This car won the 'Compact 4x4s' class in 2005.
Last year’s Caravan Club Towcar of the Year title holder, the Forester XT was best-in-class again though it didn’t carry off the main prize.
The Forester is an unusual mix of smart estate car and go-anywhere 4x4 and doesn’t look out of place outside the Ritz or covered in mud on a caravan rally site. The fact is that, as a towcar it’s a very practical workhorse with useful loadspace (it took all our bits and pieces except the Aquaroll), permanent four-wheel drive and a beautifully sorted engine and gearbox.
There’s a long 14% gradient at Millbrook and most of the cars needed 2nd gear all the way up. In the Forester I was able to change from 2nd to 3rd partway up; I can’t think of any other 2.0-litre petrol-engined car in which I could have done that.
| Make/Model |
Caravan weight |
Drive |
Cyls/CC |
bhp/lb ft@rpm |
Price |
Tested |
| Subaru Forester 2.0 XT |
1,233kg |
4WD |
4/1994 |
174/181@3200 |
£21,145 |
2005 |
Subaru Forester 2.0 XT
