Subaru ‘e’ Forester, Outback X: All the dirt on old school and new

Two core models thrown into the mire; one the last version of an old favourite and the other first of a new electric generation … which does best in an environment potentially ignored by too many owners?

Which Subaru to chose … the Forester E-Boxer Hybrid (left) or the outback X?

all images: Callum Crawley.

Outback X

Price:  $49,990
Powertrain and performance:  2.5-litre four-cylinder horizontally opposed petrol, 129kW/ 235Nm. CVT automatic, all-wheel drive. 7.3 L/100km.
Vital statistics: Length 4820mm, height 1675mm, width 1840mm, wheelbase 2745mm. Luggage 512 litres. Wheels: 18-inch alloys.
We like: Excellent final fling, has aged well.
We don’t like: Does achieve all updates meted Forester.

Forester Premium E-Boxer Hybrid

Base price: $54,990

Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre four-cylinder horizontally-opposed turbo petrol , 110kW/196Nm (12.3kW/66Nm electric motor), CVT, AWD, 6.7L/100km.

Vital statistics: 4625mm long, 1815mm wide, 1730mm high, 2670mm wheelbase, luggage 509 litres, 18-inch alloys.

We like: Strong spec, tough look, rigged ambience.

We don't like: Lacks zap, fails to show economy gain, inconsistent ergonomics.

‘COULD do better’ – I saw that one more than once in teacher comments in my school reports.

And, of course, they’re right: I really was a bit of a slacker when it came to some subjects. I’m sure I’m not alone, however; many mates of the period say the same, or worse, on their assessment cards.

In adult life, perhaps, there will be those of us who have owned Subaru products developed to exploit off-road opportunity might give ourselves a similar rating when gauging how we might have under-utilised our cars. 

I’m as guilty as any. As much as  our 18-year-old Forester, aka the ‘dog car’ simply because it’s the chosen canine conveyance (though it could equally be known as the ‘firewood’ car, the ‘paddock car’ and the ‘towing garden detritus to the fire heap’ car) gets to undertake a fair degree of dirty work, I cannot admit to the same occurring with the current-gen Outback turbodiesel, now gone to another owner, we had for a couple of years.

That one rarely went far off the seal and, in hindsight, that’s something I’m slightly ashamed to admit to, given the quality of the torque. But somehow best laid plans never quite eventuated. The best, tackling a Central Otago gold miners’ route, was foiled by a really basic self-perpetrated navigation error. I missed a vital turn to Thomson Track and by the time I realised … well, there was no time. Shame, it would have been brilliant.

As much as it’s always easier to take risk with an old car, worth little, than with a new one, still worth a lot, fact is that when it comes to core competencies, the latest is probably a whole lot more likely to safely see its way through. 

Subaru NZ always makes an effort to include off-road driving whenever they release a product; so I know first-hand that same Outback is great in the sludge (also in Central) and the Forester, too.

 Both cars are specced lavishly, the Forester full to bursting for safety and conform spec, yet that doesn’t diminish their toughness, save that you might like to put down some floor coverings to protect the carpet.

 Generally, speaking, you could take either into the rough with equal confidence. When you’re discussing the models in their standard 2.5-litre formats, they deliver the same symmetrical four wheel drive, have identical 22cm ground clearance, mate to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that kinda mimics an eight-speed gearbox and run the same Bridgestone Dueller tyre.

Forester is shorter, yes, has slightly superior approach and departure angles and weighes slightly less, but there’s not a lot in it.

However, the stakes keep changing, don’t they? Now there’s an Outback X and e-Boxer Forester, each arriving with type-specific technical changes.

With Subaru’s largest family wagon, though just in this specific variant, the X-Mode off-roading kit has been enhanced to match one the Forester has always had.

 In achieving the same dual settings for snow, dirt and mud – one a continuation of the format that will be known to Outback drivers, the second a more advanced setting – the Outback X provides a taster of what will become standard on the new-generation Outback, already out in America, coming to New Zealand next year. Conceivably, it should make this car even more adventurous off-seal.

Forester, meantime, is out on a new electric crusade that the larger won’t be drawn into. The hybrid format demands a big alteration; lifting out the usual 2.5-litre petrol shared with Outback and supplanting in an electric motor and batteries in marriage to a 2.0-litre petrol.

It’s a big change, no argument, and one already determined, from trying it in the XV, is objectively found wanting in road driving; in particular, it struggles to achieve the economy improvements you’d expect from a petrol-electric and doesn’t feel as muscular as the alternate engine. How much help would it provide in low-grip, off-seal situations?

Only one way to find out. The drive plan for each included visiting a common playground. A farm on which a course was laid out. A 25-ish degree grassy climb that’d be ascended from a standing start, a slushy gravel pit, some paddocks and a rutted gravel track.

They ran the same route, but never physically crossed paths. Test period timings were almost a month apart. Crossing fingers about conditions being broadly uniform seemed to work.

I’m indebted to Tim and Karyn Crawley for allowing me onto their property and also to their son, Callum, for the excellent photographs and assistance.

Their beef and sheep farm is no stranger to off-road fare; the Crawley business in Palmerston North, Autokraft 4x4, specialises in off-road parts and preparing vehicles. Tricked out to the extreme with Old Man Emu suspension, air-operated diff locks, with a winch and plenty of other gear, Callum’s Toyota Hilux was trailing, ready to become the perfect rescue vehicle.

