SA Road Tests

Welcome

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.


This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.


We venture beyond the treeline to find the 2013 Subaru Forester

Pics supplied

Posted March 2, 2013

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday March 6, 2013

Still real, just better

Subaru makes two kinds of vehicles; potent saloon cars and SUVs. Of these, Foresters account for about 60 percent of SA sales. “Unlike those of certain competitors,” said Subaru spokesperson Ashley Lazarus, “ours are still real SUVs while theirs have become urbanised.” He didn’t say “soft mummy busses,” but one caught the implication.

Although Foresters have always been very competent, customers recently began complaining about comfort and fuel economy. The fourth generation, introduced in Japan on 13th November 2012 (relax; it was a Tuesday), addresses those issues. Suspension settings were reworked extensively, new engines introduced and ergonomics improved.

The new FB- series engines use longer piston strokes and a narrower bore to increase torque and spread it over a wider rev range. In doing so, emissions are reduced and fuel economy improved. Apart from the new block, a redesigned head with chain driven dual overhead camshafts uses variable timing on both intake and exhaust valves. Lighter pistons and connecting rods cut friction losses by 28-percent, giving a ten-percent improvement in fuel economy.

Tackling ergonomics issues, new glazing improved the view outward, almost eliminating blind spots; bothersome glare and reflections were reduced; interior comfort, style and safety were prioritised and while the stylists were at it, aerodynamics received attention too. Among comfort items attended to were the rear doors. They now open wider for easier access.

Five models - a diesel version is expected this June – are available. At entry level is the FB20-engined, 1995 cc, naturally aspirated Forester X with six-speed manual transmission. Next come a trio of unblown 2,5-litre FB25 versions in X, XS and XS Premium trim; all with Lineatronic CVTs featuring six virtual ratios. Topping the range is the XT with turbocharged, 1998 cc, FA20 (“86”) engine, a full house of kit and eight selectable steps in its CVT.

Apart from the inherent safety of all-wheel drive and Subaru’s low centre of gravity provided by its flat-four motor, even basic X versions boast seven airbags, vehicle dynamics control (ABS with EBD and BA, stability control, traction control and electronic limited slip differential), ISOFix anchorages, child proof locks, anti-intrusion bars and a high level brake light. It won five stars in both Australian- and EuroNCAP.

Standard equipment includes filtered climate control, rear window defogger and wiper, fabric upholstery, roof rails, gas-strut bonnet lifts, auto stop-start, remote central locking, powered mirrors and windows, fully adjustable steering wheel with Bluetooth and music controls, a six-speaker sound system, multi-function display with reverse camera and an onboard computer.

There isn’t enough space to list the added features of each subsequent model, but they include leather upholstery, more sophisticated air conditioners, Subaru Intelligent Drive that allows users to select drive modes, X Mode that combines the functions of both differentials, brakes and traction control to regulate downhill speed and get through obstacles more easily, HID headlamps with washers, keyless entry and push-button starting, automated wipers and headlamps, and powered adjustable tailgates exclusive to the top models.

We drove a selection of Foresters on tarred country roads, over rough dirt and across a 4x4 course with fairly steep side slopes and an ‘interesting’ cross-axle section. The verdict is: very comfortable and stable, very spacious and X-Drive certainly works, getting us through the axle twister much more easily than without the feature engaged.

Information obtained at an importer-sponsored press launch

To read our report on the 2.0-litre Forester XT, click here

The numbers
Prices: range from R329 000 to R529 000
Engines:
FB20 – 110 kW at 6200 rpm, 198 Nm at 4200 rpm.
0 – 100 in 10,6 seconds.
Maximum: 190 km/h
Fuel consumption (claimed): 7,2 l/100 km CO2 168 gm./km
FB25 – 126 kW at 5800 rpm, 235 Nm at 4100 rpm
0 – 100 in 9,9 seconds
Maximum: 196 km/h
Fuel consumption (claimed): 8,1 l/100 km CO2 187 gm./km
FA20 turbo – 177 kW at 5600 rpm, 350 Nm between 2400 and 3600 rpm
0 – 100 in 7,5 seconds
Maximum: 210 km/h
Fuel consumption (claimed): 8,5 l/100 km CO2 197 gm./km
Tank: 60 litres
Luggage space: 505/1564 litres or 488/1557 litres with powered tailgate
Ground clearance: 220 mm
Approach/departure/breakover angles: 23/25/21 degrees
Maximum trailer mass, braked: 1500 kg natural, 1800 kg turbo
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km
Maintenance plan: 3 years/75 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals


What We Do

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.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.


Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously.