Is the Suburu Forester a joke?

Mick unless you fit a bike rack, love wearing Lycra bike pants, and drinking coffee in inner city cafes you will stand out like dogs balls amongst your peers

Sorry can't help you other than that :)

Foresters are very popular but I doubt that many do the Tanami!
IMHO soft ride and not very long suspension travel will equal lots of bottoming on high speed tracks with possible damage . The Tanami can be very rough on the WA side and I wouldn't take. A AWD car on it, although anything is possible if you are careful and slow.
Another issue is tyre size and strength.
Maybe an Outback would be better, but I would go for a competent AWD like say a Freelander, X trail,Kia, etc. And fit light truck tyres.
It's like owning a full 4wd, you only need 4wd low ratio 5% of the time but when you need it you REALLY need it
Regards Philip A

Mick

Spare parts are a killer on the Forrester soft roaders , a nice car to drive but as a long term vehicle they are not a great proposition( over 5 years )
The Honda CRV is the pick of the soft roaders followed by Toyota Ravs.
The Honda and the Toyota will easily outlast a Forrester.
But as the previous punter said , you will stand out like a sore thumb On the Tanami with any of these 4x4 , They are not really suitable for these type of trips.
Good luck

Cheers

Gday,
I reckon the Tanami might be stretching the friendship a little....doable but not ideal.

Cheers

Mick

There is an active Subaru club in WA. Check out their website for details of their activities and you will get an idea from owners who actually do the sort of stuff you are talking about.

Subaru4wdclubwa.asn.au

Cheers

Ross

Just have to laugh............My dad and I (was 9 years old) did the Tanami Track in 1961 in a Peugeot 403 with skinny Michelin tyres. No problems at all, just drove to the conditions.

Hi Mick

If you think you can go where you plan in an AWD and think you won't need 4x4 then I'm sure it could be done. It's knowing the vehicles capability and also the confidence you have in your own driving then go with your gut feeling. Buggar what everyone else thinks.
We owned a 2002 Kia Sportage 4x4 auto. No extras on it not even a bulbar. Just a roof rack. Listed below is where we travelled to in our " Little K "

Oodnadatta Track x 2 times.
Tanami Track x 1 time.
Birdsville track x 1 time.
Gibb River Road x 2 times this taking in, Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, Bell Gorge, Manning Gorge, Mornington Wilderness Sanctuary, Mitchell Falls (crossed the King Edward River running at 600cm + each time.) Crossed Pentacost River at about 1/2 metre deep.
Flinders Ranges & Gammon Ranges x 2 times
Fraser Island x 1 time.
Gurig Gunak Barlu National Park (Cobourg Peninsula) through Arnhem Land. x 1 time
Old telegraph Track to Cape York (The tip) x 1 time. Did ALL crossings have pics to prove.
Finke Gorge NP. x 1 time.
Bungle Bungles x 1 time just after the road opened after the wet season into there in 2004. Most crossings were quite high.
Various sandy beaches in Qld, SA & WA.

I hope you take something from this info.
The only 2 times we ever got into trouble was:
1: on Fraser Island we got bogged in MUD (had a snap strap and got pulled out)
2: Lost 4x4 function up at the tip going to Punsand Bay and a quad bike pulled us back to where we didn't need 4x4 to get back and get the vehicle fixed in Bamaga (Cost $80) . The bloke on the quad bike got the video for bragging rights :P

Mind you we now have a Landcruiser but must admit we have repeated some of those places we did in the Kia and really didn't feel like a challenge like it always was in the Kia.

Good Luck.... :)

All the SUVs, be they Rav4, CRV, ASX, Outlander, Xtrail, Sportage, IX35, etc, are much of a muchness, one may have better approach/departure angles, more power, higher ground clearance, whatever, they all have plusses and minuses - the only real difference is brand preference. Don't get sucked in to one is better than the other. That said, they are not 4WDs, they are SUVs and not made for places like the Tanami. It's not a matter of whether an SUV will will get you there, it's a matter of what condition the vehicle will be in when it does.

I know at least 4 Foresters that have done the Simpson Desert so Tanami should be ok. Just stick some decent tyres on it. As for ability off road, check this comparison...

Subaru All Wheel Drive Traction Testing: http://youtu.be/kRniF4JQN2U

The Honda CRV has to be the most useless off road vehicle I have ever been on a trip with. I've been off road with most of the soft roaders.

The Subaru Forester will do all you want as long as you don't overload it and attempt speed records in it on dirt roads.
However, it's not a "true" 4WD - it's an AWD, so it does have its limitations.

Here's a good (American) webpage with a couple of interesting videos on the Subaru CVT.

Subaru CVT transmission

The Subaru CVT is no more complex than a normal multi-plate-clutch auto tranny.
The CVT still uses a regular torque converter, in conjunction with an electro-hydraulically-controlled set of vari-speed steel pulleys and steel chain, and some additional gears.

