2004 Subaru Forester XT

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/12/2003 (8135 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AS phony as it all has been, sport-utility vehicles have traditionally tried to appeal to the rugged, outdoors-loving inner selves in most of us urban dwellers.

Never mind that almost all SUVs see nothing more challenging than the grassed parking area at the local minor-league soccer pitch.

And yet done well, SUVs offer an important amenity to winter-city folk like us: all-wheel drive.

So what if someone decided there was a market for a vehicle with much the utility of an SUV but without the false pretence of a wannabe Hummer? Enter Subaru Forester.

Now, imagine that same company then came out with a fire-breathing turbo version that does all that AND satisfies the inner racer? Enter the Forester XT.

The Forester XT takes the same turbocharged 2.5-litre engine as in the Impreza WRX, and, thanks to some revised engine mapping, is actually a hair quicker. Power is rated at 210 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 235 lb.-ft. of torque at a nicely low 3,600 rpm.

Basically, this thing hauls ass like no station wagon ever has. Power builds strongly and smoothly right up to the rev limit and gives you that kick in your backside that you only expect from a sports car.

Whether standard or automatic, the XT comes with Subaru’s Symmetrical All-wheel Drive system with viscous-coupled locking centre differential. It’s all-wheel all the time, with the viscous coupling preventing axle hop.

In addition to the turbocharger, checking off XT on your order form gets you an electronically controlled throttle, liquid-filled rubber engine mounts, engine oil cooler, direct ignition system, iridium spark plugs, active valve control system, variable valve timing and sodium-filled exhaust valves. (The sodium helps cool the valves.)

Manual-transmission devotees will get a smooth-shifting, fully-synchronized five-speed with hydraulically operated, dry single-plate clutch and hill-holder system that prevents the XT from rolling backward while starting on a hill.

Slushbox drivers will get a four-speed electronic direct control transmission. Though an upgrade from the autobox in non-XT Foresters, it doesn’t strike me as the class of the field in automatics. Downshifts were a little late, including starting from stop when the car would begin to move in second and then shift into first.

Little matter: My guess is if you’re the kind of driver who appreciates what the XT has to offer, you won’t be buying an automatic anyway.

At the rear, XT buyers will get a limited-slip viscous-type rear differential, an upgrade from the standard open type on the non-XT models.

With the XT, you also buy a date with the Premium button on your local self-serve’s gas pumps. Subaru recommends 91 octane or higher.

Like all Foresters, brakes are four-disc with four-channel, four-sensor ABS and, on 2.5 XS and higher (including the XT) with electronic brake force distribution.

Speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel independent suspension are standard across the Forester marque.

Tires are 215/60 R16 Yokohama Geolandar G900 on all models, with raised white letters on non-XT models and raised black letters (and mounted on 12-spoke turbo-designed alloys) on the XT.

Aside from those differences (and, of course, the powertrain), little differs between the XT and the upper non-XT models. All come with heated seats, windshield wiper heater (to thaw the wiper and keep it from sticking), six-speaker sound system with, interestingly, weather-band reception on the radio.

That’s what it is; how does it work?

Extremely well. It’s way more fun with a stick (what isn’t?), but even with the autobox, you’ll scare the hell out of any stoplight posers. It would be neat to see the look on their faces, but you’re too far ahead.

As with all Subies, the all-wheel-drive system is beyond reproach. It keeps the car stable and predictable in the worst of situations. Even on sheer ice, during testing at the Vehicle Research Centre-St. Andrews, the XT was incredibly easy to control. During forced loss-of-control situations, recovery was as easy as remembering the key principle of winter driving control: Never let up off the gas until you have control regained.

Sure, if you go into a slide and let up off the gas, which transfers weight forward and puts engine braking into the wheels, you’ll lose it as quickly as in any other car. But give the AWD a chance, and it will save your butt.

In the high-speed accident avoidance chute, a 90-km-h lane-change maneouvre on snowy ground was a breeze. (You still have to know how to do it, but it was so much easier in the XT than in the front-wheel-drive Contour I drove the last time I did it.)

So the powertrain works, and the interior is comfortable but there are a few nits to pick.

First, the automatic needs some better mapping. Secondly, while they improved the look with a slight refresh last year, the Forester still looks like it’s trying too hard. The wheel flares and side body creases are all just a bit too much. Cleaner lines and less hard creasing would make the exterior design flow much better. And, a cleaner look would help disguise its height.

The Forester XT won Best New Sport Utility for 2004 from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, largely, I’m speculating, on the strength of its excellent powertrain, decent handling and the fact it provides nearly the same utility as a mid-size SUV but in a package that doesn’t generate gas bills equal to the GDP of a developing nation.

The truth about most mid-size SUVs, thanks to a high load floor needed to clear the solid rear axle, is that they don’t have much more space, if any, than the Forester. And assuming you don’t need to crawl over logs — and who would buy a new SUV to do that? — the all-wheel drive gives as much benefit or more (since it’s full-time) as any SUV.

In a word, it’s a dream wagon. In the world of sports cars, I can think of plenty I’d be happy with. In the world of station wagons, can’t think of anything but XT. For a starting price of $35,995, it’s a performance SUV bargain.