Two of a kind
For the review this month, Disabled Motorist was loaned a Subaru Forester 2.0 XT automatic and a Toyota RAV 4 XT3 courtesy of their company press offices. Here's what we thought.
Starting with the Subaru, this model is based on the very "imprezzive" Subaru Imprezza, using its engine and drivetrain. The Imprezza made its name on the World Rally circuit and the Forester takes its cue in many ways from its sibling. The company is celebrating 30 years of making all- wheel drive passenger cars and this model, launched in 2002, which updates the previous model, appears to be a typical estate car but with a difference: permanent four-wheel drive set-up, a 125 mph turbo-charged engine and sports utility all- terrain ability. There are two models to choose from - the 2.0 X (Crossover) or the higher spec XT (Crossover Turbo).
Exterior
At first glance, the most striking aspect of the car is the round driving lamps sunk into the bumper and the huge pepper pot- style alloy wheels together with the sweeping lines from the bulging wheel arches. The car has a deep air intake on the bonnet to help engine breathing and those pronounced wheel arches accommodate 215/60 R16-size tyres. It's a five-door car with pillarless doors and a good wide-opening tailgate to ease loading of your mobility goods.
All-Wheel Drive emblems are sited on the side of the car towards the back and a relatively low waistline provides an overall attractive appearance to the car. At 4450mm long, 1735mm wide and 1585mm high, it doesn't feel overly large - which is good - and a ground clearance figure of 195mm is respectable, too, when needing to travel up those rutted tracks to out-of-the-way places. The boot itself provides 1595 litres Accessing the car is easy; the seat is fairly low to the ground and the door swings open wider than the other car in this test, the RAV 4. On the top of the dashboard is a pop-up cubby - useful for your Blue Badge wallet - and attractive silver trim on the centre console and gearbox housing. Rather flimsy, however, is the cupholder which springs out from the dash.
Rotary controls for in-car heating/climate control are towards the bottom of the console and the radio/single CD audio unit is well placed, with another cubby beneath it which can accommodate a pair of sunglasses or driving glasses with ease. The car was fitted with cruise control, operated by a switch located to the bottom right of the dash - perhaps not the ideal place but accessible all the same.
Four electric windows and mirrors can be operated from the driver's armrest and beneath there, small but adequate door pockets can hold maps or most other odds and ends we all carry from time to time. A large panoramic sunroof lets plenty of light into the cabin, something we liked very much.
With five passengers on board, there were no complaints about leg room in the front or rear, which is good news, and a low and flat loading area behind the rear bench easily accommodated a folding scooter and seat separately. The height from ground level to the boot floor is around 750mm and the boot aperture is approximately 1000mm in width.
The leather seats were comfortable and the driver's armrest is helpful on long trips. As usual, they were height-adjustable, allowing us a good view out of the front and rear of the car.
On the road
We took the car on a run to an appointment in Hartlepool, a round trip of around 350 miles, and this meant we needed to use the A59 and Al roads. For those of you unfamiliar with the terrain, these are winding and sometimes hilly wide roads where testing the car's performance was done with great effect.
The car's boxer engine gives a delicious growl under acceleration and smoothly changes through the gears without slurring or slouching; in fact, it's an almost perfect set-up - a surefooted four-wheel drive assured of traction and plenty of power available with the help of a turbocharger.
Once familiar with the car, we set the cruise control on our trip and as with some other cars, it's a case of sit back and enjoy the ride, which is supple and smooth having none of the wallowy ride of some of the larger 4x4s we have tried. Turn off the cruise control and you can enjoy some enthusiastic driving and handling - it's your choice. We preferred the latter on the more entertaining roads in the North East.
During our time with the car we also took it on some rough terrain to see how it fared. My job as a town planner is taking me to some far-out places and the car coped admirably with its all-wheel drive transmission with standard rear limited slip differential which increases control and stability, but as a future test will illustrate, it comes a close second to our choice of ideal vehicle for the job.
Steering is light and accurate, enabling the placing of the car exactly as we wanted. Lock to lock turns when manoeuvring take 3.1 turns and parking the car was a relatively simple exercise; the tailgate forms the rear of the car so reversing into and out of tricky parking spaces was relatively easy.
The fuel consumption we encountered was in the high teens around town and during our run to Hartlepool, we managed a steady 35 mpg.
Specification
All 2004 Model Year Foresters have as standard:
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Active front head restraints
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Collapsible windscreen wipers
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Door open warning indicator
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Driver seat belt warning indicator
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Exterior temperature gauge
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Height-adjustable seat belts with load limited pre-tensioners
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High mounted stop lamp
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Impact absorbing bonnet
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Impact sensitive driving pedals
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Parking light
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Rear limited slip differential
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Removeable, retractable cargo security cover
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Thatcham category 1 alarm and immobiliser
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Self-levelling suspension
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Speed sensitive power steering
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Front windscreen wiper de-icer
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Full size spare wheel/tyre (steel)
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Headlamp washers
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Heated electric and blind-spot door mirrors
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Electric headlamp levelling
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Roof rails (full height)
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Adjustable dashboard illumination
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Illuminated ignition switch
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Interior fuel lid release
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Passenger footwell storage compartment
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Tilt adjustable steering wheel
Technical Information
Max power output: 130 bhp at 5600 rpm
Max torque: 180 at 3200
Max speed: 121 mph
0-60 time: 8.3 seconds
Kerb weight: 1,470
Fuel consumption Urban: 21.1 Extra Urban: 38.2 Combined: 29.4mp
Verdict
We had a thoroughly good time with this car. It's easy to drive and has reasonable "go anywhere" capability. Over the lengthy distances we drove it was neither tiring nor uninteresting to drive and that engine note is great. The price, however, might be a bit of a stumbling block. The model tested with optional leather seats weighs in at a rather heavy £23,195 but the range starts from £16,445.