It was never called into action. While the conditions underfoot were hardly a doddle, with each car slithering from time to time – particularly on the hill start, where they both lost grip as soon as the grass was ripped away –Subaru’s AWD really proved its mettle.

The X-Mode too. A system that constantly monitors the traction available to each wheel and centralises control of the engine, transmission and brakes is really intuitive. It’s impressive how even the CVT is brought into line, to the extent that it ‘holds’ what passes for a gear.

However, in saying that, it became clear that the first stage, which is the one Outback has in every other variant, was better in the specific conditions encountered that the ‘deep mud/snow’ alternate that has been added. Strange as it might sound, the latter cried out for softer conditions. On the relatively firm ground I was driving, it was often just too aggressive in its interaction.

Yet X-Mode is a great asset. You might argue if it makes a ‘serious’ off-seal vehicle all the more serious – because that logic asks that you see either model as being that to start with – but each setting clearly operates in different and distinct manner. So much so, that, when once fails to do the job, chances are the other won’t. 

Ultimately, though, while it had to be driven more carefully in deference to its size and less agreeable overhangs, the Outback X shone as the more proficient car. It’s agility and get-through aptitude was impressive; it never felt as if it was exerting to the limit and, in fact, was more dextrous in one area than the Hilux. Wow.

The Forester, on the other, was troubled – and, since conditions on its day were slightly better than they were for the Outback, that’s hardly reassuring.

But findings were sobering. First, and most obviously, it lacks initial oomph. Also, when power does come on, it arrives untidily; the lay-in is abrupt and usually occurring much higher in the rev range than with the Outback’s 2.5, with end result that it falls far more easily into going-nowhere wheelspin.

Dissection of the drivetrain relates why. The 2.0-litre develops 110kW at 6000rpm (as opposed to 129kW from the 2.5) and 196Nm at 4000rpm in this application, while the electric motor has peak outputs of 12.3kW and 66Nm. Add those together and it looks strong. But Subaru doesn't quote a combined total of 122.3kW and 262Nm, like some might assume.

In fact, it doesn’t give a combined figure at all. So, you cannot assume one-plus-one equals two or even that it potentially makes more torque than a more conventional 2.5-litre Forester, which delivers 239Nm. 

Indeed, it very likely does not. Something else cropped up. On road, the electric and petrol work in tandem; you sometimes feel an extra jolt of oomph when the electrics join in. With our farm driving, you’d swear the battery-compelled drivetrain was always off-line. Inevitably, then, it came across as a large car with a small engine that always felt (and, ultimately, smelled) as if it had to work harder to haul more kilos – which it is. The e-Boxer carries 67kg more than a Forester 2.5 in the same spec. And that’s with the hybrid losing its spare wheel, to open up stowage space for the battery.

That’s not to say it isn’t up to expeditionary status. All the same, you’d probably prefer the Outback: It’s no less nimble and, in delicate driving conditions, is less likely to spin those tyres and more likely to deliver strength when it’s required.

 In on-road driving, the e-Boxer Forester provisioned much the experiences as the e-Boxer XV; the electric drive system is generally doing something to supplement the petrol engine, but it’s never enough. Brand contention about it being up to powering the car in EV mode at up to 40kmh never happens; in general, the engine is kicking it at walking speed, not matter light-footed you try to be.

When both work as one, the powertrain is still not as good or smooth as a 2.5-litre Forester; performance is mostly adequate but no more than that. Ask it to accelerate briskly and it struggles; not just because it lacks pep, sometimes there’s a defined lull before the power even arrives.

When the XV was on test, every effort was made to achieve good economy, but largely to no avail. No effort was put into driving the Forester that. It was just treated to the same kind of driving as the Outback. The economy came out remarkably similar; an indicated 8.7 L/100km average from the Forester and 9.0L/100km from the Outback. 

It’s a shame the hybrid isn’t better, because this is the right direction for Subaru and, had it worked, would have been a great off-set to the opinion their boxer engines are more hungry that in-line types. They really aren’t, and they’re also more characterful, but perceptions are hard to shake. Doubtless some will see the ‘e’ badge alone as presenting enough validation for buy-in – especially if they’re a corporate striving to do the right thing – but, with a colleague having worked out you’d needed to clock 380,000kms’ to offset the premium, it’s just too hard to recommend. 

A pity. As with the XV, the one benefit from having the hybrid gear is that it improves the ride. This Forester feels softer and more compliant than the other. Avoid hoofing it and general refinement and noise suppression are good as well. 

Also, of course, if you exempt this powertrain, the Forester generally excels. That NZ Car of the Year title afforded when the range comprised just 2.5-litre models was well-deserved. It’s a roomy and well-equipped car, even if some of the safety watchdog stuff – the lane keep and driver awareness reminders – are way too over-zealous.

So, back to the Outback X, and what a graceful way for this model to exit the sales stage. Sure, this experience reinforced what own ownership period told me; it’s not in any way an athletic car, but it does have a real grace about how it drive. The suspension provides a docile ride, and its steering is accurate and easy to manage. It’s just a great car for long distance travelling. As this outing reinforced, it’s also a better off-road car than many will give it credit for being. The couple of hours spent on the farm really left me ashamed that I hadn’t tried harder with the version I owned. If anything, the diesel – through having so much ow-rev torque – would have been even better than the X. 

On the other hand, I cannot help but think Subaru has left the best until last with this special edition.

As an effective run-out car – though it’s not called that – it certainly does a good job of keeping up consumer interest.

