88 Subaru Forester: no better SUV when the going gets tough

Okay, time for an anecdote. One Subaru Forester owner told us of the tirade of abuse he received from an aggrieved fellow motorist. The fellow motorist had driven on to a sandy beach and promptly become wedged up to his axles in the sand.

The reason for the tirade? He had only driven on to the beach because he’d seen the Forester motoring effortlessly about the beach and assumed he’d be fine too . . . that’s the kind of car the Forester is.

You’ll struggle to find cutting edges in the styling, the 150hp 2.0-litre flat-four diesel engine or the interior appointments.

All is kept simple and relatively old-fashioned. What the Forester does is perform where it counts.

When the going gets tough and the weather turns nasty, there are few, if any realistically, superior SUVs.

Oh, and our stuck, aggrieved motorist? The nice man with the Forester towed him off the beach. A shame it’s still slightly too expensive.

Price range: €36,995 to €42,995

Co2 emissions: 148 to 158g/km

Which one? 2.0D XC

PCP from €POA