Gadgets Philippines – July 2019

38 july 2019 http://www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Generally speaking, our vehicles are capable of more than we put them through. While they’re perfectly

happy going on the straight roads from our homes, to our offices, to the grocery store, when pushed, they can

do amazing things. This holds even truer for Subaru’s Forester. A highly capable city vehicle, it’s capable of

greater things that one might think. We got to take one out for a road trip well outside of the city limits to see

what else the compact SUV is capable of.

Subaru Forester 2.0i-L

Reviewed and Photos by Ren Alcantara

DESIGN

The 2019 Forester has been updated with slight

changes to the grille, a bit more cargo space, and a

few tweaks here and there. Overall though, they’re

clearly not changing a winning strategy, keeping

much of the Forester the same. It maintains the

high, confident stance that has made the marque

great for both city and backroad driving, and

long trips with the whole family. Our test drive

was done in a very clean Crystal White Pearl, with

subtle chrome accents here and there. The Forester

is deceptively large for its class, but it’s not until

torque at 4,000 RPM. It might have a smaller,

1995cc displacement than the now-phased

out 2.5 Turbo of the previous generation, but

the numbers show that it’s still a very capable

power plant.

Built upon Subaru’s Global Platform, the

New Forester promises greater rigidity and

strength, at less weight, and with better

steering characteristics. The combination of

the chassis and better handling characteristics

make for a vehicle with superb handling and

comfort.

you walk up to it that you’ll notice. The purposeful,

upswept line that starts from the grille, to the

rear of the SUV gives it a dynamic look, and the

two-tone wheels rounds the image off nicely. It’s

as good-looking as it has ever been, and is low-key

enough not to get too much attention.

HARDWARE

The current Forester gets a 2.0 liter engine

mated to a CVT to drive power to each of the

four wheels. The DOHC, 16-Valve, Flat 4 lump

delivers 156 PS at 6000 RPM, and 196 Nm of

http://www.subaru-global.com/ebrochure/Forester/2018my/EC/

mobile/all/interior-trims

http://www.subaru-global.com/ebrochure/Forester/2018my/EC/

mobile/all/interior-360