Subaru Forester 2018 Review - International

Pricing and cost of ownership

The existing Forester range offers a choice of 2.0- and 2.5-litre petrol, 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder boxer engines with six-speed manual or optional continuously variable transmissions across a six-variant range. All are equipped with Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive system as standard.

The new range will arrive initially only with Subaru’s new direct-injected 2.5-litre petrol flat four and CVT auto, at least until the e-BOXER mild-hybrid Forester joins the range in late 2019.

The current Forester line-up is priced between $30,240 and $48,240 (plus on-road costs). Subaru Australia says the new Forester’s pricing will stick closely to the outgoing range, but will confirm details when Australian sales commence in September.

The Forester is currently backed by a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in a market where five-year (and even seven-year) warranties are now the norm.

Subaru sets service intervals for the Forester at six months or 12,500km (most manufacturers are now 12 months/15,000km) and offers a capped-price servicing plan across its passenger car range. Included roadside assistance applies for 12 months from the day of sale.

Sold privately, a three-year-old mid-grade Subaru Forester in excellent condition should expect to retain up to 71 per cent of its new-car value, or 62 per cent when traded-in.

Design and innovation

Most of the innovation in the new Forester comes from the parts you can’t see – like the new platform and safety technology, for example – which means visually it might be hard to differentiate the new model from its predecessor.

But it is indeed all-new from the ground up. Subaru says the new Forester shows a ‘more rugged style’ that showcases its new design while at the same time retaining a strong family resemblance.

It’s also said to utilise a ‘modern cubic form to emphasise a sense of volume’. Roughly translated, we think that means ‘boxy, but good’.

External visuals see a shoulder-line that traces the roof pillars to ‘exaggerate height and strength’, while conspicuous wheel-arch mouldings emphasise Subaru’s all-wheel drive heritage.

To that effect, there’s also the obligatory front, side and rear under-body guards on all variants, and lower body-side cladding to protect against stone chipping and grit.

LED headlights are standard across the range, complementing Subaru’s signature hexagonal grille. Depending on the grade there are LED fog-lights and gloss-black or silver trim garnishes to complement new paint colours that include Crimson Red Peal, Horizon Blue Pearl and Jasper Green Metallic.

Depending on the model, the 2019 Forester will be offered with a choice of 17 or 18-inch alloy wheels.

The cabin also retains familiar décor and styling, a new instrument panel joining carry-over switchgear, centre-stack, console and steering wheel designs.

Cloth or leather upholstery will be available depending on the model grade, Subaru taking care to use robust PVC materials in high-wear areas.

Greater attention has also been focussed on oddment storage to neatly organise items like keys, purses, wallets and smartphones.

Packaging and practicality

The five-seat Forester grows 15mm longer (4625mm) and 20mm wider (1815mm) than before, but is 5mm lower (1730mm) overall.

The wheelbase stretches 30mm (2670mm) to improve cabin space, Subaru promising better passenger accommodation and flexibility than ever before.

It’s also slightly heavier (15-20kg) than the outgoing Forester 2.5i-L which tipped the scales at 1568kg (kerb).

The rear doors open wider, joining a more vertical C-pillar to aid entry and exit. Hip and shoulder-room is broader front and rear, while rear-seat legroom grows 36mm (1001mm).

The front seats are likewise commodious with seat and steering column adjustment through the usual ranges, while a larger, upright glasshouse – and standard reversing camera – aid outward visibility significantly.

Re-sculpted seats aim to improve long-distance touring comfort while noise, vibration and harshness levels also fall. Three-stage seat heaters are available on high-grade variants, as is leather upholstery, electric seat adjustment with memory function, and a panoramic glass sunroof.

Up the back, the new Forester’s cargo area expands to 498 litres (+76 litres), stretching to 1768 litres (from +287 litres) with the 60:40 split-fold seats folded flat.

A generous 1300mm (+134mm) wide tailgate – powered on high-grade variants – aids in loading bulky items, and a full-size matching alloy spare wheel is housed under the floor.

The 2.5-litre Forester is rated to tow up to 1500kg (braked). Roof rails with in-built tie-down hooks are standard on all but the base model.

