Subaru Forester test drive 1997 - 2000 SUV

Forest brother

The banality and unjustification of attempts to translate this name in Russia as a forester is obvious. Firstly, between the forester and the forester exactly as much in common as between the firefighter and the firefighter, and secondly, where you saw in Russia the forester, who could, by state need to go around the territory under such a car?
And in the forest and on fire
Seeing Subaru and hearing the translation option, the representative of one of the forestry near Moscow smiled skeptically. I had to explain that the forest for us, languishing in the summer in a hot asphalt-concrete frying pan, is a welcome place of rest in free days, not a workplace. In this case, this name justifies itself in many ways.
Not all city residents are ready to sacrifice their daily passenger comfort only in order to arrange a sort of picnic on the sidelines once a week. As well as not very ready to make their beautiful Saab or BMW, wandering around your favorite dacha at a laundry soaked after weekly rains. So you have to sit in the stuffiness of stone jungle, waiting for the sun to dry the paths. In such a situation, Forester can be a very valuable assistant.

Simple, but with taste
Forester amazes the abundance of all kinds of drawers and cavities. They are literally everywhere - from the armrests of all doors to the space under the floor of the luggage compartment. It seems that one of those responsible for the design of the salon in his youth began a smugglers. So or not, but for law -abiding citizens in all these boxes there is an undoubted benefit: small objects will not wallow in different corners of the car or fly along the salon on the forest road.
Of particular delight caused a basin, which closes the spare wheel disk in the luggage compartment. That's right, care for the neighbor. And wash yourself, and rinse the machine. Preserve freshly smashed fish or crayfish to an evening meal. Or - if there was a departure in the berry or mushroom season - fill it with the gifts of the forest.
The design of the living space is restrained, but at the same time well worked out in terms of functionality. The main governing bodies are grouped in the steering area and the use of their complaints does not cause complaints.
Ergonomic hard seats remind of close kinship with steep sports members of the Subaru family. It seems that there is no need for them, but on the long journey the value of such a device is undeniable. The front ones, in addition to the usual ones, also have adjustment of the longitudinal inclination and stiffness of the lumbar support. The back of the rear seat is separate, and its parts can also be adjusted along the angle of inclination. For the eating of convenience, passengers who want to admire the summer sky through a huge hatch on the way, the bar of the luggage compartment can be moved a few centimeters so that it does not prevent them from leaning back.
Four pillows provide safety, in addition to them the passenger zone is surrounded by power elements of the body, and the seat belts have a preliminary system. In other words, they approached the safety of this forest wanderer as if he were a rally car.
The front form
Forester, supplied to Russia, are equipped with one of the most reliable and time -tested Subarovsk engines - a 2 -liter opposite four with a capacity of 122 horsepower. In principle, for this model there are also a 2-liter engine with two high-pressure turbines with a capacity of 250 hp, as well as a 2.5-liter non-ruble with 150 horses. But for official supplies to Russia, these versions are not provided, and the turbocharged version is generally sold only in Japan.
Having added a number of elegant accessories to a relatively simple costume, which can become chrome bars on the headlights that resemble the combat mask of the samurai, the same decorative grille of the radiator, side steps, wings expanders, you will receive an even more original car that will attract more than one interested look. Powerful and by no means decorative religions on the roof will perfectly withstand the hermetic streamlined trunk, where many all sorts of things necessary on a long journey will fit.
For a fee, you can also install a combined device consisting of an altimeter, barometer, thermometer, rollometer, etc., which will also be very useful in a long journey. The rest is all present in the standard. Electric windows and mirror adjustment, air conditioning and heating seats. Six speakers and a semi -automatic antenna wait for you to choose the radio that you are most to taste.
Fear wolves
Field tests left the most favorable impressions, and there was no particular lack of power and dynamics. Not to mention the fact that this motor is famous for a high degree of reliability and is one of the so -called millionaires, that is, its maximum resource is estimated by manufacturers of 1 million kilometers.
Like most high -speed engines, this motor shows the best results in the range of 3000 and higher, which is especially noticeable on the highway, if the speed exceeds 100 km/h. In the fourth or fifth gear, depending on speed, he confidently holds the set speed on protracted lifts, without forcing him to cross the step below.
The gearbox is quite adequate to the engine, but its aforementioned feature in the urban rhythm rarely made it possible to switch to transmission above the third. In the city, one unpleasant feature appeared, completely inconspicuous on the highway: a rather tough clutch pedal, which is pretty tiring with frequent switching. Is it assumed that they drive in massive shoes with thick soles through forests and valleys?
Full -wheel drive and completely independent suspension provide excellent stability and handling. To such an extent that even steep turns and turns you allow yourself to go through as you would not always decide to do this by car with the rear or front -wheel drive. Sorry for the battered metaphor, but goes like rails. The steering wheel is accurate and informative. The effort on it changes depending on speed.
The suspension is moderately soft, very well cuts off tremors and blows from all sorts of potholes. Nevertheless, on a smooth road, sometimes there was a feeling of excessive softness, expressed in excessive body rolls with sharp restructures at speed.
On a bumpy country road, the situation is different. Here, the work of the so -called linear control system (Linear Control) of shock absorbers is clearly manifested. The more the body tries to swing on the potholes, the more intensively it extinguishes these vibrations, allowing you to move at a speed at which I would have risked the bottom on an ordinary passenger, and in the jeep it would have been shaking so that the campaign to the dentist or specialist in bitter languages \u200b\u200bupon returning to The city would be inevitable.
Do not go to the forest
Acquaintance with a forest brother from Japan could not be considered consisting without verification for off -road abilities. It is perfectly aware that the difference between him and what is commonly called an SUV is about the same as between a forester and a forester, I still dared to get into a non -woven track in the forest.
Prudently turned on reduced regime and good rubber allowed, although not without difficulty, to overcome this difficult piece of the road. Forester went where the owner of an ordinary passenger car would be preparing to provide financial assistance to local tractor drivers.
So, we were quite convinced that we were dealing with a very worthy multifunctional car with a high degree of versatility. If you do not overestimate its capabilities, then Subaru Forester is fully consistent with its unique class.
 
