If you’re considering a Forester just remember that while the XT model with the turbo looks to the casual observer like the regularly aspirated XS model, it is a much more serious automobile, one intended to be driven in a completely focused manner. In the UK, it tends to be driven by people who want the racecar like performance of the WRX but do not want to attract undue attention from the local constabulary.
One final point, the Forester XT does not have electronic stability control. For that matter, neither do the WRX and the full-out racer, WRX-STI. So if the tires cut loose on you, bucky, you’re on your own. I found this out to my surprise and embarrassment when I got in over my head behind the wheel of the WRX this summer at the Circuit Mont Tremblant track north of Montreal.
