Category: Small 4x4s 
Price Range: £19,115 to £26,495
Car-like handling, smooth engines, lively pace, lots of space, useful off-road ability, ludicrously quick 2.5 XT, unique appeal
Too many hard plastics inside, clumsy styling, not a full off-roader (if that matters), no diesel option, thirsty fuel consumption, too quirky for many.
For sheer driving pleasure, the characterful Forester is the best of the soft-roaders.
Besides the four-wheel drive system, for 2006 the turbo Foresters gain standard dynamic stability control. The Forester is more stable than other 4x4s, anyway, thanks to its low centre of gravity, and thus less likely to roll over in the event of an impact. There aren't as many airbags as in some newer rivals, though, with side airbags standard only in turbo XT/XTE versions, and no curtain airbags, though the side airbags are extra-large, extending up to head level. All three rear seatbelts are three-point, and Isofix child-seat mountings are fitted in the rear. The brake pedal is designed to detach under heavy impact, and the front seats have 'active' head restraints which move forward in a rear-end impact to minimise whiplash injury. Deadlocks, with shielded lock mechanisms, remote central locking with keyless entry, a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and an immobilizer are standard.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Subaru Forester
wrote on 22 12 2006