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Subaru Forester sport-utility wagon drives easily like a car
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Packing air cylinders and scuba gear in the rear bay, we're guiding a new edition of the Forester wagon by Subaru over a gravel road through hills of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma to reach a remote shore of Tenkiller Ferry Reservoir for an underwater adventure.
No need to worry about sliding through so much slippery gravel because the Forester carries Subaru's all-wheel-drive mechanism that works automatically to transfer engine torque from slipping wheels to gripping wheels.
As a result, we simply steer while playing the pedals, right to go and left to slow, as this Forester does all the hard work tacking a course up and down the hills and around one off-camber curve after another.
On hard pavement, Forester still juices all four wheels and manages to act frisky with a sporty deportment.
You can't say the same for the typical sport-utility wagon: It rides rough and corners precariously, behaving in general like a truck because the chassis comes from one.
Yet Subaru developed Forester as a different kind of sport-utility that eliminates the rough ride and ungainly handling of a truck-based SUV by using the chassis of a passenger car -- Subaru's agile Impreza coupe.
Further, many of Forester's mechanical systems originate in the Outback, another type of Subaru wagon that exhibits the smooth ride characteristics of a passenger car but also has off-road capability like a sport-ute.
Where the usual SUV contains a solid rigid axle with its bouncy ride quality, the Forester by contrast features independent suspension elements that generate a more controllable quality and, when venturing beyond pavement, produce more comfortable sensations for passengers.
The Outback looks like a tricked up station wagon, which it is, stemming from the mid-size Legacy wagon and promoted by Subaru as a sport-utility station wagon.
With Forester, though, the boxy format and tall stance leave little doubt that this Subaru is not another station wagon like the Outback but a bona fide sport-utility wagon.
It's simply cast in miniature.
The abbreviated dimensions of Impreza's compact platform produce a package size for Forester that's smaller than a truck-based sport-ute. This means the height for seats is comparable to a compact car so it's easy to slip aboard, and the roof rises no taller than a sedan -- which makes the roof easy to reach when you're loading canoes or bicycles on a top rack.
As an update for 2001 versions, the five-door Forester features bold new exterior styling and more comfortable quarters in the cabin.
Two versions show up this year: A new base model with more standard equipment is called Forester L and the new luxury edition appears as the Forester S.
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Side-impact air bags score as a new optional safety feature, and a premium package for Forester S contains these air bags plus a limited-slip rear differential, heated front seats and exterior mirrors, as well as a de-icer for the front windshield wipers.
Forester stands tall, due to a generous ground clearance of 7.5 inches.
Its essential package shape resembles two rectangular boxes with the shorter one stacked atop the longer. Boxy wagon lines have been diffused by making curves out of all hard edges, and forward surfaces like the front grille and windshield cant rearward as concessions to streamlining.
The revised sheetmetal styling -- with a notched prow, stepped hood design and squared wheel flares -- looks tough.
Thick front and rear bumpers unite through ribbed side cladding that forms a ring around the wagon as a solid base that's wider than the upper panels.
At the stubby tail, Forester's back door with a large fixed window flips upward to expose a broad and tall portal. There's a padded bumper step immediately outside the gate and a wide and flat cargo floor inside with virtually no lift-over lip apparent.
A pan-shaped rubber mat lines the cargo floor and corrals dirt, mud or water dribbled off sports equipment packed in the back bay. The mat can be removed quickly and hosed off for easy cleaning.
Forester's cabin has room for five people in a layout with twin front bucket seats separated by a floor console and followed by a bench that's best suited for two riders but still functional for three.
Front buckets contain thick side bolsters and feel like seats of a sporty performance car. The driver's seat moves in six directions for a custom fit with good lumbar support.
Driver sits in commanding position facing a sporty padded steering wheel and an instrument panel with large analog gauges including a tachometer.
Seatbacks on the rear bench split and fold to increase space for cargo. With both seatbacks raised the storage section measures to 33 cubic feet, but with seatbacks folded flat the cargo space doubles to 65 cubic feet.
The L edition now functions as Forester's entry-level edition, but it provides extensive standard equipment such as air conditioning, power windows and door locks, cruise control, a tilting steering wheel, consoles on the floor and ceiling, and a stereo sound package with four speakers and a cassette deck.
Four-wheel anti-lock brakes are included, plus 15-inch steel wheels. The Forester S upgrades with four-wheel disc brakes and 16-inch wheels and tires.
Also, Forester S puts power controls on the driver's seat and adds heat elements to both front seats, plus power buttons for exterior mirrors.
The package of premium gear goes further by adding a vast moonroof and aluminum alloy wheels.
Itemized optional equipment ranges from an automatic four-speed transmission and the side air bags to premium audio equipment and off-road protection like brush guards and a rear window dust deflector, or dealer-installed options such as roof racks for bicycles, kayaks or skis.
All Foresters draw from the same four-cylinder boxer engine, mounted longitudinally, that employs equal-length opposing drive shafts to negate potential torque steer in the four-wheel-drive system.
The dual-cam 2.5-liter four produces 165 hp and links to an easy-shifting five-speed manual transmission or the optional automatic four-speed.
Subaru's price chart shows the L edition of Forester marked from $20,295, with Forester S starting at $22,895.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2001 SUBARU FORESTER Specs |
| Description: |
Compact 5-door SUV wagon
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| Model Options: |
Compact 5-door SUV wagon
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| Wheelbase: |
99.4 inches
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| Overall Length: |
175.6 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.5-L I4
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4
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| Drive: |
AWD
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| Braking: |
L: Power disc/drum/ABS
S: Power 4-disc/ABS
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| Airbags: |
L: 2 (front) + opt. 2 (side)
S: 2 (front) + 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
M/5: 21/28 mpg
A/4: 22/27 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 20,295 to $ 26,000 |
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