| New Subaru Forester | ||
 |
||
|
(Thu 03 Jan 08) Just over eleven years after the launch of the original model, Subaru's new Forester will go on sale in the UK in April.
The Forester is based on an extended version of the new Impreza platform, but it's considerably more SUV-like than its predecessor, being 110mm taller (not including the roof rails) and 45mm wider (not including the mirrors). The wing mirrors shown in our picture are part of the standard specification in Japan - where the Forester is already on sale - but they won't be used on UK models. From launch, the only available engine will be a two-litre petrol unit. The choice will double in September with the introduction of a turbo diesel; Subaru expects that the diesel Forester will become its most popular model within three years, eventually outselling the entire Impreza range. A significant change is that there will be no turbo petrol variants in the UK, though there will be in Japan and the US. Subaru is aiming to lower the average CO2 emissions of the cars it sells in the EU, and fears that a Forester with high fuel consumption (and correspondingly high CO2 rating) will spoil the plan. The only western European country in which the petrol turbo Forester will be sold is Switzerland, which isn't in the EU. |
