2011 Subaru Forester XS

Over the years Subaru has tried and tried to give itself a youthful appeal. It has injected its cars with Botox, Collagen and in this latest instance, ‘Testosterone’. At first I thought the new Forester XS might be yet another attempt to woo thrusting young executives out of their German Equivalents. It has the requisite cloth interior and the fake carbon fibre finishing on the doors, so that inside it looks like a gentleman’s electric razor but In addition it has a big speedometer that goes up to 240km/h, twin exhausts, lights like American Swiss jewellery and a leather gearlever that offers a selection of five forward gears.

On the road I used to test the Forester, I was astonished. You feel the car rise as it crests a bump in the road and you tense, waiting for it to crash back down again. But the crash never comes. It settles gently, like it’s a burly paramedic and you’re on a stretcher.

Strangely, this doesn’t seem to have affected the handling unduly. The steering’s beautifully weighted. There’s a good seat-of-the-pants feel. The brakes are powerful and the seats hold you in place perfectly. This is all very clever. I’ve been saying for ages that I want a car that’s fast and sporty, but not so that it breaks my spine in two every time I run over a badger. And that’s what you get from the Subaru Forester XS. Performance for the Past-It boys.

Not strangely, however, Subaru has always produced rather intelligent cars. They were so much more quiet and refined than alternatives from Ford and Mitsubishi.

And now into the mix comes the new Subaru Forester XS. A car that wasn’t too ugly or too soft but equipped like an Eskimo’s khazi although with a relaxed demeanor and exciting drive thanks to a power plant 2.5 liter petrol engine, offering a gutsy 126kw.

First things first. The looks. And I’m sorry but I’m still not sold. The Forestor of today is surely a big leap forward on the previous generation and where I enjoy the LED rear lights, ride height, 17 inch alloys and the caverness boot space that I’m afraid is where the novelty ends.

Then there’s the interior. Generous leather steering wheel, decent head room and infotainment centre stack with reverse camera. A spritely sound system and USB slot.

Still, that doesn’t take my mind off the fact that this is a R 328 000 car that comes with fewer toys than an Ethiopion birthday boy.

But of course the most important question is how the XS drives. And the answer is:. . . brilliantly .

The Subaru Forester XS is an awesome machine. Few can stand up to it’s styling, functionality and performance to weight ratio. It commands respect and in my opinion has earned it’s stature amongst the heavy weights.