SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
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Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday April 17, 2013
A silly little joke from years ago carried the punch line: “It’s an ambush; there are two of them.” Although Subaru would never ambush its customers, there is some cause for uncertainty. The 2.0-litre FB20 engine fitted to the entry-level Forester X and mated with a six-speed manual gearbox has little in common with the 2.0-litre FA20 turbocharged powerhouse driving the range-topping Forester XT through a Lineartronic CVT with up to eight virtual ratios. FB20 displaces 1995 cc from bore and stroke measurements of 84 mm by 90 mm, while the 86 x 86 mm FA20 provides 1998 cc. Think of FB as Toyota Group’s sports fan engine and this FA motor as its sports star; taken from 86 and BRZ, then given steroids.
The confusion doesn’t end there: The regular Lineartronic CVT with six virtual speeds, fitted to 2.5-litre Foresters, is not as responsive as the eight-speeder used in this more powerful 2.0-litre XT. The difference could be described as “just another CVT” vs. “this is how CVTs should be.” It’s a case of the engine having enough muscle to make the gearbox work properly.
Put simply, it upshifts smoothly under firm acceleration without waiting for road speed to catch up with engine revs and it kicks down without flaring. It does part-throttle kick-downs too; smoothly and without fuss, just like a good torque converter transmission. That’s because it uses a good torque converter to couple the ‘box to the drive shafts. It’s quite simple really; the opposing tapered cones spun by a steel belt deliver ratio changes steplessly rather than using the conventional gears of an ordinary automatic. Then the torque converter connects everything. And if you really enjoy the stepped surge of a conventional shifter, switch the electronic mode selector to Sport Sharp (S#) for a convincing simulation.
Apart from stepping and sharpened throttle response, this mode adds two virtual ratios to the six offered in both normal Intelligent (I) mode and Sport (S). It’s the only one that shows which “gear” you are in while driving in automatic, although manual override, available in all modes, lets you see the selected ratio too. Just flick the shift lever over to M and choose a gear with the paddles.
Not only does this CVT gearbox work very well, but the 177 kW engine is the second most powerful in Subaru’s SUV line-up, beaten only by the 190 kW, 3.6-litre six fitted to Tribeca and the most powerful Outback. Let’s just say that it makes this Forester a very pleasant driving machine with more than enough urge to get things done.
Making it an even better driving machine is a new function called X-Mode. Selectable via a switch on the console, it combines the operations of both differentials, the braking system and traction control to get you out of awkward situations even more easily than before. It also adds downhill crawl to the mix. When X-Mode is in operation, a graphic on the central display shows how power is being distributed to each wheel, when downhill braking is in operation, and when ESP kicks in and out.
Capable, spacious and comfortable, the Forester XT is equally at home on city streets, highways, provincial dirt roads and goat tracks. The view outward is even user-friendlier than previously and the car is well appointed. Apart from seven airbags and the usual electronics, this range-topper adds leather upholstery with electrically powered adjusters, a sunroof, a special sports front bumper with chrome trim around the fog lamps, automatic wipers and headlamps (HID with washers), and dual zone climate control.
Toys borrowed from other makes include a lift height memory function for the powered tailgate so that shorter users don’t have to stretch, and a stowage space for the removable cargo cover. Picky buyers will notice however that although it has proximity locks and push-button starting, there is no autolocking function. The makeup mirrors behind the visors don’t light up either, but you can’t have everything, can you?
Test car from Subaru SA press fleet
To see the launch report and more technical details, click here
The numbers
Price: R529 000
Engine: 1998 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 177 kW at 5600 rpm
Torque: 350 Nm between 2400 and 3600 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 7,5 seconds
Maximum speed: 210 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 11,0 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Boot: 488 to 1557 litres
Ground clearance: 220 mm
Approach/departure/breakover angles: 23/25/21 degrees
Maximum trailer mass (braked): 1800 kg
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km; with Subaru Assist
Maintenance plan: 3 years/75 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals
Note: Satnav is an optional extra
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8