Traditional auto transmissions shift during a given minimum and maximum RPM.
This decreases your fuel economy and produces wear on the drivetrain with regular gear changes, associated with matching substantial variations between engine speeds and road speeds.
The Subaru engine runs at a much lower speed under light loads with CVT, and doesn't need major rev variations to adjust to speed and load.
The fuel economy of the CVT-equipped Subaru's is outstanding.

For the blokes knocking the Subaru, here's something to think about;

1. Subaru's have a very high owner satisfaction level.
2. Subaru's have excellent resale values.
3. Many smaller Subaru components are built by Toyota and Nissan! (Fuji Industries aren't big enough on their own to produce all the componentry required for the number of vehicles they knock out annually).
4. The Subaru CVT has been around for nearly 5 yrs. If it had major problems, they would have appeared by now.
5. I've seen current-model Foresters touring Outback dirt roads quite happily.
6. Fuji Industries was born out of Nakajima, Japan's aircraft manufacturer from 1919. The Subaru engine was based on aircraft engine design. Subaru engines are regularly converted to be used in ultralights, such is their reliability and good design.
9. There's still a lot of Subaru 1800's from the mid-1980's still going strong!

You can go lots of places with care on formed roads, just with a 2WD, with adequate ground clearance. 220mm is adequate ground clearance.
We used to travel all the Outback roads in the '60's, in 2WD Holden utes - loaded to the hilt - on 13" rag tyres and with 7" (180mm) ground clearance! LOL

Cheers, Ron.

I have owned Subarus and know people who do own the latest Forrester. I don't believe that a Forrester would have any problems on the Tanami or any other outback "road" providing it was driven to the conditions. And that goes for any modern 4x4. Perhaps better A/T tyres would be a good idea. They are a brilliant crossover in my opinion.

These are well informed responses, both experiential and technical. Thank you so much everybody.

I suppose the bottom line is not to drive a Forester beyond its capabilities like I did with my Hyundai Excel on the top part of the Tanami Track. The body is bent and the doors won't close.

The second is to expect scorn from the heavy duty 4WD travellers, some of whom are true experts in bush travel. (I always wondered why people pointed and smiled and took photos on the Tanami and Duncan Roads as I drove by in the mighty Excel, the busted boot bouncing up and down.)

The third is to fit stronger tyres.

The fourth is to find the courage and resolve to make the decision to purchase a vehicle.

Mick,
We bought a new Forester 3 years ago as a daily runabout. The Pros as I see it are:
good space, comfortable, nice height for aging bodies to get in and out, good reputation for reliability, good build quality.
Cons:
disappointing fuel economy, low power/torque for a modern 2.5L engine

We have been 4wd campers for 40+years and still have LC for the outback. Our 65K_km experience with the Subaru is mostly on bitumen but I have no doubt that driven to conditions the Forester would do well on roads like the Tanami. I would put tyres on that had decent sidewall strength and a higher profile. I have met 2 Subaru drivers searching for new tyres in country towns after having ruined one. I am sure that you could find a suitable tyre that is more available.

When travelling in the bush try and check out road conditions on the big stretches before you head off. Sometimes recently graded dirt roads with loose rocks and sharp stones will be the worst conditions for a vehicle like the Forester. Slowing down and using lower tyre pressures can sometimes help as it allows the tyres to 'mould' around the object rather than hammer into it.

Keep the load as light as possible so you keep the ride height, sensible tyres and sensible driving and I am sure you will have a good time.

cheers

When you read about trips like this, a Subaru over the Tamani these days should be a breeze.

first car to Birdsville

Driving a Subaru in the Outback reminds me of the day in 1973 when I drove into one of the roadhouses on the then unsealed section of the Nullarbor in SA. Parked out the front was a Subaru sedan with a map of Australia on the boot lid. Written on it were the words "We come to Australia from Japan".

Inside the cafe were two young Japanese men who could not speak a word of English. I just happened to have two Japanese speaking American tourists with me. The story was they had flown down from Japan and were taking the Subaru on a 14 day lap of the country then going home again.

I don't know if they were on a private holiday or were working for Subaru but someone must have had a lot of faith in the car at a time when they were a rare sight on Australian roads.

Had my Forester for 6 months. Had a Prado previously and so far the Forester has easily done every track that the Prado did. EASILY!! I have been blown away by how well the thing goes in sand/mud/steep loose gravel.

Check the forums. Plenty have done the Simpson. They are all over Fraser.

BTW - they have more clearance than the Outback.

Mate,

I haven't done it personally but think it will be easy.

1. Sump guard/ skid plate (essential)
2. Tyres BF Goodrich 225/70/16, (essential) pick up some stock 16" off E bay
3. Lift kit (optional)

http://get-primitive.com/suspension-lift-kits/149-product.html

www.subaxtreme.com