When you think STi the image of an Impreza instantly comes to mind. Well the folks at Subaru are considering the addition of the Forester to the STi team. Before you get too excited I should give you the bad news, the all new Forester tS will only be available in Russia. For now Russia is a test market for the tS but I guess you have to start somewhere. I’m hoping this is the first step in spreading STi performance to the rest of the Subaru brand.
Now opinions… I’m not a fan of the regular Forester, the styling is bland and for its size I’d probably go a different route. But that’s just me and in the end the Forester is still a Subaru and that hold a lot of weight. Now with the new tS having an Sti badge stuck on the back I may have finally found a Forester I like. The traditional STi blue/gold combo looks great on it and the subtle styling cues are nice. The Forester isn’t that sporty looking to begin with so Subaru easily could have gone over the top. I’m glad they stuck true to the Forester roots with tweaks to the bumpers, rear spoiler, and slightly lower stance, it’s just enough to give it a more “STi” look.
Under the hood the sT starts making sense. Sport Turbo. A 2.5l boxer 4 pumps out 263 horsepower and 256 lb-ft of torque. The 5-speed automatic gearbox (bummer) gets you 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds. Not too bad for a Forester. Now send some stateside and I’ll be waiting in line for a test drive.
Road Static 