Safety and technology

The current Forester’s five-star ANCAP safety rating looks set to continue with the inclusion of Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist technology now standard across the range.

It joins a DriverFocus fatigue management system incorporating facial recognition software on high-grade models, plus autonomous emergency braking, all the expected electronic chassis aids, seven airbags, a bonnet-mounted pedestrian airbag, and top-tether and ISOFIX child-seat mounts.

Other available safety technologies include reverse automatic braking and rear cross-traffic assist, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist, high-beam assist and trailer stability assist.

Subaru will likely bundle these features on high-grade variants, and will confirm those details closer to the Forester’s Australian launch.

On the infotainment front, the Japanese-spec Forester we sampled offers a choice of 6.5 or 8.0-inch touch-screens with Subaru’s Starlink multimedia interface.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard, so too Bluetooth telephony and audio streaming, and voice-activated satellite-navigation.

Convenience features include available keyless entry and ignition, an auto tailgate, electronic parking brake and auto lights and wipers.

Overseas models are also equipped with remote start functionality, concierge services, wireless firmware updates, Wi-Fi hotspot, and even the ability to enable geofencing, speed alert and curfew settings for younger drivers.

Behind the wheel

Australia is an important destination for the Forester. Since it debuted in 1997 more than one million examples have been sold globally – a quarter of those in the land Down Under, where it was once the top-selling medium SUV.

Though we’re not sure how well the market will warm to news the next Forester will be offered only with a normally-aspirated petrol engine – even if direct-injection and higher compression bumps its outputs to 136kW/239Nm (+10kW/4Nm).

Matched exclusively to a revised Lineartronic CVT, the new Forester we drove offered sufficient power to tackle the meandering 5km cycling track outside of Izu City.

The use of Subaru’s SI-Drive ‘S’ mode extracted slightly more eager step-off acceleration and quicker kick-down response.

Likewise, the paddle shifts provided more control over the CVT through seven stepped ratios, but they were largely unnecessary in the sportier of the two transmission modes.

Steering response and body control are greatly improved. The Forester tracks confidently through corners and recovers quickly and cleanly from sudden direction changes.

Feedback to the driver is fluid and the weight of controls well matched to the Forester’s cross-purpose attitude.

At low speeds the combination of excellent outward visibility and light variable-gear steering make for easy manoeuvrability, while at suburban speeds the predictability of steering and chassis response imparts a feeling of certainty with the Forester’s hold on the road.

Unfortunately the smooth roads of our limited test course gave little indication of the Forester’s ride and bump recovery attitude, though a makeshift forest circuit showed Subaru’s revised X-Mode all-wheel drive system had the smarts to tackle light off-road work.

In its most aggressive mode, X-Mode now disables traction control to get more torque to the wheels, making it ideal for deeper snow or mud, and possibly even sand.

It’s not as detailed as the low-range-enabled Selec-Terrain system in the Jeep Compass Trailhawk, for example, but should offer enough ability for the wants of most buyers.

Subaru is yet to provide fuel economy numbers for the new Forester, but says a quicker warm-up cycle and idle-stop technology should go some way to trimming the 8.1L/100km combined figure (and 187g/km of CO2) of the outgoing multipoint-injected unit. The Forester runs on regular 91 RON unleaded petrol.

The verdict

The changes to the Forester’s platform, the increase in size and the uptick in safety and comfort level certainly help to improve a much-loved formula.

But we’re not sure it’s the step-change Subaru needs to keep ahead of the rapidly advancing mid-size SUV pack – Australia’s biggest SUV segment.

In view of its competitors the Forester has caught up, but not overtaken the status quo; and given the competitiveness of the segment – and the expectations of family buyers – it’s bold, revolutionary advancement that will triumph over conservative, evolutionary progression every time.

Yes, it’s a sound, safe and reliable family hauler with the practicality and capability we’ve come to expect… but sadly, not much more.

How much does the 2018 Subaru Forester cost?
On sale: September
Price: TBC (currently $30,240-$48,240)
Engine: 2.5-litre flat four-cylinder petrol
Output: 136kW/239Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: TBC
CO2: TBC
Safety rating: TBC