I admit to being a greenie when it comes to cars and houses. But if I won the lottery tomorrow, the car I would buy would not be a Veron or a one off Rolls, no it would be the new Forester, from Subaru. I love technology and the Forester without doubt has the most complex drive train of any car on the road and without locking differentials is the only car that senses loss of traction and immediately drives the wheels with best grip, without using electronics. I know the Haldex 4 system in the Evoque mostly does this and the same drive train is used in the Kuga, the Tiguan and the latest Kia Sportage.
The Skoda Yeti gets Haldex 5 which is better still. Over winter, on Continental Winter/Snow tyres, I took my 4×4 Yeti with off-road pack deliberately into conditions where wagons were stuck and cars were abandoned, it never lost traction once, but you are relying on sensors on each wheel and multiple electronic clutches that are complex. If like me you are a gadget freak, then the Forester is for you. Using diagonally opposed driving wheels and something akin to torque sensing diffs, the Forester can achieve everything you need without all this but still does it best. Reliability of the Forrester is legendary and if you were going to buy a car to keep, this would be it
The latest model has cleaner engines and better kit. A car this capable is never going to be soft and wallow and the Forrester brings no surprises. It is not over stiff though and hustles along cornering well. Wind noise is well suppressed and tyre noise is minimal.
The starter engine is a 2.0 Diesel, configured in the boxer tradition of Subaru that has great torque and has always been staggeringly reliable. In automatic form, this car is capable off road. In fact, the auto-box is mated to the X-mode setting option which steps up the off-road skill of this car even more.
The Forrester is spacious and comfortable, leg room and head room are great with a driver’s seat that you will get comfortable in.
Interior fit and finish is good, switch-gear is sensibly laid out and easy to reach. Standard on the DX that we drive are 17” alloys, Bluetooth, CD player and USB connection with air-con, heated front seats and hill start assist. Included with the XE, you get auto lights and wipers and even a rear camera, cruise control and climate. The top of the range has sat-nav & leather as well. . This is a perfect lease car, bullet proof and if you would like any lease car deal information, at CarLease UK we are glad to help.
