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:

    CHECK ENGINE warning light/Malfunction indicator lamp
    CAUTION If the CHECK ENGINE warning light/ malfunction indicator lamp illuminates while you are driving, have your vehicle checked/repaired by your SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. Continued ve ...

    Fastening the seatbelt
    • Never use a belt that is twisted or reversed. In an accident, this can increase the risk or severity of injury. • Keep the lap belt as low as possible on your hips. In a collision, this spreads ...

    D (Drive)
    This position is for normal driving. The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable gear from 1st to 4th according to the vehicle speed and the acceleration you require. When more accel ...