Subaru teams up with National Stables for incredible towing first
It’s not every day that a car company is asked to move an entire building using only an SUV, but that was the challenge presented to permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive car maker Subaru by the UK’s leading stable manufacturer.
National Stables called upon Subaru for the inaugural tow of its recently introduced Mobile Field Shelter. Weighing in at a sizeable 1,750kg (nearly two tonnes) , the 22ft x 12ft wooden structure can accommodate up to three horses and features heavy-duty galvanised steel skids and towing eyes at both ends so that it can be moved around a paddock. The Shelter was designed from the outset to be towed by a large tractor – certainly not a road car – but National Stables wanted to see just what was possible.
Subaru UK selected a Forester 2.0D XS NavPlus, with its 2,000kg un-braked towing capacity, as the vehicle to take on this highly unconventional towing assignment. The Japanese manufacturer was confident that the Forester’s permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, coupled with the low-down torque from thehorizontally-opposed 2.0-litre Boxer diesel engine, would prove equal to the challenge.
And so it proved, as the Forester hauled the mobile field structure across some tough rural terrain near Faversham, Kent, with relative ease. The Forester made light work of the enormous structure, pulling away smoothly and safely, easily finding and retaining traction despite the damp and slippery conditions. Onlookers and neighbouring residents watched on in amazement as the family SUV towed the mobile field unit over 300 yards, on at least four separate occasions.
Managing Director of National Stables, Mark Taylor, said: “Our new mobile field unit is a remarkably versatile structure, that we’re confident will prove very popular with horse owners across the UK. That said, while it is designed to be mobile, I don’t think there are many lifestyle SUVs capable of towing it. It’s normally a job for heavy-duty agricultural machines, so very well done to Subaru. The Forester is clearly a highly capable off-road machine.”
Subaru UK Marketing Director, Kenyon Neads, added: “It speaks volumes for our model range that something as civilised and comfortable as the Forester can tow such a large structure. The Subaru range is already very popular in the equestrian world and this collaboration with National Stables underlines how well suited our vehicles are to life in the paddock, as well as on the open road.”
Specialising in high quality stable manufacture, National Stables have been manufacturing timber frame buildings since 1968. The firm produces mobile field shelters and stables, as well as a wide range of timber buildings including home offices, workshops, garages, carriage barns, American barns and leisure buildings such as garden rooms and games rooms. Visit nationalstables.co.uk for details.
Subaru’s All-Wheel-Drive Forester range starts at £21,295 for the entry level 2.0 X, and rises to £28,995 for the top-of-the-range 2.0D XS NavPlus. For more information log on to subaru.co.uk.
