Subaru's spruced up Forester arrives in SA

Cape Town - Subaru has upgraded its Forester for 2016 with a host of enhances focusing on design and refinement. 

The new Forester sports a redesigned grille, bumper and headlights.

The foglight use a new L-shaped chromed detail. The hexagonal grille, in a new chromed frame, has a reworked mesh design flanked by tweaked LEDs with the signature C-shaped daytime running lights continuing the ‘Hawk-Eye’ look of Subaru’s models.

New hue

Complementing the front revisions, the rear taillights also benefit from the use of LEDs. The Forester also sports new 17" and 18" alloys. The 17" six-spoke wheels are designed with contrasting silver and black detailing. The range-topping, turbocharged 2.0XT Lineartronic CVT sports new ten-spoke 18", black and silver contrast.

The Forester is now available in a new metallic bronze colour.

A photo posted by Wheels24 (@wheels24_sa) on Apr 18, 2016 at 1:30am PDT

Inside

The interior has been reworked with the addition of a new steering wheel design with silver applications on the three spokes of the multi-function wheel.

The colour TFT LCD instrument binnacle now has new graphics, different backlit colours, smoked glass in the middle display binnacle and reworked tachometer and speedometer needles.

Particular attention has been paid to areas such as the door releases, centre stack grips and handbrake. On all models, the Multi-Mode trip computer is also upholstered in new material and with silver stitching, complementing the new high gloss black and chromed panels found on the dashboard.

A photo posted by Wheels24 (@wheels24_sa) on Apr 18, 2016 at 1:14am PDT

The seats have been improved on all new Forester models with better leg bolstering than before. The new Forester now features driver’s seat position memory, which stores the lateral position, backrest angle, and seat height settings for up to two individuals.

On leather inclusive models, the Forester can now be ordered with either Black or Black and Grey interior leather seat appointments. A new eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system has also been added.

Siri Eyes-Free

Also available is the is 'Siri Eyes-Free'. This technology works in conjunction with the standard voice recognition system and links a compatible Siri device. It allows the driver to make use of Siri at the touch of a button located on the steering wheel. The Forester still allows hands-free interaction using the normal voice recognition to control the telephone and audio systems.

Active safety

Safety features include Subaru’s seven airbags, Isofix child-seat anchors and the full Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) suite.

New on the 2016 Subaru Forester is the Steering Responsive Headlamp that shifts the headlight illumination in the direction of the curve. In key areas around the windows, more insulation has been applied and the window glass itself is now 0.5mm thicker. Noise-absorbing material has also been added to the floor, the rear apron, load bay and the foot wells.

Front and rear suspension has also been optimized through tweaks of the damping force on the front and rear shock absorbers and the cross member stiffness. 

The Forester retains its Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, as well as the 220mm minimum ground clearance. 

A photo posted by Wheels24 (@wheels24_sa) on Apr 18, 2016 at 1:12am PDT

Power

The Forester is still available in five model variants in South Africa. First is the 2.0X 6-speed manual powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder Boxer petrol engine, producing 110kW at 6200rpm and 198Nm at 4200rpm.  Carbon emissions are 168 g/km, and it boasts a combined fuel consumption of 7.2 L/100km, as well as Stop/Start technology.

A larger 2.5-litre four-cylinder Boxer petrol unit produces 126kW at 5800rpm and 235Nm at 4100rpm, and powers models in the X, XS and XS Premium trim levels. All 2.5-litre models also feature Lineartronic CVT transmissions, resulting in the addition of X-Mode and two-mode SI-Drive to the list of standard features of the XS and XS Premium.

The new Forester 2.5 XS Premium Lineartronic gains luxurious extras including a double-volume sunroof and leather upholstery, along with automatic lights and wipers, keyless entry and starting and a one-touch now-illuminated powered tailgate with remote control and an adjustable height setting.

Topping the new Forester chart is the all-new Forester 2.0 XT Lineartronic. Powered by a 177kW (at 5600rpm) and 350Nm (between 2400 and 3600rpm) direct injection turbocharged four-cylinder Boxer petrol engine, the 2.0 XT Lineartronic completes the 0-100 km/h dash in just 7.5 seconds and top speed is seen at 210 km/h. Fuel economy is rated at 8.5 L/100km, with carbon emissions of 197 g/km. 

Price:

Subaru Forester 2.0X 6MT - R376 000
Subaru Forester 2.5X Lineartronic CVT - R427 000
Subaru Forester 2.5XS Lineartronic CVT - R459 000
Subaru Forester 2.5XS Premium Lineartronic CVT - R509 000
Subaru Forester 2.0XT Lineartronic CVT - R579 000

Warranty:

It's sold with a three-year or 75 000km maintenance plan, a three-year or 100 000km warranty and Subaru Assist.