Model/Modification Subaru Forester 2.04 WD
The manufacturer Fuji Heavy Industries Co.
The country-producing Japan
BODY
Type station wagon
Number of doors/places 5/5
ENGINE
Basin type with multi -point electronic injection
The location in front is longitudinally
Working volume (cubic meter) 1994
Number/location of the cylinders 4/horizontal-opposition
Cylinder diameter x Piston stroke (mm) 92.0x75.0
Compression degree 9.6x1
Power, kW (L.S.) at about./Min. 90 (122) at 5600
Moment (nm at about./Min.) 176 at 4000
The number of valves per cylinder 4
TRANSMISSION
The permanent drive is full with a viscous differential with a viscose
Gearbox is a mechanical five -speed with a decreasing nearby
Transporting number, norms/lowering. 1.0/1.2
SUSPENSION
Front Independent spring type MacPherson with an L-shaped swing lever, gas-filled shock absorbers with a linear control system, a reptile stabilizer
The rear independent spring, on double transverse levers, gas -filled shock absorbers with a linear control system, a reptile stabilizer
 
STEERING
Type gear-rake, hydraulic wrap with a transmitted number, depending on the speed
Min. Diameter of turn (m) 10.8
Brakes
Front disk ventilated
The rear drum
ABS four -channel with electronic control, option
Wheels
Tire size 205/70 r15
6Jx15 'discs''
Dimensions/Opam/Weight
Length/width/height (mm) 4450/1735/1595
Wheel base (mm) 2525
The track front/back (mm) 1475/1450
Clearance (mm) 190
The volume of the fuel tank (L) 60
Mass, dry/maximum (kg) 1305/1860
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed (km/h) 180
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 10.8
Economy
Fuel consumption (l/100 km):
Highway 7.6
City 11.7
Mixed cycle 9.4
The price of the weated in Moscow (Asiaalars) from $ 34,000
Who else
The top -up question posed above is how to translate a foreman - a forester, a forester, a logging - can be trained to infinity. But what really is not in doubt is that the American representatives of the aforementioned profession were very lucky. Giving a sharp start of the advertising campaign, Subaru gave them exactly thirty -five new all -terrain vehicles. And since the autopilot did not have the opportunity to exploit a foreman in the forests for a long time, we listen to overseas impressions. Moreover, the off -road there, unlike roads, is not at all passing than ours.
The foreman's front seats with armrests are so convenient that after a whole day of shaking driving I do not feel broken, ”the caretaker of the wild rocky steppes in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Great Canyon, belonging to the Hualapaev tribe, was glad.
The Subaru thinking all -wheel drive allows us to easily overcome the slippery slopes of our site, - the foresters from the foothills of the Alaskan ridge noted
Thanks to the high landing of the driver, combined with a huge glazing area, we can perfectly navigate any bad weather, their colleagues said from the rainy coast of the Atlantic.
Foremen provided to us look quite usually, ”the Forest Department summed up the opinions of his employees - but they have unknown depths, which are devoid of many much more stylish cars.
Well, the notorious basin over the reserve Americans liked even more than the Russians. Unescruded practical, - the Yankees admire.
Andrey Timofeev, Alexey Ilyin (photo)
 

A source: "Autopilot"