THE Subaru Forester is one of Subaru Corporation's best sellers in many countries including, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States(US).
As of December 2017, Subaru Corporation has sold over 1.7 million units of Subaru Forester since in the two decades since its introduction in 1997. It appears that the model will continue to be a success for the company, after it registered five times more orders than initially expected, when it opened its Forester for pre-sales in June.
"Total pre-sales of the newly-redesigned Forester have been 13,282 units as of September 13, over five times more orders than the monthly sales target of 2,500 units for the new SUV," said Subaru in a statement issued on September 14, this year.
We had the opportunity to sample the 2019 Subaru Forester 2.0 i-S EyeSight in Taiwan, and were impressed with it.
The predecessor had provided a SUV that is capable to go off-road, and gliding through corners steadily, as if its a low sports car. The fourth generation Forester has set a new benchmark when it comes to comfort, especially the absorption of damaged, rough, bumpy and pot holes filled road conditions.
The fifth generation all-new 2019 Subaru Forester 2.0 i-S EyeSight we drove runs on a 2.0-litre direct fuel injection, horizontally opposed four-cylinder double overhead cam 16-valve petrol engine, mated to a seven-speed manual mode continuously variable transmission (CVT). It generates 154 hp at 6,000 rpm and 196 Nm of torque from 4,000 rpm.
Standing at a length of 4,625 mm, width of 1,815 mm, height of 1,730 mm and a wheelbase of 2,670 mm. The SUV weighs 1,580 kg and has a boot space of 496 litres with all of its seats up, as well as 63 litres of fuel tank capacity.
The Forester 2.0 i-S EyeSight is equipped with LED auto headlamps with auto levelling, power-folding side mirrors with LED turn signals, LED daytime running lights, LED fog lamps, headlamp washer, rear fog lamp, roof rails, roof spoiler, shark-fin antenna, active front grille shutter, 8.0-inch display infotainment system with navigation, auto vehicle hold, Bluetooth compatible hands-free system, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system, multi-function display, idle stop system, telescopic multi-function steering wheel with cruise control, paddle shifters, and auto wipers.
Other features include electronic brake, one touch turn signal, rear seat armrest with cup holders, reverse camera, retractable cargo cover, reverse sensors, SI-Drive, smart entry with push start button, USB charging port, 60/40 split folding rear seats, heated side mirrors, powered adjusted front seats with memory function for the driver side, side view monitor, steering responsive headlamps, aluminium pedals, powered tailgate with memory function, power-sliding large glass sunroof, high beam assist, special X-Mode technology and the EyeSight Driver Assist Technology.
Safety aspects of the 2019 Forester 2.0 i-S EyeSight consists of eight airbags, four-channel anti-lock braking system, electronic brake-force distribution, active torque vectoring, brake assist, brake override, engine immobiliser, vehicle dynamics control system, emergency stop signal, safety pedal system, side door reinforcement beams , and ISOFIX child seat anchor points.
However, the 2019 Forester is expected to be launched by second quarter next year in Malaysia and the specific data, as well as the model line up may vary during the launch.
The Drive
Subaru arranged an on track and an off-road session to try and compare the capabilities of the 2019 Forester.
The first session is a comparison driving on the Lihpao Racing Park. We were able to test drive the new 2019 Forester and compare with its predecessor and a Mazda CX-5. The track's layout was such that we were able to test the SUV's acceleration, braking and handling.
We started taking off into a slalom, then a S-bend and immediately reached a wet-surfaced sharp bend. After the turn, we were then allowed to accelerate to the limits before maintaining consistent speed for two fast right corners.
It was obvious that the new 2019 Forester had been greatly improved compared to the predecessor. Apparently, the 2019 Forester accelerates better and handles as if it was nailed to the road, even the body roll has been reduced. The 2019 Forester has massive grip and is much more quieter in its interior, although we drove it at a higher speed compared to the predecessor.
If compared to the CX-5, the 2019 Forester gripped better than the CX-5 and has a lower NVH. We felt the 2019 Forester was more fun to drive.
After the track session, we hopped on the shuttle bus and headed to an off-road course nearby the track. The purpose of the off-road course is to enable us to test the NVH level, the special X-mode, the suspensions' absorption, and also have a feel of the new Subaru Global Platform.
The off-road course was very well set up to show the full potential of the 2019 Subaru Forester. We managed to try the hill start assist, hill decent control, Subaru Global Platform and the active torque split AWD system.
An active torque-split AWD system usually distributes 60 per cent of its torque to the front and 40 per cent of the torque to the rear. However, there are sensors that are constantly monitoring the vehicle's condition in areas such as changes in grip of the front and rear tyres or the vehicle's speed.
The electronically controlled MP-T (Multi Plate Transfer) then adjusts the torque distribution to the front and rear tyres in real-time to suit the driving conditions, as well as the transmission and driver inputs. It helps to increase the stability of the AWD system to provide a safe and agile driving experience.
The 2019 Subaru Forester tackled the off-road course with ease and comfort. Nonetheless, the experience that surprised most of the media was the side ramp test. Normally, most carmakers would ask the media to drive very slowly through a side ramp at 40 to a maximum 45 degree angle, to experience stability of the vehicle, sideways.
This time around, Subaru was so confident with the stability of the 2019 Forester, that the instructor told all the media to overcome the side ramp test at a speed of 40 to 50kph. True enough, it dashed across the side ramp steadily.
The improvements on the 2019 Forester is amazing and has raised the bars for the AWD SUV market. Subaru has done a fantastic job with this SUV whichs is able to provide comfort and practicality on all road conditions. At the moment, there are just a handful SUVs in Malaysia with similar off-road abilities. We eagerly await the 2019 Forester launch in the second quarter next year.