Charles Hobbs joined the Club a few months ago. I had a chat with him to find out what motivated him into 4-wheel-driving, and why he decided on a Subaru. Q: Charles, what got you into 4-wheel-driving A: My family and friends are into 4-wheeldriving. When I got my care, I wanted one that can take me to the places I want to go and capable of keeping up with my family and friends. Q: Why a Subaru Forester? A: Cost. I can only afford to own and run one car (at this stage), thus having a regular daily drive and a 4x4 toy wasn’t an option for me. The capabilities of modified Foresters I saw on YouTube convinced me that if I do the same, I will have a daily drive vehicle that is capable in keeping up with the bigger 4x4s. Q: What kind of 4x4s do your friends and family drive, and what sort of driving do you plan to do in your Forester? A: Various, including a modified Nissan Patrol and a Land Rover Discovery 2. Thus, my car needs to be able to keep up on difficult tracks.
Charles is currently a 1st year university student, studying Automotive Engineering at RMIT in the city. Having a reliable daily drive was therefore critical. He enjoys his driving on-road and off-road, thus was not interested in a “full on” off-roader that, as we all know, typically “sway like a boat” when driven on the road due to their off-road suspension setups. His choice of a SG Forester XT does fit his requirements of his daily drive and as a “fun to drive” vehicle on-road nicely -13-
