I wanted to share my experience driving a 2011 Subaru Forester on a cold MN day at DCTC. In the morning the track was cold and covered with snow in most areas and frost in others. This was perfect for testing the new FB engine and all the new enhancements on the model. Even at mid speeds on a technical road course with the VDC stability controls turned off the rear end was still fighting me to keep it from coming around. I felt some binding in some situations and under fast corn exits it felt like ABS pulsing. It kept me guessing whether or not the stability control was in fact turned off. (TCS) No more AWD power drifts on pavement. :emo: In my case it slowed me down, it made it harder to rotate the car, so I had to apply Left foot braking jabbing multiple times to scoot the back end around the turn. But in my students case this technology did a superb job. By the end of the day his confidence had tripled from the morning session, you could see it in his ability to engage the track. With that he started make a very common mistake which most AWD/Subaru drivers make and it's was becoming apparent he was driving over his ability and the speeds he was pushing were not within his grasp. Every time he started to get off line and started to track wide the TCS was there to help him regain control. We never ended up hitting the snow banks once considering the conditions were changing very rapidly throughout the day from frozen to wet puddles. 1. I really liked the light feel from the steering wheel, great feed back with great response without the heavy feel. 2. Body roll wasn't too terrible considering the high ride height. 3. Engine response was above average when applying power at corner exit, it didn't feel like you were waiting. 4. Power delivery was smooth and held on very nicely. 5. The engine was super quite, as quite as my hybrid. If I was looking to buy another AWD for my family this would definitely be on my top 3. View attachment 24167
My traction control has saved me a few times when I was driving over my ability or too fast for conditions. I havent noticed any issues with the car fighting me with the traction control off, so I wonder if thats just an "enhancement" on the 2011's?
That's a very good question Ninjaplease. This was a company car and the student was a Med Rep who does a lot of traveling, despite it being new the All Season tires were worn. I like how the system worked together to keep off the walls, in that when it came on you didn't feel like you'd lost control of your vehicle. When both were on it would respond like any other car taking the driver equation out. Thanks for your input.
My tribeca, with the stability control off, its still on, but the TCS is off, no matter what you do, its still on. Pretty dissapointing.
I would think you'd be able to pull a fuse or something and completely disable the system (basically ABS failure), however you would lose torque control. On low grip surfaces, symmetry of the drivetrain makes up for a lot, but the new cars do rely on the brakes for torque control on irregular surfaces. You sort of have to have the traction control system there for it to work. Nice write up of the new Forester. Per chance have you driven any of the older Impreza based Foresters? Owning an older model, I'm glad I own a small Impreza based vehicle. I dislike the idea of making things bigger if the need isn't there. It makes sense for the Forester, so I can't complain, but it does make me not look at the new model at all the same way I view the old model, i.e. an Impreza-wagon-wagon. It isn't quite that anymore. What did you think of the overall size of the vehicle in relation to overall handling versus an Impreza? Is it a large deviation now?
In the case of my Prius I would love to find all those fuses and yank them out. There's been a few times I barely avoided an accided because of it. I knew what I was trying to do, but my car thought otherwise. But in the case of the 2011 Forester from a passenger vehicle stand point I won't. What I liked about the TCS is you're still able to drive with it, you still have a lot of control over what's happening in the situation. You didn't lose engine power when you needed. I currently have a 99 Forester similar to your profile picture. It would have been nice to have had a side by side comparison, but I didn't drive it. Although the older model sat lower, I do notice more body roll at lower speeds. The weight transfer is quite noticeable with all your inputs, which makes it a great training vehicle. On the slalom I notice the 99 has a much harder time getting around the cones plowing and pushing on each turn in. I think most of the issue with this car is the lack of suspension. When I pushed my 99 hard I can feel it digging in a lot and you really have to balance the weight rotating around. On wet or slippery surfaces I think my older 99 would be a little faster around the track with the same or similar tires. But that's with me driving utilizing every functional aspect of the car. But it was very clear to me the new 2011 was much more faster for a novice to intermediate driver. The car really didn't feel all that top heavy to me. The weight wasn't all that hard to manage coming in and exiting these tight consecutive turns. I didn't feel the outside tires digging in while making quick transitions from side to side. As far as the space and comfort is concern I like the new model more, the seat has more support and the ride height adds to my confidence level for public driving. I also notice the rear view has been enhanced, I was able to see more and the view from the driver seat to the back window didn't seem noticeably as far. Having owned and tested many Subaru's over the years at various events, conditions and at different levels I welcome the new improved changes they've made on this model. What I'm seeing more out of the new generation of vehicles as Safety is now paramount the concept remains the same, but the idea's and how these manufactures present them will differ from one to another. Some will aide the drivers ability to stay out of trouble while others will take it away. Thank you for your thoughts.
