be said to be a comfortable foot.
The movement when riding at high speed over a undulating road surface is amazing.
Even if it bounces off a step, it lifts up gently and lands gracefully.
I was even impressed by the ride quality, which was as high quality as a Crown crossover.
about brakes
It’s strong from the start, but if you step on it carefully, it’s restrained in an exquisite way that doesn’t make it go flat.
The pedal layout makes it easy to press with your left foot, and when combined with brake hold and cruise control, it will greatly reduce foot fatigue.
Also, the nose doesn’t dive much when braking.
What really surprised me was the limit performance of the brakes, which is as high as the GT-R.
Although it was a dry road, genuine tires, and genuine brake pads, the front tires never locked up no matter how far I pedaled.
Even though there was an incredibly strong deceleration G, the tires held on without losing any grip.
This is the best braking power since the 2017 R35. It’s Bridgestone’s 225 width, and when I looked it up, it seems to be called “DUELER H/P SPORT.” If I ever buy an SUV, I’d like to wear it.
Paddle shift with good responsiveness
When you press the accelerator in manual mode, it will automatically shift up.
At that time, even though it is a CVT, a shift shock is intentionally created, so you can enjoy sports driving with exactly the same feeling as a gasoline car with a multi-stage AT.
Even when you hit the paddle repeatedly for a downshift, you can respond quickly and drop from 5th to 2nd gear without any jerkiness.
Since there is no process to disengage the clutch, the braking force builds up smoothly.
With the R35’s DCT, repeated hits of the paddles during deceleration seemed to be ignored, so I felt that having a CVT was a big advantage.
…Well, if you push it a little in the city, it will stick to around 200 to 3000 rpm.
About off-road
The minimum ground clearance is said to be 220mm, and it has the ability to run on rough roads, living up to the Forester name.
Even if I fell head-on into a groove in the ground where a normal car’s bumper would have flopped, there was still about 10 cm of clearance to the ground.
There are two XMODEs.
The one tilted to the left was controlled to run slowly to prevent idling, while the one tilted to the right was controlled to allow for some idling while accelerating rapidly.
Hill descent control can be used no matter which XMODE you choose. If you operate it while turning the steering wheel, it will make a rattling sound.
