Short drive: SUBARU Forester 2.0D Lineartronic

Automatically better

The SUBARU Forester now combines a diesel boxer and an automatic transmission - we drove it briefly:

If you are looking for a SUV with real all-wheel drive and plenty of cargo space, you should not miss the forester from all-wheel drive specialist SUBARU. The Forester is one of the most successful SUBARU models and is now finally available in a version with a diesel engine and automatic transmission.

Over stick and over stone

Subaru has made the unique boxer diesel fit with a little finishing touches to the injection system (common rail pressure rose from 1.800 bar to 2.000 bar), a revised exhaust gas recirculation system, a new cooling system and adapted Euro 6 turbocharger control. While the same engine has 150 PS in the outback, 2.0D 147 PS must be sufficient in the Forester. The next news concerns the finally possible connection of automatic transmission and diesel boxer.

Anyone who owns a Forester does not perceive the phonetic similarity of “Forester” and Forest as coincidental. Thanks to permanent all-wheel drive, a lot of ground clearance (22 cm !!) and the off-road control system “X-Mode”, a Forester is not afraid of off-road use.

During the first test drive on a hilly forest above Trieste, the Forester was able to demonstrate how well the diesel engine and the automatic work together in off-road operation.

Effortlessly even without asphalt

When it gets bumpy, the hour of the off-roader hits under the combi sheet metal dress of the Forester. The 220 mm ground clearance takes away the horror of nasty dirt roads, the embankment angles are large enough to stamp over wild furrows without scratching the bumper. The 350 Nm of the boxer diesel and the new gradation of the actually continuously variable transmission ensure a powerful and low-speed thrust over the dirt road.

Over generations, SUBARU has developed the Lineartronic into the best continuously variable automatic transmission on the market. The Lineartronic forms an adaptive gear ratio from a large amount of information - including the accelerator pedal position, engine load, speed, uphill or downhill gradient. The CVT transmission simulates up to seven gear stages and reacts quickly to the driver's wishes.

A new link chain in the CVT transmission, new transmission oil, a larger converter and a revised insulation of the Lineartronic also led to better noise behavior and more efficiency.

And finally ...

The Forester is also a convincing all-rounder in the variant with diesel boxer and continuously variable automatic. On its almost 4.60 meters, it offers plenty of space for the whole family. With a trailer load of 2.0 tons, it is recommended as a towing vehicle and the up to 1.592 liters of cargo space make Forester drivers almost contractors.

According to the NEDC, the consumption of the 147 PS Boxer with 6.1 liters is kept within limits.