It only dresses up a bit, yet the ingredients of a bespoke paint job, black treatment of its 18-inch alloys, grille, wing mirrors and rear badging, lime green accents on the side badges and grille really lift its kerbside appearance.

Dropping leather on the seats for a cloth is also not the retrograde move you might imagine it to be; the seats are more comfortable and the material, being water-repellent, is arguably more practical.

So, in this report card, only one deserves a ‘could do better’. Whereas the other will leave the scene having done more than enough.

Subaru XV Sport e-Boxer: Enough meat or Greens?

If you’re imagining Subaru’s first hybrid is going to be a revelation, best sit down. With only minor improvements in efficiency and responsiveness applied to a model that’s dating, it’s challenging to see the point.

Price: $42,490

Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder with electric motor, 110kW/196Nm (12.3kW/66Nm electric motor), continuously variable transmission, AWD, combined economy 6.5L/100km, CO2 161g/km.

Vital statistics: 4465mm long, 1800mm wide, 1595mm high, 2665mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 345 litres, 17-inch alloy wheels 225/60 tyres.

We like: Improved ride, coherent hybrid-specific graphics.

We don't like: Fussy drivetrain antics, no ‘wow’ moment with hybrid engagement, XV design has dated quickly.

NOW the count of cars with potential to replenish partially – as, by virtue of a plug-in hybrid set up – or wholly (so your full electric car) -is significant enough not to be ignored, where do mild hybrids stand?

The brand that changed the world with the Prius and put more than 15 million hybrids on the world’s roads insists mild hybrids will remain relevant for years yet. Toyota’s conviction is great news for Subaru, given it’s also now taking the same path as the global giant.

Interestingly, as much as the e-Boxer inserting into the XV driven here, in entry Sport trim, and a more expensive Forester variant represents a giant leap for its maker, it might nonetheless appear something of baby step in the overall scheme of electric things, if not also off the pace set by others.

Really? Well, it’d be an insult to Subaru’s engineers to call e-Boxer primitive. Yet let’s just suggest it’s hardly fortunate for its rollout to occur so soon after the RAV4 Hybrid, a certain sector rival despite some price disparity. If you’re set on the Subaru star, comparison with Toyota’s similarly-pitched product won’t help. The latter is far more advanced. 

Toyota stands mention because it owns about a fifth of Subaru Corporation, the company formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries, they also obviously co-operate (86/BRZ) and are partners on an electric car project.

It’s some surprise, then, to hear Subaru claim e-Boxer to be entirely an in-house concoct and that all the brands share is a common philosophy centred on using a combination of petrol and electric motors – capable of running individually or in tandem – to reduce economy and emissions (and without the need to charge the vehicle via a plug). When you are buddies with the world leader, you’d think every opportunity to use their talent would be taken, right? And yet …

Subaru’s claims for the degree of improvement from this driveline are hardly outrageous; they cite a 14 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over the equivalent petrol model on the urban cycle and a seven percent improvement on the combined cycle. They also cite an official overall full burn of 6.5 litre per 100km; which is nothing to brag about when in the company of a Prius or RAV4 hybrid owner and is just 0.5L/100km sharper than the official combined figure cited for a regular XV.

That’s in optimal conditions. What’ll it do in a ‘real world’ application? From my experience, not a great deal of improvement over the regular model, at least not in the environment I exposed it to.

Running up a couple of hundred kays in a mix of country and urban running delivered an average of 7.6 litres per 100km. A regular edition, with effectively the same engine, I’d driven several weeks prior over similar circumstances returned 8.3L/100km: So, in those circumstances, the hybrid remained 1.1L/100km shy of its optimal whereas the regular model was 1.3 L/100km off shy of its own target. 

That suggests it’s easier to get economy from the hybrid. But it also impresses the advantages could be slight. Even if it bulls-eyed the factory claim, logically it will take years of ownership to recoup the variant’s $5000 premium. Also, it’s obvious the hybrid’s overall range will always be lower, because the electric drivetrain’s implementation asks for 48 litre fuel tank, whereas the regular car has a 68 litre tank. (Quirkily, cargo volume increases, from a 310 litres to 345).

Of course, the picture is bigger than just fuel burn alone. Emissions were lower from the e-Boxer, but not much: 147 grams per kilometre against 159 according to manufacturer figures.

So far, so damning? Well, while the overall averages were less worlds apart, there were specific instances when the e-Boxer appeared to be operating far more efficiently than the pure petrol, even if it wasn’t always when I expected it.

Hybrids are renowned for being most effective at fuel-saving around town, where they can rely more frequently on their electric motors.

From my exercise, though, the XV e-Boxer’s sweetest spot on the move appeared to occur when it was driving somewhere around 70kmh; an awkward area when most speed jurisdictions are either 50kmh or 100kmh.

 The other scenario where it also leans down is when its literally crawling. So, if caught for prolonged periods in very slow traffic, it’s potentially not a bad friend. Around where I live, ‘rush hour’ at its worst lasts about 15 minutes.

So is it worth it? Not really. Above that, there’s the question of whether you even want the XV to start with. It’s no longer a particularly new product and, despite continuing improvement to the spec, has patently been left behind by the Forester, let alone quite a few cars from other makers, in how it drives and presents. The origami styling hasn’t aged particularly well, either. It’s simply not Subaru’s finest effort. And I say this from viewpoint of being a brand fan; we still own a older Forester and had the current Outback for a while.

