I own a 2010 Forester XT 2.5 turbo petrol, it handles very well in loose gravel and on most firetrail and offroad situations that you would likely encounter in the goldfields in nsw or vic and certainly all situations that would not require a low range 4x4. The only main consideration I make is if it has been particularly wet and the roads are clayey as with road tyres it can get a very slippery particularly steep sections (same goes for all vehicles without A/t or Mud terrrain tyres).
In loose gravel/rocky sections the traction control systems and driving aids work great, even at higher speeds, they offer good assistance to the driver if caught out, in slower sections and where it is a bit more technical a bit of left foot braking can be useful.
I regularly travel the firetrails and forestry roads in Oberon, Sunny corner, Turon, wauchope and on the Central Coast and cannot fault the forester, i have even had a few trips on the beaches. Remembering that it is not a low range rock crawler. they are narrower and lighter than a traditional 4x4 so that can give them an advantage as often i can go around or straddle difficult sections of tracks that even low range 4x4 would struggle with, no shame in taking the chicken track you dont always have to drive in the ruts.
The newer foresters have their air intake at the base of the bonnet so you have a pretty good wading depth without needing a snorkel and they have no trouble in crossing firm sandy creeks, rubbly creeks and causeways, although i haven't gone through anything more than about knee high.
As for ground clearance as it has the same stock ground clearance as a landcruiser/pajero - believe it or not, where they differ in clearance is in the ramp over, approach and departure angles.
I reckon it has only limited my prospecting expeditions a couple of times in the last few years and hasn't yet warranted the upgrade to a vehicle with low range 4x4, it is a very comfortable car for commuting and city driving it has a good turning circle and gets good economy.
If you are keen on a forester and will use it a lot off road i would invest in a set of +1 size AT tyres and a good quality set of bash plates. i still have highway terrains on and will look at A/ts when they are ready for replacement, main consideration for this would be how much highway driving you do and an increase in road noise - many of the newer tech at's will still handle respectably on road even in the wet.
I have owned 6 Subarus from an early Liberty to Imprezas/forester and my wife drives the tribeca, I have experienced them to be very reliable if the basic maintenance is kept up, they have have minimal mechanical issues even when they are long in the tooth, as they get older they Can be a bit fussy over what oil is used and i have had to change oil brands a few time in the liberty and older forester to reduce the tappet noise, once i found a oil that let them run quietly all was good.. 3 of my cars i moved on with over 300,000ks still running well.
I like Subaru and i know them pretty well mechanically and would not hesitate to recommend a forester to anyone as a good all purpose vehicle that plays nice on and off road, is safe, economical (fuel and maintenance) and has enough room for the family/camping/prospecting gear.
you can get yourself into a lower km, later model forester then most brand/models of 4x4.
Low range 4x4 definitely have their place in some regions particularly in remote locations and one should consider all aspects of where and how the vehicle will be used before deciding what will work best for them.
Cheers,
