1998 Subaru Forester Review

Subaru's funky, new-for-1998 Forester is the latest in a growing number of affordable, smaller hybrid vehicles that combine carlike ride and handling with features of a sport/utility vehicle.

The Forester, which I recently tested, essentially is a combination station wagon and sport/ute. It fits in a hybrid category created by Subaru's Outback and is the type of highly functional all-wheel-drive vehicle that has yanked Subaru from a prolonged sales slump.

The entry-level Forester has an $18,695 list price, while the mid-range L model stickers at $19,995 and the top-line S model costs $22,195. All have a standard five-speed manual transmission, but an efficient, $800 four-speed automatic is offered for L and S models.

The Forester is well-equipped; even the base model has two-tone paint, AM/FM/cassette, air conditioning, roof rack, rear-window defogger and power steering, brakes and windows.

The Forester is based on the platform of the subcompact Subaru Impreza auto/station wagon, which has excelled in the rugged World Rally Championship circuit. Its driveline is shared with the Subaru Legacy Outback auto/wagon, which features an excellent all-wheel-drive system.

This new Subaru thus is rugged and drives and rides much like a small wagon--while providing desirable sport/ute features such as all-wheel drive and generous headroom and cargo space. It meets all federal auto safety standards.

Forester rivals are the carlike Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V sport/utes. But the Forester looks more like the small, upright 1980s Dodge/Plymouth Colt Vista, Nissan Stanza and Honda Civic four-wheel-drive wagons, which were ahead of their time because few then cared about small sport/ute-style vehicles.

Despite its garishly chromed grille, the Forester's rather straight-edged lines give it a burly look and allow decent interior room for four 6-footers. Wheelwell housings eat into cargo area space, which is just average unless the rear seatbacks are folded forward.

A ladder is almost needed to get in or out of the larger, taller sport/utes. But that's not the case with the Forester, which has a low floorboard. The interior is comfortable, with a huge glass area for good visibility and plenty of storage areas. There are comfortable, highly supportive front seats, easily read gauges and conveniently located controls.

However, an air conditioning vent blows directly on the fold-out, dashboard-mounted cupholder and quickly cools hot or warm beverages. The rear pop-out cupholders look and feel flimsy.

Another annoyance: The tailgate lacks a separate glass opening, so one must open the entire gate to put a small piece of cargo in the rear.

The Forester is powered by Subaru's rugged, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. It has a Porsche-style layout with pistons sitting on their sides for a low center of gravity and short length.

This dual-overhead-camshaft motor generates 165 horsepower and propels the Forester from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in a respectable 9.2 seconds with the manual transmission. The smooth 16-valve motor provides good acceleration off the line. Safe merges into fast traffic and passing maneuvers on open roads are no problem.

The Forester is no fireball, because the engine is rather small and this 3,020-pound vehicle is fairly heavy. Still, Subaru's clever all-wheel-drive system allows considerably less power drain than with traditional four-wheel-drive systems. Fuel economy is an estimated 21 m.p.g. in the city and 27 on highways with the manual and 21 and 26 with the quick-shifting automatic.

The Forester has accurate steering, with the right amount of response from the wheel's off-center position. It also stops well, although the brake pedal is mushy.

There is a moderate amount of body sway in turns, but handling is good--thanks to a nicely engineered suspension, low center of gravity and grippy tires. The ride is excellent, despite a short (99.4-inch) wheelbase.

The Forester has a fairly high ground clearance and does well in mild off-road driving. The rough off-road stuff must be left to genuine sport/utes. That's because, despite its short overhangs, the Forester body has carlike approach and departure angle clearances and lacks a four-wheel low transmission range.

But few sport/utility owners drive their vehicles off road, and the market is expanding rapidly for vehicles such as the Forester. With it, Subaru is going where the action and money are.