Subaru goes back to its roots

Subaru may be best known in the UK for its blue and gold, rally-bred, turbocharged screamers, but globally, its bread and butter vehicles are workhorse estates and SUVs.

Cars like the Forester and Legacy have provided years of sterling service - but their appeal has diminished because of the firm's lack of diesel power.

Now - and not before time - Subaru finally has a competitive oil-burning power plant. The Legacy estate got the new engine first and now it's the turn of the Forester.

This chunky SUV was facelifted at the beginning of the year, but was never going to make much of an impression with its petrol-only range.

Now it will be able to compete on a level playing field - and Subaru, whose UK base is in the West Midlands at Coleshill, reckons it could become one of its best-selling models.

The Forester always was an underrated car: it was boxy-looking and not particularly spacious - but with Subaru's 2.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine under the bonnet it boasted a quite extraordinary turn of speed.

Sadly, there is to be no fire-breathing turbo equivalent in the UK, though it will be sold in East Europe if anyone is looking to import one.

Instead, Subaru is sensibly concentrating on the new diesel version of the Forester as it bids to win back the 'country pursuits' customers it used to have when fuel was cheaper and more readily available.

These are the buyers who deserted Subaru for Land Rovers and premium German cars when it became clear that diesel was the only game in town for larger vehicles.

But now that Subaru has developed its own - and really rather good - diesel engine the firm thinks it can win back its old customers.

These buyers have traditionally never been ones to buy a car on its looks - they are more interested in qualities like reliability, ruggedness, build quality and all-round performance.

So the fact that the Forester is not the most stylish SUV on the block is not going to worry them.

They will, however, be pleased by the extra storage space and increased rear leg-room, as well as noting its cheap insurance, low emissions and ability to travel 600 miles plus before needing to be refuelled.

The new diesel is a lightweight two-litre power plant, developing nearly 150ps. It sits low down in the front of the vehicle, which boosts handling.

I thought it did an excellent job in the Legacy estate I tested a few weeks ago and, having now driven it in the Forester, I see no reason to change my mind.

This is a refined, powerful engine with bags of mid-range grunt, which is where you need it. And despite the bulk of the Forester it achieves 44.1mpg on the combined cycle - a figure which we all but matched on the test route.

The Forester comes with three levels of trim: X, SC and XSn. The base model is surprisingly well-equipped, with permanent four-wheel drive, electric windows, climate control air conditioning, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearknob, heated front seats, and cruise control for £20,295 on the road.

The mid-range XC adds larger 17-inch wheels, better quality headlamps and audio system, roof spoiler and electric sunroof for £22,495.

The XSn adds satellite navigation, leather-trimmed electrically-adjustable seats and a Smart key for £25,495.

All models feature a curvy dashboard which is of reasonable quality but still some way off the class-leading SUVs. The basic driving position is fine but the seats could do some with lumbar adjustment.

There's plenty of room for a family of five - and their luggage. The backs of the rear seats can be reclined slightly to make them more comfortable on long journeys.

The Forester offers a solid drive with sure-footed handling, a smoother gearbox, and good visibility.

There's not too much roll to worry about but the Forester does let itself down by becoming unsettled on poor road surfaces.

Ultimately, this is not a funky 4x4 that is going to appeal to those looking to make a 'style statement' by buying an SUV.

But it could well be just the job for the sort of customer who wants a vehicle that will have to graft for its living.

Some may argue that the facelifted Forester has become a little bland and lost some of its character - but its extra space and diesel capability have given it the potential to become the best selling Subaru in the UK.

By Peter Carroll