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.)

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

    Selecting reverse gear
    CAUTION Shift into reverse ONLY when the vehicle has completely stopped. It may cause damage to the transmission to try shifting into reverse when the vehicle is moving. 1) Slider You must rais ...

    Models with SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints for driver, front passenger, and window-side rear passengers
    Your vehicle is equipped with a supplemental restraint system in addition to a lap/shoulder belt at each front seating position and each rear window-side seating position. The supplemental restrai ...