By EWAN KENNEDY
WE HAVE spent an excellent week behind the wheel of a Forester tS in our home area in south east Queensland.
Some 22 changes are made to the standard Forester XT Premium as it moves along the assembly line.
It’s then transported to the STI (Subaru Technica International) high-performance division where a further 28 items are installed.
Despite the use of a chequered flag on the tS badge, this Forester is aimed more at the grand touring (GT) market rather than those looking for a track day machine.
Other than the standout black grille and deep STI spoiler, body changes are relatively subtle.
The suspension has been lowered by 15 mm to improve looks and enhance handling, obviously off-road ability suffers. A new design STI Enkei 19-inch alloys have 245/45 19 Bridgestone tyres.
It’s interesting to see that Subaru has gone trendy in using a lower-case initial for the model name. The tS sort of stands for ‘tough Speedy’.
The interior features black leather and suede trim seats with red stitched accents. The front seats have STI embroidered badges. The leather trimmed steering wheel also has an STI logo.
Unlike the Forester XT Premium on which it is based the tS doesn’t have a sunroof.
Forester tS Special Edition is powered by a warmed-up turbo-petrol 2.0-litre boxer engine producing 177 kW at 5600 rpm. Torque is 350 Nm.
All Australian Forester tS Special Editions use Subaru’s continuously variable transmission (CVT) with manual overrides.
No six-speed manual transmissions will be imported, though there has to be the possibility of some grey imports being sneaked in somewhere down the track.
Given Subaru Australia’s long-term emphasis on safety it comes as no surprise that the Forester XT range has been given a five-star rating by ANCAP.
Our on-road driving of the Forester tS was done on one of our favourite road programs in the hinterland behind the Gold Coast.
With bumps, cracked surfaces and broken edges it’s similar to many country roads in the coastal regions of Australia. Despite everything the roads through at the tS is breezed through the tests.
Forester tS has handling that’s competent for a tuned SUV, though you wouldn’t call it a sports wagon. It has precise turn-in and good feedback through the steering wheel.
Brembo brakes, four-pot front and two-pot rear have immense stopping power.
The 45 per cent profile looks good and doesn’t destroy ride comfort the way lower-profile tyres can do. As a result comfort is pretty good.
The front seats support well, the rear seat has plenty of legroom and four adults can all ride in stretch out comfort. There’s space in the rear for three kids up to their early-teen years.
Three colours are imported, WR Blue, White and Black. Ours was a black one and we suspect the WR Blues have already been snapped up on pre-orders.
Only 300 Forester tS Special Editions were allocated to Australia and they are running out fast.
Inquire at Subaru Fountain Gate, 1 Prestige Place, Narre Warren. Phone 9771 4500.
Model range
Forester tS Special Edition 2.0-litre five-door wagon: $54,990 (CVT).