If you are going to buy in, be assured it’s at least a simple science by hybrid standards. A powertrain married to an electric motor fed by a lithium ion battery that operates mainly in tandem, but occasionally in isolation, is hybrid 101. No driving modes to manage the motor’s performance and the paddles behind the steering wheel have not been repurposed, as so often occurs, to alter the strength of the regenerative braking. Pull those and you’re moving through the pre-set change points built into the CVT.

The battery isn’t huge; outputs in isolation are 12.3kW and 66Nm of torque. Self-charging using regenerative braking energy. It combines with the engine to produce a total output of 110kW at 6000rpm and 196Nm at 4000rpm; that’s identical torque as you get with the regular XV but 5kW less power. This all feeds through a drivetrain that’s Subaru tried and true. So, permanent all-wheel-drive system and chain-and-pulley CVT, though the latter is slightly recalibrated.

The rationale for Subaru calling it a ‘motor assist’ tech and enforcing that it is more of a supplementary unit than a primary driver made increasing sense as the test progressed. For the most part, the system’s imprint was subtle. 

Well, except with the starting process. That’s bound to be surprising to those used to other hybrids, in that going straight-to-electric on activating for a silent roll-away, forward or reverse, never occurs. It’ll do that stuff when the car is fully operational, yes, but at initial firing it’s always the petrol engine that kicks into life – and with quite a cacophony when cold. Going straight into burning hydrocarbons; where’s the Green ‘wow’ in that? 

Time with the standard model imprinted that this engine is probably the most raucous of Subaru’s current crop of horizontally-opposed units; as much as I enjoy a good boxer burble, it’s just not a particular refined unit; the harder you rev, the louder it gets. The implantation of electric assistance lifts its manners, but not enough. It’s not a smooth experience and with the power band being narrow and a CVT that’s quite anxious to involve it can be a juggling act to keep it operating quietly and calmly.

Also, for the most part it barely feels any sharper than the non-assisted variant. The modest contribution to accelerative responsiveness is most evident with light throttle applications. Under intense acceleration – such as for overtaking – it sounds and feels no less strained.

Keeping a weather eye on the display dedicated showing the ebb and flow of the power feeds is fascinating. Even in general daily driving at even speed, contribution can be incredibly sporadic and fleeting. Don’t imagine you’ll always catch the sequence on the schematic indicating when all the handovers occur and don’t take it for granted that the electronic warble the car emits when it is running in EV mode below 24kmh won’t continue momentarily into the period when the engine re-engages.

The best chance of achieving a feel of the car being in operation on electricity alone for forward propulsion comes when you build up pace, then lift off the throttle. The engine will shut down, allowing for emissions-free coasting which, along with braking, helps replenish the battery, a process it will signal with the green ‘EV’ light illuminating on the driver display. But not for long. On anything but an ascent, though, the interaction is usually brief, perhaps just 20 seconds at most, before the car slows to a point where it needs a jolly up.

So what, then, of the proposal it can accelerate on electrons alone up to 40kmh, depending on factors? Well, good luck. Try as I might, I found it impossible to prevent the engine kicking in at anything beyond parking speeds. And kick in it does; the transition is far from subtle, with a noticeable shunt from the driveline as the engine sparks to life and the CVT flares its revs in anticipation.

Subaru’s crossovers build their reputation on being adventure wagons. You’d hope at least most owners would use them as such and, while the XV isn’t as rugged as a Forester or Outback, it does okay in its standard format.

How about the e-Boxer? Well, the positive is that the incorporation of the electric kit doesn’t seem to impinge on the design overall. Yet neither does it add to the car’s beyond-seal talent. That seems to me to be a missed opportunity. Recognition that battery-fed drive offers intriguing benefits when negotiating tricky scenarios is set to be exploited by Jeep and Land Rover. Towing also reduces. The hybrid and regular models should tow up to 650kg unbraked, but in braked situations the hybrid peaks at 1270kg, against 1400kg.

Even in situations where the hybrid is taking a back seat, other tech is working to make impression.

Subaru has really stepped up on driver assist systems and while Sport trim, as the entry level, doesn’t lend the whole package, apart from the obvious absence of Vision Assist that monitors driver behaviour and alerts to fatigue, but the main element of the core EyeSight technologies it is design to supplement are in place. There’s a Front View Monitor that compensates for the lack of front sensors, a reversing camera and Lead Vehicle Start Alert lets you know when traffic has got under way. It also has an autonomous emergency braking system, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping systems.

Graphics are quite basic, and the main menu’s set of icons look incomplete unless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto has been hooked up, which is requisite for using navigation. The screen is responsive, though.

The XV’s interior is soundly built, but is also struggling to sell itself for ambience; even though there’s decent tactility to buttons and dials, it is skewed toward functionality over flair, burdened by cheap plastics and though less busy than the Forester cockpit, is also less attractive. All sorts of clues point to it being from an age we are now fast departing; for instance, a centre console storage area that seems sized for phones of the 1990s rather than 2020s and the USB points for cellphone integration is awkwardly located.

The XV Sport trim delivers on 225/60 R17 rubber and handling attributes with or without the battery set seem similar, save that the electric encumbered models additional kerb weight – 1576kg versus 1474kg – does seem to make it a bit less sharp in cornering. That’s only really noticeable in extreme situations though and, as is common with cars of this ilk, the hybrid actually has improved ride quality; the benefits from the additional low-set weight reflect in a car that is less bothered by surface imperfections. That’s a plus point as the XV in standard form can feel a touch overly firm. Steering weighting is well judged, though a vague on-centre feel arises. Like all Subarus, it feels confident and safe on loose surfaces.

