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Forester outguns challengers

Posted on 21 December, 2014

Subaru’s Forester has won a comparison test against six other medium-sized SUVs carried out by New Zealand 4WD magazine. The 2.5-litre Forester with permanent symmetrical all-wheel-drive headed off Mazda CX-5, Ford Kuga and Nissan X Trail models of similar specification. A Holden Captiva, Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota RAV4 were also involved. The test was carried out on tarmac and gravel roads, and at Muriwai Beach, north-west of Auckland, where seven judges assessed them over nine categories. They were impressed by the Forester’s all-round ability when it was top or equal top in eight of the nine categories. It particularly stood out in four areas – ride and refinement, powertrain performance, road holding and handling, and overall fitness for purpose – according to the magazine. The Forester is available in six models with two-litre and 2.5-litre petrol engines, a two-litre turbo-diesel and two-litre petrol turbo. In April 2015, the diesel models will join the rest of the range by having Subaru’s lineartronic transmissions as standard with automatic stop-start technology saving fuel. They feature 220mm of ground clearance with the new X-Mode coming as standard on SLT models to increase off-road functionality.