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Very much looking forward to getting acquainted with the Forester tomorrow, and a couple of hours on the road will tell us if it’s right for us 🤞
Very much looking forward to getting acquainted with the Forester tomorrow, and a couple of hours on the road will tell us if it’s right for us 🤞
Hope it goes well Macca!
I keep looking back on my test drive and thinking that nothing else has come anywhere near yet. Decision time very soon.
So, today was the day to get up close and personal with the oriental offering.
The demonstrator was a Forester Sport which we were fine with as its the same mechanically as the spec we’re interested in.
The car was well fuelled and I’d arranged to have it out for a while. So we opted to take it on a run from Congleton to Castleton and back, and I’ve got to tell you I couldn’t have picked a better road to put the AWD machine through its paces. It had plenty of rises, falls, and twisty bits.
Jumping into it I was glad to see that the start button is on the right, as is the cruise control, so very intuitive for right handers like me. Lots of adjustment on the driving position. Mirrors fold in very tight to the body I noticed.
My wife is only 4’10” but found it very easy to get into and get a good seat position, with plenty of room around her.
Some don’t like the Forester dash, feeling its a bit busy. Personally I do like it, it would just take a little getting used to like any new car.
I’m not going to try and have anyone believe it is a perfect car, I don’t think such a thing exists. I think every car will have “individualities” and this is no different.
I found that some of the terminology that the on board sat nav used could be a little misleading if one eye isn’t kept on the screen too. But there is the option of USB connection to use other navs from a mobile if that’s your thing.
The car was bleeping at me quite a lot, but time spent with it to set it up to my preferences would improve that.
The engine bay could benefit from a little better sound insulation, but if you like to hear an engine working then it may suit you.
Hitting the road from cold I didn’t expect any decent mpg, especially given the particular route I chose, and sure enough early on it was at 20mpg. That said it’s the same on our XC40 from cold so I’m very used to that. Official figure on the Forester is 34.7mpg, so I was curious as to whether it would get anywhere near it. Short answer Yes, and quite often bettered it. So for an SUV of its size with an AWD system, and a 2 litre petrol engine, I wasn’t unhappy with that at all.
The visibility in the car is fantastic given the size of the pillars and glass panels, and the tinted rear privacy glass is surprisingly bright when looking from the inside out.
I loved the S/I drive which gives you the option of changing the torque curve, and was really useful on the route I chose. I also really like the adaptive cruise. The heated steering wheel was toasty warm and would be a joy in the winter, or even just to sooth arthritic hands like mine.
On the drive I approached a bend where I could see that the tarmac surface had been degrading. I kept my foot in and let the car do its thing with power distribution through the AWD system, and whilst it was a touch lumpy given what I was driving over, it stuck to the road like 💩 to a blanket👌.
Both I and my wife were very comfortable in the car over the couple of hours we were in it, the heaters in the seats were good but positioned more in the seat pad, whereas the Volvo has them in the lower back area which is a touch better in our opinion.
So almost 5 years on from starting to campaign for Subaru’s return to the scheme, it felt a little surreal, but we added the low cargo mat and shaped splash guards to the car, and the mats will go in courtesy of the dealer. We agreed a deal and placed the order.
We opted for an XE Premium in Horizon Blue Pearl.
I am simply thrilled for you @macca. The start of a new journey at the end of a long one – you know what i mean.
One question, can you tell that the engine is a boxer from driving it? I drove a Levorg a while back and i’m sure i convinced myself i could feel a sideways pull off the engine.
Honestly, no I can’t say I did.
But, I did feel that the combination of the Permanent Symmetrical AWD, along with the low slung boxer reducing body roll, resulted in it being very sure footed. It gave me a lot of confidence.
Neil Harrison is the guy at Burns Garages, and we found him to be a hugely decent guy, keen to help without being pushy.
He’d previously checked the Subaru UK compound stock and it showed 10 in stock in Horizon Blue. Today it was down to 3 so we bagged one of them. Initial indication was that it could be as soon as the 26th of this month, but we’re away at that time. So maybe shortly after that 🤞.
We’ll see, but certainly a lot sooner than waiting for it to be manufactured and shipped from Japan.
Well done Macca, glad to hear you’ve got your order in. I better get my backside into gear and make a decision myself now.
Congratulations @Macca and thank you for an excellent and balanced review. It’s fantastic to hear when people find a car that suits them perfectly. I’m hoping that I will have that pleasure at some point soon!
I had my wife take a picture of this whilst on the test drive, it sat at around that average mpg for a while ….
Horizon blue is a Pearlescent (Mica) paint, which has ceramic crystals rather than small reflective metal flakes in metallic. Depending on the lighting and the angle in which you view the car Pearlescent paint can appear varying different shades.
Congrats Macca,
I too have joined the Subaru fold with a Outback in field trim Autumn Green, just that bit more space in the cargo area.
8 week wait apparently.
Wonder if AP will change given their late June Scheme Arrival?
Excellent news, hope you enjoy it when it lands. The Outback does have a very nice interior no doubt, and as you now know, its cavernous in the back.
Well done Volts ✨️
I’d be very surprised if there are any AP reductions with Subaru on July 1st. If anything, it’s more a question of whether they manage to get the top spec of Outback on, or whether they bring the Crosstrek on.
The Crosstrek is too small for us, but I do very much like how they’ve developed it on from the XV ….
No Autumn Green until September/October.Was offered a grey but that slipped through the net.Now its silver (for delivery in 2 weeks)
Personally, I think the silver is the best colour in the Outback Field. With the wheels being black along with the cladding, for me the bright silver sets it off very well, and doesn’t show the dirt like a white would.
Hey Volts, I don’t know if it’s of any use to you but the dealer I ordered with in Congleton has a new Autumn Green Outback Field in stock
Hey Volts, I don’t know if it’s of any use to you but the dealer I ordered with in Congleton has a new Autumn Green Outback Field in stock https://www.burnsgarages.co.uk/new_subaru.php?ID=14743
Appreciated Macca. Silver has grown on me so will be sticking with it.
Now the hand control fun begins. Given the Outback is new to the Scheme no one has fitted hand controls yet
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