I rented one last year of Hertz for 2 weeks while ill over east (and yes it was an auto as well) it was pretty good and drove and handled very good and was surprising great on fuel considering I was flogging most of the time, it was also very comfortable on a long trip (500od km's in one go).

IMO the biggest downer was the low power, and also the lack of room (we had 2 suit cases and we had to fold down the rear seats etc. and then they only just fitted in, also having to climb in and out of it became a chore fairly quickly (although my wife loved it).

Overall IMO it would make a good 2nd car for weekend runs/track work etc but only if it had a bit more power (ie needs a turbo motor), personally overall I much prefer my S-Edition as a better all round vehicle.

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MY11 Forester S-Edition