Subaru

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Tuesday – Barking

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Did you know that sunroofs are a terribly British thing? You won’t find French, Italian or Spanish cars with glass roofs – it’s just us lot who need to make the most of what usually passes for summer in this country.

And every sunny days seems like the last at the moment. Today was something of a surprise, glorious weather that had me reaching to open the Forester’s quite enormous sunroof. It’s a whopper – a proper area of glass that even opens up.

While glass in the roof is good, I leave my dog Malin to decide how bright a car cabin is these days. He loathes a low roofline and whinges accordingly.

So, dog owners, I can report that if you want the ultimate ride for you mutt, the Forester has no equal. It’s the only estate car he is happy to jump into and the sunroof is just an added bonus.

 

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Monday – Doors To Manual

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It’s slightly off-putting that a car I enjoy driving as much as the Forester suffers from a problem I’ve discovered in other vehicles recently – a poor quality key.

I know nobody actually uses a key in the conventional sense anymore, you just press a button. However, you really have to know the three buttons on the Subaru key intimately if you are going to avoid a frustrating game of ‘press the key’ every time you try to get in.

The symbols on the buttons are so small, it’s really difficult to decipher which one does what. And with the nights closing in, it’s easy to mistakenly press unlock, rather than boot open or just lock!

The problem would be eased by the buttons being illuminated. They are not. Yes I do have poor eyesight but I would imagine a good 50 per cent of Forest drivers wear glasses too.

Sometimes it’s the silly little problems that annoy car owners the most and this is one problem that would be so simple to solve too…

 

 

 

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Sunday – Ready For Winter?

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It’s lashing down in the Cotswolds – it must be to mark the arrival of our Subaru SUV. Summer ended last week and I’m mightily happy to be splashing through the ever-deepening puddles in the Forester.

This is definitely the sort of car that lives and breathes bad weather. You could say it looks better splattered in mud than clean – even the interior seems to have been designed for bad weather too!

There are loads of storage spaces and cubby boxes, many of them with practical rubber linings that are easy to clean. Our XC has fabric seats but any dirt seems to  disappear easily enough. Not sure it’s worth going for the more expensive leather option.

The XC does have some luxurious, like the electric driver’s seat, a USB socket, 17-inch alloys and obviously air con.

In fact, I’d say there’s little point opting for a more expensive Forester, unless you want the leather and sat nav. This is one SUV that, rather like a Land Rover Defender, is better for being basic.

 

 

 

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Saturday – An Alternative To Bling

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To a certain generation of bloke, the name Subaru will always be associated with the WRX rally car. The Impreza is no longer imported in to Britain, although you will still see plenty of die-hard ‘Scooby‘ fans frittering away their pay cheques to keep one on the road. No, these days, Subaru is targeting the SUV market and this fourth generation Forester is a key weapon.

Today I did my weekly shop down at Waitrose and the Subaru looked oddly out of place, parked next to row after row of ‘bling’ four-wheel drives. Personally, I love the fact I’m driving something different, which I know can tackle proper off-road work and won’t be offended if I chuck half a ton of wood in the back.

Sadly, I’m not sure the majority of British car-buyers will see it the same way. The Forester isn’t offensive to the eye but it just doesn’t have the cosmetic appeal of a Kia Sportage or a Ford Kuga. Beauty may be skin deep but that’s as far as most people look these days when they are buying a car.

The boxy design will be seen as a disadvantage, even though it allows for a huge load capacity, exceptional headroom and a bright cabin. The interior is basic but you know a Forester will still be lugging sheep up a field in 15 years time when a Kuga has been turned back into sheet metal.

Right now I’m feeling totally inconspicuous in the Forester – a rare feat in any modern SUV. And I’m loving it.

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Friday – Ugly Betty?

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I’m not sure the great British car-buying public really understand Subaru. Seriously, the company has carved out such a niche for itself that there are still a long of people out there who are still uncertain about the brand.

In a search for a family-friendly SUV, they either pay a premium for an image-conscious BMW or Audi all-wheel drive, or they go for a cheaper, pseudo 4×4 from Nissan or Renault that looks the part but will be left in the dirt when set against a Subaru.

Hopefully over the next seven days we can try and persuade you that despite the Ugly Betty looks, the Forester should definitely be on your list of options. It may not be as pretty as an X3 or a Q5 but it will prove ultra reliable, practical, brilliant off-road and kind of cool, in a slightly alternative type of way.

I’ve just driven our XC back from Heathrow. It has excellent road manners, takes a corner well and is surprisingly good fun on a twisty A-road. It may look a Plain Jane but the Forester is worthy of being regarded as much more than just a farmer’s car for carrying damp Border Collies.