I’d have trouble recommending an XV these days and would all the more reluctant pointing anyone to the e-Boxer. The technology works, but from my experience it doesn’t do anything near enough to make a persuasive difference. And what will hurt Subaru’s chances with it is that there is at least one other model in this sector that can deliver more coherently, even if it costs a bit more.

While it’s good to see Subaru taking its first hybrid steps, it’s also really apparent they should have phoned a fri

Subaru Outback: It’s that X-factor

This version waves goodbye to the fifth generation line.

Price:  $49,990
Powertrain and performance:  2.5-litre four-cylinder horizontally opposed petrol engine. 129kW/5800rpm, 235Nm/4000rpm. All-wheel drive. 7.3 L/100km.
Vital statistics: Length 4820mm, height 1675mm, width 1840mm, wheelbase 2745mm. Luggage 512 litres. Wheels: 18-inch black alloys with 225/60R18 100V tyres.
We Like: Solid boxer engine performance, all-wheel drive with dual-function X-Mode, excellent safety specification, water resistant seats a great idea for this outdoorsy SUV.
We don’t like: Rear load area not wide enough.

ONE of the great pleasures of long-distance motoring – particularly when you’re alone behind the wheel – is that it is an opportunity to let your mind wander a little.

Experts say it’s actually good for you to let thoughts freely move in and out of your head, as you’re doing something like cruising along the likes of the Canterbury plains.  Apparently it helps improve an individual’s creativity.

So there you go, folks. All that time behind the wheel, considering what you’d do if you won the weekend’s big Lotto jackpot, isn’t fantasising – it’s being creative.

The other day I let my mind wander during a long journey in the latest version of Subaru’s Outback SUV. I was reminiscing to myself about various experiences in all five generations of the model so far, silently congratulating the then Fuji Heavy Industries (now Subaru Corporation) for having the vision back in the early 1990s to simply jack up the ground clearance of a Legacy wagon and call it a crossover.

And naming it Outback.  What a great name for such a vehicle, I mused. Everyone has heard of the Outback, that word originally used in the 1860s to describe anywhere west of the inland New South Wales settlement of Wagga Wagga, but now used to describe the entire Aussie interior.

As the kilometres passed, the mind wandered some more.  Outback hasn’t been the first Subaru to carry an Australian name, I remembered. Back in the 1970s the brand developed a small ute that in USA was called BRAT  - for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter, for Heaven’s sake – but thankfully in Australasia it was known as the Brumby, after the feral outback horse.

But the Brumby was never anywhere near as successful as the Outback. The SUV has been a major success all over the world, and in New Zealand it is the biggest-selling Subaru.  In fact it’s so dominant that these days Subaru doesn’t bother selling a wagon version of the Legacy – the brand leaves it all up to the higher-riding and more rugged Outback.

We’re on the verge of receiving a new sixth-generation Outback, and as is usually the case when it comes to vehicle runout time, limited numbers of the current fifth-generation model are now being offered as special edition versions.

The vehicle I was driving was a 2.5-litre Outback X, which the Subaru marketers describe as the most outback Outback yet.  In terms of its $49,990 price it sits right in between the two other 2.5 Outbacks on the Kiwi market, the $47,490 Sport and the $52,490 Premium.

So what’s so outback about this Outback?

For starters it is the first such model to be fitted with the dual-function X-Mode system that was first introduced last year in the latest generation Forester SUV. The X-Mode includes settings for snow, dirt and mud, and it constantly monitors the traction available to each wheel and centralises control of the engine, transmission and brakes.

It really does enhance the all-wheel drive capability of the Outback X, which with its ground clearance of 213mm has the ability to get to plenty of out-of-the-way places. Without being silly about , of course – you wouldn’t want to use such a vehicle for serious off-roading duties. More like getting to a remote surf or fishing spot, or up to a local skifield.

And if you do that, here’s a second unique Outback X feature:  it has water repellent seat fabric. Not 100 per cent waterproof mind you, so you wouldn’t want to drive for too long in your wetsuit after a day in the water.  But Subaru says the fabric is not easily penetrated by small amounts of water, which probably means that sitting on a wet towel should be OK.

Cosmetic differences include black treatment of its 18-inch alloys, front grille, wing mirrors and rear badging, and a nice touch is lime green accents on the side badges and grille, and lime green stitching on the seats, centre console, steering wheel and gearshift.

It all adds up to a really nice vehicle. Safe too, thanks to AWD, and Subaru’s EyeSight crash avoidance technology which is made up of eight features that include brake assist, pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane sway warning, and lane keep assist.

From the comfort perspective the Outback X also has electric sunroof, a rear power tailgate, and satellite navigation.

You could say the X adds a little bit of excitement to the Outback as the countdown continues towards arrival of the new sixth generation model later this year. It will initially be available with the normally aspirated 2.5-litre engine only, although power and torque will be boosted slightly to 133kW at 5800 rpm and 238 Nm at 4400 rpm.

The body style remains pretty much the same, even though it will be built on the new Subaru Global Platform that will offer much more torsional rigidity than before. The interior is a lot different to now, notably with a much larger, vertical centre screen.

