I remember the first time I got behind the wheels of a turbocharged Subaru Forester SG5 – I mean, this was supposed to be a family wagon, but the way it handled felt like a full-blown rally car. In Kenya we call them the ‘Fozzy’ and around car circle banter – the school bus. That’s right, these are supposed to be heavier cars, but somehow, they’ve found themselves in the midst of fancy, hella-tuned, sporty, performance cars. In this week’s car of the week, we are featuring Rick Oriewo’s iconic blue, heavily modded, turbocharged Subaru Forester SG5.
Let’s give flowers where they are deserved—Rick’s turbocharged Subaru Forester SG5 is quite the looker. It’s donned a couple of shades, but its latest iteration beats all of them. The first time I saw this performance wagon was during Forester Nation’s Iten run. It had a gunmetal gray exterior and bronze rims down below.
On the interior, the gear lever stuck out like a sore thumb—telltale signs that this was a performance enthusiast’s car. It sat low and wide, and after a couple of revs from the owner at Iten View Point, thunderstruck, with loud pops and bangs, I immediately knew it was a tuned Subaru Forester.
Well, two months later, we got another glimpse of this looker – it’s currently in a Subaru royal blue shade with white fat rims, a huge spoiler, and a new front bumper. We have a running joke about Rick’s car – it shifts form like a ninja. We are pretty sure by the time this post goes live, Rick will be cooking something new.
But here’s the kicker. You’d expect this insanely tuned car to be part of Nairobi’s fast and furious, but it’s actually not. It’s not even part of the Nakuru—Naivasha Subaru gang. The owner hails from Eldoret City. And this car is indeed a champion in our eyes. It’s the city’s pride and joy!
Stock, the Subaru Forester SG5 packs a turbocharged 2-liter boxer engine capable of 220 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque. Subaru’s iconic symmetrical all-wheel drive tech transfers all the power to the four wheels.
But don’t let the figures above fool you. Rick’s Subaru Forester SG5 isn’t your conventional showroom Fozzy. Last we checked, it was running a bigger turbo and a bunch of aftermarket mods. It’ll violently creep up on you and turn you into a speck in the rearview mirror.
But here’s the truth. The owner treats this Japanese gem with care. You’ll rarely ever see it violently driven—maybe during car shows or on long stretches at the bypass. If you want to catch a glimpse of this strikingly good-looking Subaru Forester, you’ll have to take a trip to Eldoret City and run with the champions.
Let us know what you think about Rick’s modded Subaru Forester SG5 in the comments section below. Would you want us to do a full feature? Also, let us know what car you’d like us to feature next week on “Car Of The Week.”
