How long range capable are the Subarus

Ser_Egg

Ser_Egg

Forum Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2019
Messages
286
Location
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Car Year
2005
Car Model
Subaru Forester SG series 1
Transmission
5Spd Manual
Morning all!

I was wondering, what the Foresters are like for long range travels. Im looking to eventually do some long trips and i would like know from you experiences, how they hold up on the long ones compared to the big 4x4s and what to do to them before going out?

Cheers
 
Hugely more comfortable, for starters ...

My 2.5L n/a gets around 7.5L/100kms on the open road at the speed limit (Melbourne to Ballarat and back from Beaumaris with two adults).

If it hasn't been serviced in the last year/10,000 kms, give it an oil and filter change ...
Check your tyres, belts and water.
Check all lights.
Wash and polish all windows.
Check wiper blades and washer fluid level. I only use filtered or distilled water, plus Barrs Bugs.
Spare fuel.
Drinkable water.

See "Aids to Survival" thread and booklet, here:

 
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Any preparation depends where you intend to travel e.g. main roads, back roads, middle of nowhere etc

I've done many long trips in the Foz e.g. Simpson, Cape York, Darwin, Savanna etc and I agree it is very comfortable; the Triton is comfortable as well. Have to travel much lighter in the Foz and it can be a bit of a squeeze for 2 adults on an extended trip if self-sufficiency is also required. If you are planning on carrying a heavy load make sure your suspension is suitable for that load. If venturing into remote, isolated areas carry a 2nd spare wheel or at least a tyre carcass and tools to change it. I also carry the sensors most likely to fail; never needed them / fingers crossed.
 
Ser_Egg said:
Morning all!

I was wondering, what the Foresters are like for long range travels. Im looking to eventually do some long trips and i would like know from you experiences, how they hold up on the long ones compared to the big 4x4s and what to do to them before going out?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Is this the type of long trip you have in mind? :lol1:
 
I traveled the east coast with my SF, and extensively through Victoria, the small fuel tank was the biggest problem and I had a lot of spares on the roof.

My current 4wd while 30% heavier and twice the tank size doesn't have twice the range. and funnily enough doesn't quiet fit as much in the cabin at the smaller subaru did. Most long trips are about prep, I'd take the old subaru 1000km into the bush and back even when it had almost 400,000km on the body. I'll do the same with my current nissan prep and gear carrier would still be similar.
 
guess they as long range as how much extra fuel you can take with you. and you wouldnt want to keep it inside car for sure, so outside on roof rack or on some rear carier maybe.
and long trips on good roads sure , but then in bush this can be very short trip , so you need to know what kind of roads you will travel.
i kinda like my dual fuel car as i have that extra 50l lpg tank there instead spare wheel. so in that space you can put maybe extra petrol canister if it would be metal and super sealed. or even like make special tank there for fuel like we using for lpg.
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@scalman I only carry rupture proof petrol jerry cans in the vehicle with me. I locate them in the centre of the car behind the driver/passenger front seats. Pretty safe there.
 
Ser_Egg said:
nah i meant how did he ship his Foz all over the world
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I didn't do it, wish I had, sort of. Going through all those various countries I would have been crapping myself. :eek: From memory he shipped the car in a container (hired?) on various ships.

I followed that guy and his partner on his site, it was extremely exciting to follow the trials - tribulations and sights of their journey. I also wanted to see how the Subaru dealt with the various conditions around the world.

Sadly I cannot remember which Subaru Forum he was on at the time.
 
Ratbag said:
I only carry rupture proof petrol jerry cans in the vehicle with me.
Click to expand...

On the 2009 Simpson crossing in my Foz I carried 40L in 4 x10L metal jerry cans in the car. One upright beside the rear quarter panel, the other 3 on their sides sitting on high density foam where the rear seat base had been removed. (+20L on the rear carrier).

@troyXT had a good solution on the Simpson trip last year where he had an aux tank on the roof and it had all the fittings where it could be gravity fed into the filler when needed.

tank.png
 
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If I needed more than a basic reserve of 2x 10L, I would have the trailer, so 1x 10L in the cab + 2x 10L in the trailer bed + 1x 20L in a pannier on the trailer. Water for one is 2x 4L in the cab + 1x 20L in a pannier.

If going off main roads, some kind of EPIRB is absolutely essential.
 
Ratbag said:
some kind of EPIRB is absolutely essential.
Click to expand...

Common misconception, however, EPIRBs are for Maritime use and the unit is registered to a boat or maritime vehicle.

What you want is a PLB which is a similar device, usually a bit smaller, and are registered to an individual person. A lot of the time you can hire these for a period of time from the NPWS or Police (depending on location).

Alternatively, a SPOT or Garmin Inreach is a comparable device. Downsides of the SPOT is it is American based so the American Emergency Services have to liase with the Australian Government before help can be sent. The Garmin Inreach uses the Iridium Satellite network, and has the benefit of being able to have two-way comms vs a PLB which sends out a distress signal only. All things to think about when looking at these devices.
 
SquiresSquire said:
EPIRBs are for Maritime use and the unit is registered to a boat or maritime vehicle.
Click to expand...
You can register a vessel, vehicles, aircraft etc. Both my vehicles are registered. I have a Spot Tracker as well
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I think a satellite phone would be handy as well. When we have remote trips someone in the group usually has or hires a sat phone.
 
Ser_Egg said:
nah i meant how did he ship his Foz all over the world
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Overlanders and other long-range tourists use Carnet de Passage en Douanes (CPD) which is an internationally-recognised document allowing the owner/holder to import a vehicle into certain countries but only temporarily. It is very useful and that is the reason why if you get the documentation from these overlanders, they still show their registration from their country of origin.

With CPD, I can bring my SG5 to tour in Australia or Eurasia, instead of renting something there.

subyroo said:
I didn't do it, wish I had, sort of. Going through all those various countries I would have been crapping myself. :eek: From memory he shipped the car in a container (hired?) on various ships.

I followed that guy and his partner on his site, it was extremely exciting to follow the trials - tribulations and sights of their journey. I also wanted to see how the Subaru dealt with the various conditions around the world.

Sadly I cannot remember which Subaru Forum he was on at the time.
Click to expand...
I remember reading about Subaroute from a now defunct forum (I forgot the name because it was years ago.). Some details though are still seen on some 4x4/overlanding websites.

I remember them saying that they only changed the rear struts when they got back to Ireland. Of course, they did their oil changes 2x than usual because they have a turbo.
 
Ratbag said:
EPIRB = Emergency position-indicating radiobeacon station - Wikipedia

For all types of uses.

Spot do not have to "liaise", they merely forward the coordinates to the Australian emergency response centre in real time (or wherever else on the planet).
Click to expand...

If you checked the link you supplied, you would see the following:

There are several types of emergency locator beacons, distinguished by the environment for which they were designed to be used:
  • ELTs (emergency locator transmitters) are carried on aircraft and are activated in the event of a crash
  • EPIRBs (emergency position-indicating radio beacons) are carried on ships and signal maritime distress
  • SEPIRBs (submarine emergency position-indicating radio beacons) are EPIRBs designed only for use on submarines
  • SSASes (ship security alert system) are used to indicate possible piracy or terrorism attacks on sea-going vessels
  • PLBs (personal locator beacons) are carried by individuals and intended to indicate a person in distress who is away from normal emergency services; e.g., 9-1-1. They are also used for crewsaving applications in shipping and lifeboats at terrestrial systems. In New South Wales, some police stations and the National Parks and Wildlife Service provide personal locator beacons to hikers for no charge.[6]
 
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