One major change – and this won’t happen until next year – will be the replacement of the current six cylinder 3.6R model with a version powered by a turbocharged 2.4-litre boxer engine. This is the result of Subaru dumping the six from the Outback in USA, reserving the bigger engine for the seven-seater Ascent which is built only in left-hand drive.

The bad news is that this boxer six will no doubt be sorely missed by fans in New Zealand. But the god news is that despite its smaller cubic capacity, the turbocharged 2.4-litre engine offers superior power and torque.

Whereas the six produces 191kW at 6000 rpm and torque of 350Nm at 4400rpm, the turbo engine develops 193kW at 5600 rpm and 375Nm at a low 2000 rpm.

The new Outback will also be slightly bigger, with its 5mm additional length all going into improving the rear load space.

in case you were wondering … here’s the next-gen car

Subaru Impreza: Holding the line

The Sport edition is the last Impreza standing.

Subaru Impreza Sport

Price:  $32,490
Powertrain and performance:  2.0-litre four-cylinder horizontally opposed petrol engine. 115kW/6000rpm, 196Nm/4000rpm. All-wheel drive. 6.6 L/100km.
Vital statistics: Length 4460mm, height 1480mm, width 1775mm, wheelbase 2670mm. Luggage 345 litres. Wheels: 17-inch alloys with 205/50R17 89V tyres.
We like: Solid boxer engine performance, helped along by SI Drive. All-wheel drive for an economical price. Excellent safety specification.
We don’t like: Body design is getting a bit dated. Car competes in a shrinking market segment.

HELLO old friend – how’s life?

In the case of the Subaru Impreza, things are a bit lonely these days.

When it was first introduced back in 1992 as a replacement for the Leone, small cars including five-door hatchbacks were very popular, and as a result at one stage there were up to 16 different versions of the Impreza to choose from.

But now the selection is just a single $32,490 Impreza Sport hatch.

It’s the fault of those darned SUVs, you see, which are now so popular with New Zealand motorists that compact and medium-sized versions currently make up 37 percent of all new vehicle registrations.

In fact this popularity is so great that a year or so ago it prompted one member of the Impreza family to change gender and become a compact SUV called XV.

 Over the years the Impreza  has also been the basis of creation of a couple of the motoring world’s great performance cars, the WRX and STi.

Not only that, but the Impreza’s platform has  also been used for development of several other Subarus currently on sale, including the Levorg wagon and the Forester SUV.

So as the Impreza Sport  sits there all on its own as the only five-door hatch on every Subaru sales yard, it can reflect on the fact that over the years it has been responsible for development of a good many other models.

And – importantly – the Impreza isn’t finished yet. In fact a few months ago it received a facelift in an effort to remain competitive in the small car category of the kiwi new vehicle market.

It’s had an exterior cosmetic overhaul via changed frontal design and new 17-inch alloy wheels, performance potential has been improved thanks to installation of Subaru’s Intelligent Drive (Si) system, and safety has been improved via the marque’s EyeSight driver assist feature.

That’s significant improvement to a hatch that appeals as perhaps the value package of the small car sector – remember, the model is all-wheel drive which usually adds several thousand to the price of any car.

From a performance perspective, on paper the Subaru doesn’t look to be anything special. It’s 2.0-litre horizontally opposed engine offers 115kW of power and 196Nm of torque, which is bettered by a number of other small cars including Ford Focus, Hyundai i30 and Toyota Corolla.

But boxer engines are inherently excellent performers, because their lower profile in the engine bay provides a more even distribution of power to the rest of the drivetrain.  That’s the case with this Impreza, which can turn on quite robust performance when required, particularly when the SI Drive is moved from the everyday Intelligent mode to Sport to enhance performance.

The Impreza’s Lineartronic continuously variable automatic continues to be one of the best around, and it offers manual mode, and I personally enjoy a push-button hill hold function that can be used to remain stationary when stopped at, say, a set of lights on a hill.

I also very much enjoy the EyeSight driver assist system, which uses a pair of ‘eyes’ located on the windscreen in front of the rear-view mirror to continually scan the road ahead and if necessary warn the driver of potential danger ahead. Sometimes I tired of the system’s lane departure warning, but at the end of the day I would much rather have it than not.

It’s worth remembering that the Impreza Sport is a vehicle that retails for less than $32,500, yet standard specification includes an eight-inch infotainment touch-screen, Bluetooth hands-free with both Apple Carplay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, and reversing camera.

I have a soft spot for the Subaru Impreza, because it has consistently been a very good car.

The first-generation model was launched in 1992 in both four-door sedan and five-door hatch forms, built using a shortened platform of the Legacy. It was immediately recognised for the quality of its drive, which explains why these days there are still plenty of them used by enthusiasts in club rallying events.

The second-generation version launched in the early 2000s wasn’t available as a hatch, with Subaru preferring to go the way of the sedan and wagon instead. But that changed six years later when the third generation model was offered as a sedan and hatch.  When the fourth-generation model was launched in 2012 the body shapes continued to be restricted to sedan and hatch, with the wagon duties passing on to a new model Subaru named Levorg.

We’re now on to the fifth generation, released worldwide in 2016 and which was the first Subaru to be built on a new global platform that offered more than 70 per cent more torsional rigidity, and which is now used on all Subaru models.

And now that model has been facelifted – even though the constantly changing preferences of the motoring public have forced a reduction in the Impreza selection in New Zealand to just the single model.

So how’s life, old friend? It’s a bit lonely, but that one hatchback is keeping alive a strong Subaru pedigree.

