The Subaru Forester was the first move Subaru made towards an actual sports-utility vehicle. Same all-wheel-drive and boxer engines as the Legacy, same off-roading kind of bend that the Legacy Outback offered up. Unfortunately, Foresters were snapped up by a ton of granola types and soon developed a reputation of being the perfect wagon to hit up Whole Foods, World Market and Trader Joe’s with and nothing you would pile a couple of friends into for a trip to the lake willingly. Subarus in general aren’t quite the first choice for legit off-roading…outside of a few lifted and kitted 1980s era wagons, I haven’t seen much in the way of off-roading Scoobies. Most are typically used as rallycrossers or snow bunny transportation. But this particular Forester, simply known as “Granny”, is going out of the way to hang with a Jeep group in West Virginia to prove that it’s worthy of hanging with Wranglers and Cherokees and even the occasional XTerra. That’s some pretty solid off-roading company…and a lot to ask from a first-gen Forester. Enjoy the ride-along!
Back in ’73 it was very satisfying to follow Cj 5’s through the ” Pine Barrens” of south Jersey in my VW 181 “Thing” . With 10″ wide wheels in the rear and 8’s in the front (hard on bearings). It was proof that weight was the most important factor. That was a fun….”thing”. 🙂