The Toyota RAV 4 XT3 is another of the Sport Utility Vehicles in the same category as the Subaru Forester 2.0 XT and, like the Forester, it has been around for some time, becoming a familiar sight on our roads. It comes in a three-door format or, like the one we tested, a five door format.
Exterior
The car has an estate-like appearance, not dissimilar to that of the Subaru. A high waistline and three distinct areas of glass, beneath which are prominent wheel arches housing attractive star-shaped alloy wheels - standard equipment on the XT3.
At the front, a recent facelift elongated the headlamps and sharpened up the nose of the car to great effect. Roof rails are also fitted to carry extra equipment and draw the eye to the rear of the car which, in our opinion, is the vehicle's Achilles heel - the tailgate, which is hinged on one side rather than at the top as per conventional estates (or to use the current term, tourers), also has the spare wheel attached to the exterior. This means that opening the rear door at anywhere such as a supermarket or in a confined space is, to say the least, tricky and with that spare attached, it's jolly heavy to open.
That said, the car has a very low loading point and, according to our calculations, it offers the same load height of 750mm from ground level and an aperture of 1000 mm providing 970 litres of space, whilst the car itself has a length of 4265mm, width of 1735 mm and height of 1705 mm.
Interior
We were a little disappointed with the door opening width upon investigation of the interior but the seat height wasn't too bad or too high from a wheelchair seat base. Once in, the quality of the layout and materials is excellent, giving a real "car-like" impression from the driving seat which we thought was the best ergonomically of the two in this test. The three-spoked wheel was easy to use and gave plenty of feedback from the road, and the layout of the dials in the cowl were easy to read.
The switchgear felt solid and robust, suggesting real quality. With five up, the car didn't feel cramped and there were no complaints from passengers. The boot space we've already alluded to was of a good size and we were able to fit in a small folding scooter and a wheelchair without much problem. The rear seats can slide and be folded or roll to create more room. or they can even be removed completely should the need arise.
Specification
As standard on all models:
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Audio, integrated unique fit with Liquid Crystal Display
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Audio controls, steering wheel mounted.
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RDS with PTY and EON settings
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Drivers footrest
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Fuel cap with remote release
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Swing out rear door
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Trip computer
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Outside temperature display
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Instrument display dimmer
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Fuel Cap location indicator
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Fuel indicator with low fuel warning
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Water temperature indicator
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Engine management warning
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Fog Lamps - rear with auto cancelling
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Electronic headlamp levelling
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High Mounted Stop Lamp
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Rear parcel shelf - two stage, retractable front
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Transponder key engine immobiliser
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Security etching linked to 24hr ISR helpline
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Roof rails
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Head impact protection structure
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Energy-absorbing crumple zones
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Rear seat tumble mechanism
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Adjustable steering column
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Clean air filter
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Three year/60,000 mile warranty
On the road
This is the GTi of the two! Performance is very lively - we covered 409 miles in the car and also undertook a small but unintentional session of off-roading. We went to the Pararallying school near Scunthorpe and the journey to the track is rough and pitted, together with some sand. We took a wrong turn on site and ended up going on to a small sand bank at the side of the road but we didn't even notice until we left the car in the car park, such is the Toyota's capability to handle rough(ish) terrain. However, we suspect that most of these cars will be used for the school run and the nearest they get to an off-road excursion is probably over a kerb at the local supermarket. On the open road, the car is a good match for the Subaru with its agile handling and surefootedness together with a good lively engine and was eerily quiet on board.
Technical Information
Max power output: 417 bhp
Max torque: 142 lb ft
Max speed: 115mph
0-60 time: 10.0 seconds
Kerb weight: l,125-1485k
Towing 1500 kg max
Fuel consumption Urban 24.8, Extra Urban 38.7, Combined 32.1 mpg
Verdict
This is a refined on/off-roader with easy loading capacity to carry your mobility needs. Its access could be better with a wider opening door but the ergonomics and build quality are top notch.We'd probably opt for the excellent D-4D diesel engine, too, as this XT3 model appeared to be somewhat thirsty. The Toyota range starts at £16,245 and the model we tested is £18,508 excluding any extras. Of course this figure is reduced if you can claim VAT exemption, and value for money was the decider in this test as the two vehicles are so closely matched.
My thanks to Toyota and Subaru for arranging the tests.
Toyota: 0845 275 5555 or www.toyota.co.uk.
Subaru: 0870 502503 or www.subaru.co.uk.
The Disabled Drivers' Motor Club wants you to spend your money wisely. There are a number of assessment centres around the UK/or you to discuss your mobility requirements and we urge you. to contact them before you commit your funds to a vehicle that may not be suitable. We can provide you with a leaflet with contact details of your nearest centre.
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