Subaru XV: In search of middle ground

Where is the centre of the North Island? We use the smallest Subaru SUV to reach that spot.

Subaru XV Premium
Price:  $42,490.
Powertrain and performance:  2.0-litre four-cylinder horizontally opposed petrol engine; 115kW/6000rpm, 196Nm/4000rpm. All-wheel drive.
Vital statistics: Length 4465mm, height 1615mm with roof rails, width 1800mm, wheelbase 2665mm. Luggage 310 litres.
Wheels: 18-inch alloys with 225/5 R18 tyres.
We like: Balanced ride and handling, ground clearance, substantial feel, safety specification.
We don’t like: Body shape starting to date, so is the engine.

SORRY Wellington,  but we’re reminded of that old joke.

Question:  How many Wellingtonians does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: Just one – they simply hold on to the bulb and the whole world revolves around them.

While Wellington often seems to regard itself as the centre of everything, in fact our capital city isn’t even the centre of New Zealand – well, geographically anyway.

That honour goes to Nelson, which has a monument on the top of Botanical Hill which proclaims the spot to  the geographic centre of our country. But that’s not entirely true either – the official spot is actually about 50km away in the middle of Golden Downs Forest.

Mind you, even Nelson’s claimed central location is better than that suggested a few years ago by scientists who said that if all of New Zealand’s continental shelf is included in the calculations, then the country’s geographic centre should be located 11km north-west of Greytown in Wairarapa.

It’s tempting to think that if said scientists regard the sea bed as part of New Zealand’s land mass, then maybe they should attempt to live there...

There’s always been some debate about the exact location of the centre of the North Island, too. Because of its Te-Ika-a-Maui shape, various claims have been made that the centre is at Waharoa north of Matamata, and at Horahora near Cambridge, and at the base of Mt Titiraupenga in the middle of Pureora Forest Park.

Personally we’re in favour of the Pureora location, because we love the story about how it was located.

In 1961 a Taupo surveyor created a cardboard cut-out of the North Island, bent it slightly to take into account the curvature of the earth, then suspended it using a pin and thin nylon. When a perfect balance was obtained, the spot where the pin was stuck was deemed the geographic centre of the island. As good a way as any, huh?

During our research we discovered there’s a plinth deep in the Pureora Forest that marks that spot – so we decided we should find it. And we further decided that to find this perfectly central location we should use a vehicle brand that is all about balance.

So we chose Subaru. After all, all its models are all-wheel drive. They are all powered by boxer engines with low centres of gravity. As a result, all the brand’s vehicles are among the most balanced on the market.

Our research further told us that actually getting to the official centre of the North Island is a bit of a mission, especially in the middle of winter, because there are several kilometres of rough unsealed road to be negotiated. So we felt that removed Subaru’s lower-riding Impreza, WRX, Levorg and Legacy models out of the selection, leaving an SUV choice of XV, Forester or Outback.

We got our hands on an XV, which in essence is a jacked-up and SUV-ised version of the Impreza five-door hatch, complete with hard plastic bodyshell protection, bigger wheels and tyres, and perhaps most importantly a 220mm ride height.

Our XV was a good one, too. A top $42,490 Premium model that has just undergone a minor facelift that has seen a bit of cosmetic change, some minor powertrain adjustments, and improvements to the brand’s EyeSight driver assist technology.

The XV is one of two Subaru models – the other is the Forester – that have recently also become available as an eBoxer mild hybrid.

But for our assignment our XV was the conventional version, powered by a 2.0-litre four cylinder boxer engine that offered 115 kW of power and 196Nm of torque.

So where to go? We were instructed to drive along SH30 between Te Kuiti and Whakamaru, turn off the highway at a dot of a place called Barryville to end up at a DOC facility at Pureora, then enter the forest park itself along an unsealed route called Link Rd.

This we duly did, and it wasn’t long before we were really appreciating the extra ground clearance as we picked our way along a route that got increasingly rough.  The, just as we were beginning to worry that somehow we’d missed our destination, we reached a turnoff signposted Centre of North Island Rd.

Then after a short drive down an even rougher piece of roading, we reached a carpark where we parked our XV and walked 300 metres through bush to the plinth.  It was located in a little clearing, sitting alongside DOC signage that indicates various walking and cycling tracks in the area.

Truth be told, it was all a little underwhelming. Maybe, we thought, considering just how the location had been found close to 60 years ago, the centre of the North Island could have been better marked not by a concrete plinth – but by a big sculpture representing a pin....

So we turned around the drove home again, scrabbling our way along the rough and very wet Link Rd, before finally getting our by now very muddy XV Premium  back onto SH30.

The Subaru XV is an unassuming sort of small SUV. It does come in for criticism from some quarters for a lack of power, but we feel this is often because the critics don’t quite understand how boxer engines work.

Granted, our XV would no doubt offer improved performance if it were fitted with  the 2.5-litre engine from the slightly larger Forester SUV – which is going to happen in North America where the XV is called Crosstrek – but even with 2.0-litre power the vehicle has a strong feel about it.

In typical Subaru fashion, this vehicle enjoys being worked, both on the road and off it. Which is just as well, because the boxer engine does need to be worked.

Even thought the XV’s interior dimensions are the same as the Impreza hatch, it feels a lot more substantial. Maybe it’s the higher ride height and the fact that at the Premium level it is shod with 18-inch wheels and tyres, but this Subaru feels a lot bigger than it actually is.

