Offroad Chops

The offroad portion of Subaru's press drive consisted of a lengthy course on California's Catalina Island, and I had a chance to tackle some fairly demolished dirt roads. I imagine a tiny fraction of Forester owners will take their SUVs to these lengths, but it performed well nonetheless, clawing up steep slopes and rutted pathways with well-controlled body motions. The wheels stayed well-connected to the dirt, allowing the nose or tail to swing wide only under the most sudden turns. (All deliberate, of course.)

    See also:

    Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
    For details, refer to “Uniform tire quality grading standards”. ...

    Unfastening the front seatbelt
    Push the button on the buckle. Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are retracted properly to avoid catching the belt webbing in the door. ...

    Heater operation
    NOTE - Models with air conditioner system: When the “” or “” position is selected, the air conditioner compressor automatically operates regardless of the position of the air conditioner ...