Eyes on an icon

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Subaru general manager Wally Dumper often refers to "icons" when talking about his model line-up. Not those that represent a brand, like the Mustang in the Ford range, the Corvette in the General Motors line-up, or perhaps the E-Type in the Jaguar catalogue.

Dumper's icons represent a segment. For him the WRX is an icon in the performance sector. So, too, is the Forester in the sports utility market and the Outback model in the lifestyle arena.

Dumper will no doubt talk icons when the new Outback (shown here for the first time) is launched late next month in Queenstown.

Like the previous model, the new Outback is distinguished from its Legacy donor model by its higher ride-height, wheel-arch extensions, chunky side body mouldings, front fog-lights and roof-racks.

One of the more obvious visual changes is the addition of two blisters in the style of the Mercedes-Benz SLK running down the bonnet. It's an effort to give the Outback its own personality.

The new Outback will be powered by a choice of two horizontally opposed engines - a four-cylinder 2.5-litre unit and a more powerful 3-litre six-cylinder called the H6. Subaru has been using such "boxer" engines since 1966.

But Dumper is concentrating on the new turbo-charged Forester XT at the moment.

"We have always tended to focus on trying to have icons within the brand," he said at the launch of the new model in the Kaiangaroa Forest last Wednesday.

"We introduced the Forester in 1997. Back then we had just changed from making front-drive and all-wheel-drive models to building all-wheel-drives only.

"By dropping front-drive, we had deleted half our range. But sales picked up when we brought in the Forester. It immediately replaced some of the front-drive sales.

"Now the new turbo-charged Forester has a whole new role. It's a new icon."

Subaru America is saying the same thing and is using cycling superstar Lance Armstrong to endorse the go-fast Forester.

Dumper will continue his marketing policy of supporting high-profile New Zealand sports stars such as mountain-bikers Suzy Pryde and Vanessa Quinn, and ultra-endurance athlete Steve Gurney.

"Since introducing the new Forester last year we have tried to associate the name with outdoorsy, lifestyle people."

The new all-wheel-drive XT Forester is a boosted version of the second-generation, high-riding XS model launched last year.

Its 2.5-litre horizontally opposed engine is 38 per cent more powerful and offers 43 per cent more torque than the naturally aspirated unit. The figures tell the story: the engine in the Forester XS produces 112kW and 223Nm.

The strengthened, turbo-charged unit in the XT develops a WRX-like 155kW at 5600rpm and 320Nm at 3600rpm. The XT turbo-charger produces 11.6psi of boost; the WRX unit produces 13.5psi.

Subaru says the five-speed manual XT sprints from zero to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds. The four-speed automatic, due later, does it in just under 7 seconds.

Quick it certainly is, for a vehicle Dumper likes to put in the sports utility segment. It's more a stationwagon boxing above its weight.

But the engine's best feature, despite some low-speed lag while the turbo catches its breath, is the availability of torque, helped across the rev range by a variable valve system.

Three models are available - the XT manual at $49,990, the XT automatic at $51,990 and the leather-lined XT Limited automatic at $52,990.

The new model offers the same strengths and same class-leading level of equipment as the naturally aspirated XS variant does over the previous Forester.

Subaru says it has revised one or two things to cope with the XT's extra performance, such as boosting brakes and stiffening the body and front struts for better steering alignment and response.

The previous Forester won numerous awards internationally and enjoyed a reputation of providing the best on-road comfort and driving dynamics in the class.

It was based on the philosophy of providing extra ground clearance for moderate off-road driving, while riding on long travel suspension and retaining the chassis dynamics of a conventional car or stationwagon.

The concept was pioneered by Subaru with its Outback wagon. The latest Forester XT refines it further again.

The powerful car will understeer when pushed. It will try to swap ends if the driver lifts off mid-corner, especially on twisting, loose metal roads. So will most cars.

But the XT, like the more benign XS, is a car-like recreational vehicle, riding higher than most and designed to get off the beaten track every now and again.

A stand-out feature of Subaru manual models is the "hill holder", which makes child's play out of starting from stop on a hill.

When the driver pushes in the clutch and brake pedals, a floating ball in a pressure valve linked to the clutch recognises the car is on a hill and hydraulically tells the clutch to act as a brake.

There is no need to apply the handbrake. Instead the driver releases the footbrake and holds the car on the depressed clutch alone, moving off using only the clutch and accelerator. Good idea, that.