Subaru Forester 2.0D Xsn review

2. Engine

The new turbodiesel unit not only represents the Forester’s first ever oil-burner, but Subaru’s. The horizontally-opposed cylinder engine has already been fitted to the Outback and will soon be making an appearance in the Impreza, so there can be little doubt about the company’s confidence that it will deliver.
And deliver it does. Initially though, you have to work the accelerator pretty hard to get the vehicle briskly off the mark, but once the full weight of torque kicks in at around 1800rpm, progress through the mid and upper range areas is smooth and swift. The diesel Forester’s 0-62mph time of 10 seconds certainly puts it abreast of most of its mid-priced SUV competition too, as does its top speed of 115mph, so that in terms of raw performance there’s no reason why the vehicle doesn’t now make for a convincing option.
In fact, given these money-conscious times it may even be the preferred option as this model’s impressive return of 44.1mpg is exactly the same fuel consumption figure as the smaller and infinitely less practical Ford Kuga, putting it in the road tax bracket of just £175 for 2009.

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