100 TradeUniqueCars.com.authe concrete floor. I’m still
not sure if I agree with the
theories of Mac Carter and
his co-believers, but as my
young nephew once said:
“Eating brussels sprouts
probably won’t kill me, but
why take the chance?”
Reign Forester
You mention lots of great
cars in this great magazine,
but has anyone looked at the
Subaru Forester S edition
made around 2010/11. I own
one I bought new and it’s a
great, great SUV. It has the
same engine as the WRX of
the day, and with a couple
of minor mods, you soon
get the same power as an
STi. Modifications which, of
course, I have done.
Once the turbo is up and
boosting, it’s a seriously
quick car. It was $50k new,
but compared to some of
today’s cars, it seems a great
buy, and second hand they
are reasonably priced. The
only downsides are a small
petrol tank and average fuel
economy.
At the lights, people
MORLEY’S WORKSHOP
“A SPECIALIST
TUNED
FORESTER S
WOULD BE
AN AWESOME
LITTLER
SLEEPER”
think: Oh it’s just another
Forester. Until I absolutely
blow them away.
Subaru never made an STI
wagon, but this is probably
as close as we will ever get.
Also do you know how
many were sold in Australia.
I have tried but can’t seem
to find this info.AshMatthews,
Emailpersisting with back then.
The five-speed auto was
deemed a bit off the pace
for the time (when most
of its competition had at
least six gears) and the fuel
consumption was seriously
crook, but explainable
when you looked at the
pace the thing could
generate. Ultimately,
though, the handling was
limited by the same factors
that limit any other SUV;
that jacked up stance
equals a higher centre of
gravity and that meant
body roll at speed. You
can’t beat physics!
Anyway, good to hear
that you’re happy with
yours, Ash. And I’m not
surprised you’ve wicked up
the engine to full STi spec,
because with the right tune
that’s a pretty straight-
forward process that
shouldn’t shorten engine
life to any noticeable
degree. Combine that with
Subaru’s reputation for
building a tough engine,
and you’re on a winner.
Second-hand, these
are even better value, butOPPOSITE PAGE “Now,
where’s that handbrake
again?”BELOW This Subie is as
impressive on the bitumen
as it is in the forest.YEP, I remember these
when they were new and
the over-riding impression
was that it was a great
car in most respects. The
bigger, 2.5-litre engine was
actually a slightly detuned
version of the WRX mill and
gave the thing some real
punch while the Forester
body was still all about
practicality (if not actual
svelte looks).
Meantime, the price was
a bit scary and the interior
was made from those
terrible plastics Subaru was