Unfortunately, like it's Impreza bretheren, Subaru recommend a healthy diet of super-unleaded for their latest offspring. And according to their claims the Forester bats along at a combined figure of 28.5mpg. The inevitable side-effect of this school of thought is of course that a certain degree of fuel economy is sacrificed on the altar of sheer enjoyment. Despite the objections I have to the cockpit design of this vehicle on the grounds of simple good taste, I have to concede that it is a stormingly good drive. And, when pushing on along country roads one can almost forget the less than attractive interior and become intoxicated by the level of performance provided.
Traction is aided by a full-time four wheel drive system with limited slip rear differential.
Priced at a cool 21,750 for the AWD manual and 22,750 for the AWD automatic, the Forester Turbo although by no means cheap offers a lot of dash for your cash plus a superbly practical vehicle for those times when sensible hasn't gone out the window. As I've said before, if you want pure off road ability look elsewhere but as far as blasting around is concerned, you won't find many road cars as able or as tough as this one. Rear limited-slip differential with viscous coupling.