And that potentially positions the XV as the most offroad-ready small SUVs currently on the market, to the extent we’d be happier taking one off the seal than we might do in such product as Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos and Hyundai Venue.

Subaru Forester Premium: New route to familiar destination

A lot of extra tech but familiarity remains.

Price: $47,990.
Powertrain and performance: 2.0-litre turbopetrol four, 136kW/239Nm, 7-step constantly variable automatic, AWD, Combined economy 7.4 litres per 100km, 0-100kmh 9.5 seconds.
Vital statistics: 4610mm long,1735mm high, 2640mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 498/1768 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Big step up in safety, spec and comfort; that it’s still a tough nut.
We don't like: Inconsistent ergonomics; not having an orthodox transmission.

PICTURE the scenario: You’ve battled alone into a pristine wilderness, overcome everything Nature can chuck, set up base camp in a spectacular setting, slipped off to sleep … and woken to find your special place has been over-run by interlopers.

Feel for the Subaru Forester. A trail-blazer in a segment that accounted for 24,000 new registrations last year, it could now easily be lost in a crowd that simply didn’t exist when it first showed in 1997.

This new fight-back Forester will intrigue. Just the one drivetrain, no manual gearbox, no diesel, no turbo petrol. Delivering a mix of new-age tech to meet changing customer tastes yet sticking true to old-school rugged condition values that, Subaru believes, need consideration in NZ given one third of our roads remain unsealed.

Close-set pricing means the flagship Premium on test costs just $8000 more than the entry Sport, with more luxuries and an impressive gambit of tech to show for it. So impressive.

Previously been starved of some of the best stuff, it’s now almost full to bursting. The EyeSight dual camera active safety stuff delivering front and rear autonomous emergency braking finally transfers, lane-keep assist, adtaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, drowsiness alert with facial recognition that clocks your dial and remembers individual driving positions, a sunroof, leather trim, climate control, powered tailgate, 360-degree cameras, LED headlights with auto high-beam, keyless entry and start.

Gee, I still remember the days when a Forester seemed special simply because it had an auto-hold for hillstarts. That’s gone now. Come to think of it, so too have the preceding edition’s heated seats, so appreciated on cold mornings.

One unchanged is that … well, it’s still a Forester. Practical, hard-wearing, honest, down-to-earth, with a workmanlike look all of its own seemingly shaped by T-square. Just sensible, really.

Advancement comes from updating to a fresh platform; allowing for a larger body, it also brings more strength. They’ve had a 2.5-litre engine before, but this one has direct injection and mainly new parts. The transmission, suspension design, the X-Mode off-road aide (now offering a two-stage set-up covering snow/dirt and deep snow/mud) represent finessing of the familiar.

Commitment to Lineartronic is now total. They’ve softened the blow by offering seven simulated shift points, depending on the driving mode. Those almost-natural shifts alone make it better than any other CVT I’ve tried and, yet, though I never came close to getting stuck, the idea of off-roading without gears leaves me edgy. Also, as with every CVT, booting it for brisk acceleration still sends the revs soaring every time, a trait exacerbated by this engine not being massively muscular down low. All in all, I could live with, but never fully love, this transmission.

This aside, the car’s character and characteristics are on message. A highish driving position reminds it will do city but prefers country; preparation for the rough also flavours the suspension tune, the brakes, steering feel and throttle response; there’s just that little bit less sharpness than you’ll get from, say, an Impreza. Hit rugged terrain and you’ll understand why it so tailors; it’s a comfort margin for when hands and feet are flying.

The compliant ride makes for a relaxed demeanour that suits its style, though don’t think laidback comes as expense of toughness. The more rutted, slippery and challenging the road, the better you appreciate its robustness and the benefits of the always-on four-wheel drive and the low(ish) centre of gravity that comes from the flat-four engine.

It’s the first Subaru with Driver Monitoring System. Using a camera and facial recognition to watch the driver and warn with a bleep if sensing distraction or showing signs of fatigue isn’t as Orwellian as it sounds. A potentially life-saving feature is quite sensibly calibrated - I found it would react without fail simply when I feigned falling asleep when I dropped my head, looking toward my lap – and not easily fooled. Pertinently, it doesn't seem to matter if you're wearing sunglasses.

The additional assist that pre-programmes your driving position isn’t quite so successful. The idea of having the face scan to acknowledge who you are and then automatically adjust the seat (mirrors and the air-conditioning) to suit sounds great, but they’ve seemed to have overlooked a fundamental: Differing driver size. I’m tall, my wife isn’t. The seat remains in the position favoured by the last driver occupying it. Fine for her, the chair simply slides forward. For me? Maybe back to the drawing board on that one.

Transition to this level of assist is a bit half-hearted, too. The button count and their location frankly irks; there are so many and the location of some defies common sense. On-screen interfaces are messy, too.

It’s still a relatively compact car in exterior dimension, so won’t be hard to park, yet the additional 35mm in wheelbase frees up interior space, especially for leg and headroom, while the boot is big even before the 60:40 split-fold seats are lowered. The load floor seems to be higher – which might frustrate dog owners (whose loyalty is legend); they’ll surely be lifting in some pooches from now on. But at least it covers a full-sized spare, a rarity these days.

Provisioning higher-quality materials and plastics is a positive. It needed more plushness. Improving familial link with the XV and the Outback does no harm, either.

The CVT will challenge some and perhaps, in one or two ways, it has become a little bit too smart too soon. Yet, fundamentally, it stays true to core credos that have always seen Subaru right.