Subaru Forester (2008 - 2012) 2.0D XC 5d Owner Review

Bought my forester a week before 'the beast from the east' hit the UK, all I can say is what a car! My commute is all country lanes, which in the snow became almost impassable to all but the serious 4x4's (land rovers, land cruisers, shoguns etc), but my forester ploughed through all snow drifts like they were nothing. I will admit I got stuck once, trying to drive through a drift that was nearly at the door mirrors, but I simply put it in reverse and the forester got itself out easily enough. The rest of the time, the forester would quite happily drive up and down snowed over roads, and you do feel very smug cruising past other cars that are stuck. I have also taken my forester down greenlanes, where it didn't even break a sweat. The forester's 21cm of ground clearance combined with Subaru's legendary symmetrical all-wheel drive system really makes this car a bit of a beast off road. In normal conditions, the forester is equally brilliant. The interior is spacious, very comfortable, and full of kit - the panoramic sunroof is a particular favourite! Fuel economy is brilliant: i get better mpg in the 2 tonne all wheel drive forester than I ever did in my little 1.3 litre Toyota Yaris. My only criticism of the forester is that the boxer diesel is rather loud from a cold start (but does quieten down when it warms up), and the gearbox can be very clunky, and reluctant to shift into second or first at times. Overall, if you want a car that can cruise for miles on a motorway one day, and drive through a ploughed field on the next, all while returning great mpg, and a very comfortable ride, then this is the car for you.