I’m still unsure I like the grey steering wheel steering and grey gear shifter. What’s next – red, green, blue or yellow? Perhaps steering wheel and gear shift colour will soon become an option. Personally I like black.

Moving on, one cannot help but be impressed by the simplicity of the dashboard and the layout of the controls. Everything is within easy reach and get this, everything is so intuitive. There is no need to takes one’s eye off the road to search through displays of hierarchical menus just to change the temperature – it’s just a simple matter to reach for the temperature control and turn up or down – go figure!!

The 2011 Subaru Forester offers all round visibility. The rear view mirror’s this field view perfectly matches up with size of rear a window. By this I mean – I didn’t have to move my head from side to side to get a full view out of the rear window nor was part of the view taken up looking at the left and right side of the cargo area. To complement the rear view mirror, the side mirrors were large and practical.

Subarus tend to be more about talent and less about looks. What you won’t find are gimmick designer features meant to mesmerize those who are easily impressed. What you will find is a vehicle that is solidly built, safe and practical while still being a joy to drive.

The Subaru All Wheel Drive AWD system is something to behold. Once someone has experienced a Subaru’s ability to deal with less than ideal road conditions, they often become a lifetime fan.

The 2011 Subaru Forester came with a 5-speed manual transmission and I have to admit, I had trouble getting used to the gear ratios. The engine red lines at 6500 rpm and very definitely likes to play in the higher revs where it can find more power. This means there is very little in the way of gear overlap. For those who do a lot of stop and go driving then perhaps an automatic transmission may be the better choice. If they enjoy the thrill of driving, the manual transmission will certainly not disappoint.

The other day I picked up a Subaru Forester. My first question was – “So where is the Sumo wrestler?” Okay, it didn’t come with one so one less mouth to feed, but what did it come with?

First it came with the heart and soul of Subaru. As I’ve mentioned many times before, Subaru beats its own path – marches to a different drummer as it were. It doesn’t get caught up in the oft times and seemingly frivolous one-upmanship rivalries seen in other parts of the automotive market. Subaru has its own philosophy when it comes to vehicle design and as a result, it has captured a niche market and a dedicated following – a following incidentally, which is growing as a very steady rate.

First impressions

2011 Subaru Forester is a little deceptive inasmuch as it is much larger than I expected both inside and out.  I saw one at the Auto Show  in Fenruary and it didn’t seem that large, however, compared to the 2010 model there very little difference in appearance and as far as I could tell without having both models side by side, the only difference is the grill. Inside it also appears identical. The big difference is, the 2011 Forester hosts the 3rd generation boxer motor – but more about that later.

Coming back to the size of the Forester, passenger vehicles in general are getting larger. Are we getting that much bigger physically that we need bigger vehicles  or do we demand more room? Some of the increased size may be due to vehicles today having more protection built into them, but even so, the space inside was proportionally larger. Lot’s of room, and not just wiggle room it had room to stretch which is nice for passengers on those long trips.

There are lots of things to like about the Forester, one being, there is lots of easy access.  the doors are large and open wide.  There is neither the need to climb down nor climb up to enter the vehicle, which is appreciated by those who do not bent as easily as when they were younger.

The seats were firm yet comfortable. Besides being comfortable, seats, especially the driver’s seat need to be adjustable. I had no problem setting the seat – the basic Forester has manual seat controls but the two front seats come with heaters for those days when we feel the need for something extra. The rear passengers have to suffer cold seats in silence. One thing I appreciated was the generous amount of headroom. It’s nice someone can design a vehicle for normal sized people.

Stay Tuned  – more to come