THE Forester is one of the most versatile vehicles on Irish roads.

It is a crossover SUV so you get lots of space and good cabin height without compromising performance. In fact with the Forester's permanent all-wheeldrive you get sports car performance in places where no sports car could possibly perform.

At the heart of all Forester models is the choice of either a 2litre or 2.5-litre petrol engine and a fulltime all-wheel-drive technology born out of rallying experience. The big advantage over two-wheel-drive vehicles is that on corners the power is transmitted through all four wheels helping the car steer neutrally in the direction of the bend avoiding understeer and oversteer.

Subaru use a horizontally opposed engine and a totally linear drivetrain layout called Symmetrical AWD (all-wheeldrive) which gives good balance and weight distribution. A selflevelling device is fitted to the rear suspension so that even with heavy loads in the rear the Forester rides flat from the second you drive off.

All this makes the car very safe and you remain in command even in demanding situations but it is still surprising that there are only four airbags and no electronic stability control programme. Subaru point to the excellent all-wheel-drive system which is a very safe bet and that there is an electronic brake distribution system, active head restraints and front seat-belt pretensioners.

The 2.5 litre is governed by an active valve control system which helps fuel economy. Expect 14 mpg around town and up to 27 mpg in mixed and open road driving. Power is boosted by a turbo-charged and intercooler.

The output is 226 bhp with maximum torque of 320nm at 3600 rpm.

The surge of power is smooth through the automatic gearbox which has a Sportshift facility that lets the driver change gear manually by a simple forward /backward movement of the gear lever, but there is always the option of letting the automatic gearbox do all the work.

The interior has been carefully planned. Boot space jumps from 387 litres to a huge 1629 litres when the rear seats are lowered.

Standard features include a speed-sensitive steering, heated front seats, cruise control, electric folding wing mirrors, tinted glass, six-track CD, climate control air conditioning, roof rails, and xenon headlights.

The Forester range starts at 33,595 for the 2-litre manual transmission version which develops 186 Nm of torque at 3200 rpm and brings fuel cosumption down to 9.3L/100km in mixed driving with Co2 emissions dropping to 220 g/km.

The 0-100 km sprint takes 9.7 secs and the top speed is 197 km.

The automatic version of this model costs 35,445. The manual version of the 2.5 litre costs 43,595 and this includes the leather interior.

But Subaru is also looking at going down the green road. The Japanese company unveiled its R1e electric city car at the Geneva Motor Show. The car has already won a green award for the high-tech electric drivetrain and as Japanese build righthand-drive cars it could be heading our way in the future.

A Subaru spokesman said that the company was making a detailed evaluation to see if it was possible to bring it to the UK first. If the decision is approved, cars could be coming through the system within 12 months.

The R1e is a very compact 2+2 seater three-door city runabout which has a 50-mile range and a top speed of 62 mph. Subaru has developed a high speed charger which allows the advanced lithium-ion battery on board to be charged to 80% capacity in just 15 minutes.

As it is a zero emissions car it would be ideal for urban areas and could avail of tax incentives expected in the October budget.

According to Subaru sources there is no possibility of the car being developed in left-handdrive.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Subaru Forester XT
Engine
2.5L petrol turbo 226 bhp
Length 4485 mm
Width 1735 mm
Height1590 mm
Wheelbase2525 mm
Acceleration 0/100km - 7.6 secs
Top speed 215 km
Transmission Sportshift 4AT
Economy 10.5L/100km (26.9 mpg)
Price /46,695
CO2 emission250g/km