Test: Subaru Forester (2024) – Price, configuration

It has escaped our attention because it is so suited to the American market, but in November Subaru presented the new generation Forester at the Los Angeles Auto Show. A generation with an all-new body, an updated interior that gets the large vertical touchscreen from the Outback and Crosstrek, and the promise of a hybrid variant in 2026 with Toyota’s help. Catch? It always takes a while before new models from the brand cross over to Europe. So it may take until 2025 or so before the new Forester is delivered to us. So we will have to deal with this generation, which was presented for the first time in 2018 and received a major upgrade in 2022.

The best in the area

The Forester is roughly in the middle of Subaru’s lineup. At 4.64 m long, 1.82 m wide and 1.72 m tall, it’s bigger than the recently launched Crosstrek, but smaller than the Outback we recently tested, and above all it’s cheaper than the electric Solterra. It’s the outermost model in the range thanks to its 220mm clearance, though of course it shares its standard all-wheel drive and X-Mode terrain mode with the other models. In addition, the Forester can tow a trailer up to 1,870 kg.

The interior of the previous generation

While the nose still looks fresh thanks to the 2022 facelift, when you get into the Forester you’ll immediately realize you’re dealing with an older model. First, with its analog counters, although the conservative Subaru still holds this with its latest models, but mainly for the central console. There is obviously still the infotainment system from the previous generation, aided by a second screen above the dashboard on which you can project additional driving data. The 8-inch touchscreen is quite slow to respond, the interface looks dated and connectivity is poor, with only wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Real buttons!

Fortunately, this foolproof approach also has its advantages, because almost all functions can still be run with the old buttons. It doesn’t look and feel high quality, with a lot of hard plastic, but in terms of ergonomics this is still good. The slow infotainment system is also less annoying as you can adjust things like climate control, seat heating and even driver assistance systems with the push or turn of a button, rather than having to dig through a touchscreen menu.

Plenty of room to sit and load

Another compliment is the interior space, which is excellent. Despite its medium size, the Forester offers above-average seating space in the back seat, where even tall adults can comfortably sit one behind the other with room to put their knees and heads. The suit has room for 509 to 1,779 liters of stuff, again a very good mark for the segment.

Coffee grinder

Under the hood of the Subaru Forester is a 2-liter boxer engine expected with 110 kW (150 hp) and 194 Nm of torque, the maximum of which is reached only at 4,000 rpm. To help the petrol engine a little at low revs, there is a little hybrid support (e-Boxer) in the form of a 12.3 kW (16.7 hp) electric motor. This allows you to run a few meters entirely on electricity, provided you have the right feather-light foot.

Despite this hybrid, the Forester still has a typical consumption of 8.1 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 185 g/km according to the WLTP cycle. And we couldn’t even compare those average figures, because we ended our week of stability testing with an average of 8.7 l/100 km. The petrol engine has to work hard to keep up with speed, despite a reasonable curb weight of 1,685kg. 0-100 km/h takes 11.8 seconds and top speed is 188 km/h.

Strong and even strong

In the city, the electric drive provides an extra boost, but especially on the highway you lack power and have to live with a lot of engine noise due to the coffee grinder effect of the CVT automatic transmission (offered as standard). And wind noise is also clearly heard on board. In terms of driving behavior, however, we don’t have much to complain about: the Forester is stable and even quite agile in corners, which is due to its low weight and good body stiffness. The steering is also very direct and precise, which contributes to the ‘connected’ feeling you get as a driver.

During the winter months we also traveled several kilometers in the snow, and our test sample managed to keep its head above water even on summer tires. For extra traction on slippery surfaces, simply set the X-Mode switch to the appropriate mode and away you go. This Subaru is definitely unbeatable on winter tires in the winter!

Subaru Forester price

The Subaru Forester partially makes up for its shortcomings with a competitive price. The SUV is available in Belgium from 38,595 euros, the fully equipped Premium is available from 47,095 euros. In addition, discounts are available from time to time, especially during the show period, so you can get a brand new, well-equipped and spacious SUV for 45,000 euros or less. Thanks to its smaller and lighter hybrid engine, the tax is also lower compared to the Outback. Comprehensive safety equipment is standard, and you also get an 8-year warranty with no mileage restriction. That’s why Subaru is always in the top 10 most reliable car brands.

High judgment

We still had positive opinions about the Outback team, but the Subaru Forester didn’t really impress us. In particular, its outdated technology and lifeless engine are a thorn in our side and make us look for more modern alternatives. But if you are looking for a spacious, practical, safe and reliable SUV without any fuss, with the added bonus of good off-road skills, then Subaru is the place for you. If there is still a distributor around, that is.