(a rememaseten sete retain a

THE Subaru Forester
is the third all-new
compact sport-utility
vehicle to be intro-
duced in the past year,
joining the Toyota
RAV4, Honda CR-V,
the revamped Jeep
Cherokee, and the
aging Suzuki
; Sidekick/Gco
Tracker /Pontiac
Sunrunner in this
increasingly popular
segment. _

Like the RAV4 and CR-V,

the Forester has mare in
common with a car than a
track. The four-door, five-
passenger Forester is based
on the Subaru Impreza pas-

“ senger car platform, uses a
“four-cylinder engiite and has
a full-time four-wheel-drive
_ system’ — just like. the
“Impreza and Legacy,

In addition, the Forester «
meets all federal safety and,
emissions’standards for pas- “
senger cars, something that
the CR-V and RAV do not,
For example; the Forester’s
car-like handling and low
centre of gravity mean that it,
doesn’t require those ~

unsightly warning labels,
‘advising of the potential for,
roll-over.

The Forester’s tall, ' square .

“greenhouse” cabin design.
provides a roomy: passenger ."
cabin and cargo area — in
addition to excellent outward
visibility. :
~ All five passengers have

-plenty of headroom, though’

-rear legroom is best described —

"as adequate. The split, fold-

ing rear seats have a reclining:

-function, useful for relaxing -
‘on long trips. Instruments,
_ including a standard

“tachometer, are well- designed

“and easy to read_and reach:
One complaint: ‘the rear:

"windows wind down’ less than:

; half of the way.’

‘The Forester has plenty of

‘storage Compartments,
“including a two-level centre
‘storage bin-and armrést, lock-
‘able glove box, coin tray, cov-
ered storage compartments in’
“the front and rear armrests,
an optional overhead console,
-anid’a unique storage bin in
‘the top centre of the dash-
board..
s, The latter is replaced-with

“an optional compass, altime- ”

ter and outside temperature

. | gauge when ordered,

There are also two storage
- boxes in the rear fender weils,

vou Oosbeneooedenenees

Greg
Wilson

test
drive

Below the cargo floor is a
full-size spare tire with a
round storage bin in the cen-
tre and two other compart:
ments on cither side of the
spare tire.

The cargo area has .93
cubic metres of space, 1.81
cubic metres with the rear
seatbacks folded forwards. A
sliding cargo cover is option-
al. For thirsty travellers, the
Forester has four cupholders,
a pull-out one in the lower
dash, one in the storage bin,
and two in the rear armrests.

Even with an impressive

7.5 inches of ground clear-

ance, the Forester. has a low

.Step-in height. Combined
» With large doors; getting in
and out of the Forester i is

easy,
The r rear liftgate lifts up

steer hee pene npee sept erie ote nealing apie Asaph pe eet meg

north shore news

: AUTO
New Forester a car in truck’s clothing

In, tone

Technical Data 1998 Subaru Forester S.

Base price (L): $26,695
Price as tested (S): $31 695
Type: four-door, five-pas-
senger sport utility
Layout: longitudinal front
engine/all-wheel-drive
Engine: 2.5-litre horizon-
tally-opposed four-cylinder,
DOHC

Horsepower: 165 @ 5,600
np.m.

Transmission: five-speed,
manual (four-speed auto-
matic)

from floor level, and i is high

; “enough to stand under. The
-. rear window has a standard

wiper with intermittent sct-

~ ting, washer-and defroster,

-and an inside handle facili-

tates closing the liftgate.:

For safety, the Forester has
new de- -powered front
airbags, side impact beams,
‘four three-point safety belts
(plus centre, lap belt) and
front and rear height- —”

“adjustable head restraints: .

The rear head restraints even
have a fore/aft tile mecha-
nism — a rare feature even in
a passenger car, In addition,

: the Forester’s front, centre

and rear pillars have been

* reinforced for rollover protec:

tion.

Tires: 215/60R-16
Curb weight: 1365 kg
Wheelbase: 2525 mm

(99.4 in.)

Length: 445 cm -
Height: 159.5 cm

- Cargo capacity: seat up

940 litres;

seat down — 1830 litres
Fuel consumption:
City — 11.2 1/100 kms

_ Hwy — 8.01/100 kms

Warranty: Basic — three
years/60,000 kms;

» A roof rack is standard on

_ all Foresters. It consists of.
two permanent longitudinal

bars and two detachable;

adjustable transverse bars that -.

can be locked in place.

The Forester’s 1.6-metre
roof height is low for a sport-
utility vehicle, making it easi-
er to load skis, bicycles, or
boats onto the roof rack.
When not carrying a load, it’s

wise to travel with the trans-

verse bars stored in the cargo
ara because they create a
howling wind noise at high-
way speeds.

The Forester’s engine is
the same as the Legacy
Outback’s: a 2.5-litre hori-
zontally-opposed four-cylin-
der powerplant with 165

i

Oe re re ee Seen re

Friday, July 25, 1997 ~ North Shore News ~ 43

My:

THE new Subaru Forester. or sportutility vehicle > offers a 165, horse

four-cylinder engine, full-time four-wheel-drive, a fully indspand
car-like ride and handling, and a 19 cm ground clearance.

ent suspension
se inodels: start at

$26,695. Test drive the new Forester at Speciaity Motors (1235 arine

horsepower, enough to. pro- 4
pel this 1365 kg sport-utility.
vehicle in convincing fashion,

. despite the fact that itis 181

kg heavier than a Legacy.’
Zero to 60 mph, takes 8.8
seconds compared to 11.9
seconds for the 126 horse-

power CR-V and 12 seconds .

forthe 120 horsepower
RAV4. In addition, the
Forester can tow up to 907
kg.

Fuel economy is good for:
a sport utility vehicle: ©
11.2/100 kms in the city,’
and 8.2/100 kms on the
highway,”

A standard five: -speed
manual transmission and
optional four-speed automatic
transmission are available.

The Forester’s full-time
all-wheel-drive sysiem contin-
uously sends 50% ‘of the

“engine's power to the front

wheels and 50% ro the rear
wheels, providin's i instanta-
neous traction should one or

more wheels encounter a'slip-

However, there is no low: 7
- range for serious off- toad-

in
Unlike other sport-utes: ve

‘which have a transversely-

mounted engine, the
Forester’s engine, transaxle -

: and driveline are mounted

longitudinally, reducing dri
eline vibrations.: °°

“As Well; the boxer :
engine’s lower centre of grav-

ity enhances handling. Like. |

the Impreza, the Forester has :
a fully independent
MacPherson strut suspension

with struts that are 30: mm
* longer. In addition, the réar ~~
_. stabilizer bar has been modi-

fied to increase ground clear-
ance.

. Forester’s come in two...
trim levels, Land S, L-mod-
els, which start at $26,695,

“tires, front disc/rear drum
“” brakes with ABS blacked ot

grille and bumpers, til

ing wheel, power wi

d door locks, intermi ent

Pp
power outside mirrors; ‘fog *
ps, roof rack

“split folding rear séa

The L model} which ste

wri 16-inch tires ant alloy
“Wheels, four. wheel eon :

brakes with ABS, ai

7 tioning, keyless entry, |

. control, rear cargo cover.
‘heated front seats and sea
bac es

: hori 000 m warranty

and five year/100, 000 km
powertrain warranty. °°

pery surface. |;

Best Prices... Best < Services...

B BCAA. - AR.A. ”
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