Took some pictures before it started to get dirty, as it should be. This is the 2010 boxer diesel. It is also equiped with the adventure pack, which includes the front and end silver colored guards below the license plate, the silver protection on the door, mud guards, nicer exhaust pipes (end part) and metal protection skid plate(s) underneith the car. This is the XE model.
In Sweden the models are X, XS and XE. the x is the entry model without rails xenon, CD changer etc etc. With the XS you get everything but leather seats, moonroof and keyless entry and start, which you get on the XE. Navigation is purchased as a separate addon and not part of any of the three "models".
This is the 2010 model so there are some minor updates. So far I have noticed a button in the trunk to lower the backseats and much cleaner looking speed dials (not as much blue).
This car was also treated with paint conservation from DITEC.
I bought it from a dealer who got it from the swedish subaru HQ where one of their staff used it for 3 months. It had 7 000km on the odometer so I could buy it unseen.
There are now 3 engine options to choose from. 2.0 Boxer Diesel (6 manual trans) , Boxer Petrol (manual or auto) and a turbo Petrol. The Turbo is very rare and you dont seem to be able to get it with leather etc. This means that most of the time when you see a forester with a bump on the hood (air intake) you can bet it is a diesel (same on all new subaru models). (Diesel is only an option in eu for the time being so the engine configurations are not the same in Asia and US).
Bad image but you can see the silver thing on the side of the door. The mud guards and the indication of keyless entry and start (black thing on door handle). Keyless means you have a plastic thing in your pocket and without using it you can engage/disengage the alarm and locks as well as start/stop the car with the push of a button. No more trying to find the key and searching all pockets/bags for it.
Here you can see how the four winter tires fit in the trunk. I got a full set nokian haka 5 studded which are really good. On 16" alu rims. The summer tires (fitted) are on the XS/XE model 17" alu rims.
You can also see the updated exhaust pipes and the silver diper (guard). The silver and blue boxer diesel badge!!. Why do you have a badge to show it is a diesel. Well for one thing it is the worlds first Boxer (horizontally opposed) diesel engine. Virtually no diesel vibrations.
Typical Subaru style fog lights. Only the new legacy seems to have stepped away from this trend. The fog lights are very strong and you should not have them on in traffic (of course).
It was a 500km ride home from the dealer, yet I couldnt resist small hunting / lodging roads that I passed almost everywhere.
In småland (a southern part of sweden) there is lots of pine tree and all of it grows in this red gravel. I passed this gravel pit which was open for entry. In the middle there were some rocks and stuff to play with. I tried to learn how to handle the manual in first gear at slow speed and started to get the hang of it. You can go very slow with the 1st gear but you need enough gas for the turbo to engage properly when starting from stand-still.
The ground clearance is 21.5 cm which is very good for this type of car. If you want this type of clearance and nice all wheel drive, keep your eyes out for the new outback, which have been raised in the latest model from its previous 19cm.
The car has got all wheel drive which is a 4 wheel drive that is always engaged. No tricks really, compared to most modern dual sport vehicles that tend to mainly run on front wheels until it slips. The all wheel drive system was one of the reasons I liked subaru. It is very fun and practical. You can turn this car around on 10.5 meters. Very impressive and easy to park.
Being alone and on the first day with the car I didnt do anything serious with the car outside of the road. Just played around and started to learn how the car handles.
The car works really nice on very bumpy or easy offroad conditions where the suspension works very great. It also handles surprisingly well on tarmac even though the car rolls a bit in tight corners. On highway it goes best between 100-140 km/h. It sits very well on the road even though it is effected by side-wind, due to the height and weight parameters.
The headlights are not as powerful as can be expected from this new car even though it has got xenon lights (not on highbeam though). I think this is typical for non-european cars.
The seats are comfortable even on a 500 km ride. I am 190cm long and about 90kg weight and had no problem to fit well. Can also sit behind myself in the backseat which is very good on this size car.
The only downside is the color I guess ;) I wanted something that doesnt need to be cleaned so often (silver). But this had everything I wanted at a price I couldnt resist. With the silver colored details it looks ok in red.
