Subaru Forester – on the school run

SUBARU has a reputation for building great rallying cars, but the Japanese brand also make some fine SUVs, like the Forester.

The fourth version of the Forester was launched recently in time for the new

‘132’ number range and the good news is that it’s seven per cent cheaper than the previous model.

It may be cheaper, but this version is also taller, wider and longer than the old version and has a lower C02 rating. The Forester has a reputation as a go-anywhere, user-friendly SUV and this new version should make it even more attractive for Irish buyers. Last year the Forester accounted for 27 per cent of Subaru’s total worldwide sales, with 15,000 units sold in Europe.

Most SUVs spend a lot of their time on city streets and of course they can be seen on the famous school runs. The Forester certainly won’t look out of place in an urban setting, but I think it’s best suited to country life. Ground clearance is excellent and if you have to drive in a very muddy area there are useful sills at the bottom of the doors to keep the mud out when you open the door.

Subarus are famous for their boxer engines. In the boxer engine all the action happens low down; it provides a low centre of gravity, which in turn improves grip and handling. And that’s certainly what you get in this all-wheel drive which is very safe and a pleasure to travel in.

The only minor complaint I had was with the radio. It worked perfectly and I liked the fact that there was a knob to scroll up and down the wavelengths, but it took me a few days to get used to the knob for the volume being the nearest one to the driver. Normally it’s the other way round.

Otherwise the dash is very basic and all the controls are easy to use. The reversing camera is in colour and naturally from a reasonably high driving position, the views of the roads and fields are excellent.

I can see this SUV being popular with farmers, vets and maybe small contractors, who could leave down the back seats if they wanted more space to carry tools. The boot is a decent size and you get a

‘mini’ spare wheel. A tonneau is also provided, so that you can cover over items in the boot and keep them out of view of any would-be thieves.

This is a long SUV and two roof rails accentuate the elongated look. I drove a silver version with sun roof, but a senior motoring correspondent who I know, swears by his amber-coloured Forester.

After such a fine summer no doubt we will shortly hear warnings of a harsh winter ahead and the Forester would, I think, be an ideal partner if we get snow and frost in the coming months. It can handle any kind of terrain.

Prices start at

?¬34,995 for both the 2.0 diesel and the 2.0 automatic petrol version. Road tax is

?¬390. Subaru has only 11 dealers countrywide; in Dublin the people to talk to are Carroll and Roche Cars at Newlands Cross.