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Use a boxer engine because that lowers the center of gravity? At the same time the largest ground clearance (22 cm!) In the class of crossover and SUV colleagues? Sounds contradictory, but is a symbol of the technical passion of a car manufacturer, which seems to be completely without marketing and lifestyle department. A treat for car technology friends.
Because sturdier is just better.
Through the world in the 240 hp Forester
Yes - the interior looks like you can clean the hard and black plastic with the steam jet, but that's a good thing. It doesn't distract. It gives the driver the opportunity to understand the technical extravagance of the Forester XT. Under the high hood, beyond the steep window frames, there is a turbo four-cylinder in boxer format. The most powerful variant, the 240 PS Turbo, couples SUBARU exclusively with a continuously variable transmission. A gearbox variant that is hardly used and - actually rightly so - seems to be extinct. The power of the boxer lands on a real all-wheel drive after the “Lineartronic”. No crippled hang-on solution. Central differential and electrical torque distribution ensure reliable power distribution.
If you let yourself be rocked across the country by the long-legged Forester, you drive a boxer engine and stepless automatic system to the perfection stalemate of torque surge and reassuringly low speed. Fascinating how far the development of the CVT transmission has taken. The Forester XT pushes into the switch box with 350 Nm and it actually knows how to garnish everyday life with the lowest possible speed. Stepless then also means: smoothly. Nothing interrupts the forward thrust, the boxer engine pushes through the variable gear ratio.
[one_half] [=”notification_mark” ]The basics:[star_list]
- 2 weeks in the test
- 1.661 test kilometers
- Base price: € 43.000
- Test car price: € 43.560
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- Eco-Tour: 7.3 l / 100 km
- Commuting: 8.7 l / 100 km
- Field service mode: 12.9 l / 100 km
- More information about the test consumption
Howling up the speed? Only if you press the pedal bluntly towards the asphalt. The sport and sport-sharp position of the SUBARU Intelligent Drive has an animating effect. Where others place the cruise control button, SUBARU leaves the gamepad to the XT drivers for sharpened engine and transmission controls. More pressure equals more agility. In “sport-sharp”, the continuously variable transmission also simulates: If you slide the gearshift lever into the manual gate with 8 instead of the usual 6/7 virtual gears, it even brings shift jerks. You and the switching stages can also be controlled using the switch pedal. Who likes it. It can help to maintain speed on the autobahn, especially if you are driving briskly. Otherwise, the CVT is so well tuned that you can leave the work to the machine. I would not have expected that I would write something like this about a stepless automatic.
Ranger mobile
It gets interesting when you let the Forester turn off the country road. There is a good reason why the SUBARU brand is often seen in the forest. Permanent all-wheel drive is a real and effective all-wheel drive. The power is permanently distributed to all four wheels via a perfectly symmetrical drive layout and reacts quickly and flexibly thanks to clever control electronics. The Forester can be chased with glee through water crossings where other lifestyle SUVs would lose their make-up out of sheer shock. But the Forester XT dispenses with visual stimuli, with it form follows function. He's a worker, a climbing friend, a real outdoorsman and also a jovial drinking companion.
He is thirsty
With 240 hp from a turbo petrol engine with the aerodynamics of a rustic oak cabinet, the thirst is not long suppressed. You can get by with 7.3 liters per 100 kilometers, then you can't even sip from the boxer's lustful torque. It is better to stay away from all speeds beyond the 2.000 rpm and roll with the wind. In the eco-round, however, my ambition had grabbed me - a good 9.3 liters have to be calculated for everyday life.
In the non-global NEDC third mix, SUBARU specifies a standard consumption of 8.5 liters per 100 kilometers. It will be difficult to always do that.
However, anyone who enjoys the 240 hp of the turbo, puts the Forester XT in the left lane of the highway on the hunt for diesel SUVs and gives the following traffic the slipstream of his life - you not only experience how incredibly stable the high seat is chasing on the autobahn, but also consumption values from a world long believed lost. 16 liters capable of pre-oil crisis in Q5 / X3 / GLK hunting mode? No problem!
The Forester XT submits to gravity on fast motorway curves like the Costa Concordia to its captain Schettino, but without being shipwrecked and with a solid feeling of: "Everything is going well here."
Despite great ground clearance, comfortable damper tuning and wide off-road tires, the XT likes to sprint briskly over long distances. You get used to the side slope. The rest is pure fun. The kick of the turbo petrol engine has to be paid for at the gas station, but can be addictive.
On the hunt
Even if the Forester XT is the forester's favorite, families will also be happy. The sober basic shape, the steep windows, the practical station wagon. The Forester offers plenty of space. Five passengers and their vacation luggage? No problem. At only 4.60 meters, the Forester XT has a lot of practical virtues. The 505 liter trunk can be expanded to 1.547 liters and whoever uses the trailer hitch can hook up to 2 tons.
And finally ...
I have never experienced a more pragmatic automobile for 99% of all everyday situations. SUBARU is the last automobile manufacturer that really makes you feel “test your car” as an auto tester. Marketing awards? So called Premium ChiChi? All bullshit. A SUBARU is built from rock solid ideas and the aspiration to fulfill a purpose, a purpose, a function. Like that. But is not for people who would also drive a front-wheel drive SUV.
| Manufacturer: | Subaru |
|---|---|
| Type: | Forester 2.0 XT Platinum |
| Class: | SUV |
| Engine: | B4 |
| Transmission: | CVT |
| Drive: | All-wheel drive permanent |
| displacement: | 1.998 cc |
| Power / power (electric motor): | 240 HP / - |
| Torque: / Torque (E-Motor): | 350 Nm / - |
| Weight ready to drive: | 1.636 kg |
| From 0 to 100: | 7.5 s |
| Top speed .: | 221 km / h |
| Consumption (NEDC): | 8.5 liters |
| CO2 output (NEDC): | 197 g / km |
| Emission Class: | EU 5 |
| Efficiency: | E |
| CW value: | 0.33 |
| Comment: | - |
Note: The photos are from Driving event for the German premiere of the SUBARU Forester, I would have liked to have made my own test car, but unfortunately came Parking lot bump (driver escape) between. Therefore - in the middle of August, the photos with snow;)