New Subaru Forester: Never change a winning horse

That is certainly not a criticism. The first Forester was a direct hit for Subaru. The relatively low, almost station wagon-like SUV struck a chord with many car buyers. The Forester was a huge success, especially in the United States, and the generations that followed would also experience considerable sales success. The United States is Subaru’s most important sales market and that is where the… Fozzy last year the brand’s best-selling car after the Crosstrek and Outback. A year earlier – in 2021 – the Forester was still on top of the sales throne. The Subaru Forester that you can now also buy in the Netherlands is now almost six years old and was significantly facelifted last year. The Japanese now think it is time for a new Forester and given the American success of the model, it is not surprising that Subaru The States presents, without altering too much the recipe that apparently tastes great.

The outgoing generation of Subaru Forester.

The new sixth generation Subaru Forester is 4.65 meters long, 1.83 meters wide and 1.73 meters high. This makes the Subaru a few centimeters longer and wider than the outgoing model, while the height has remained the same. What has also remained the same is the wheelbase. Just like that of the Forester that will soon be replaced, it is 2.67 meters. The new Forester stands on a further developed version of the Subaru Global Platform on which the previous model also stood. However, according to Subaru, it has been made 10 percent stiffer: a nice bonus. The complete bodywork is completely new. Just look at the shape of the windows and the front and rear screens. The new Forester optically shares no panel, bolt, nut, plug or cord with its predecessor.

Subaru Forester

In keeping with Forester tradition, the latest generation also has a no-nonsense appearance, although we find slightly more optical decoration than in previous incarnations. For example, the front with its large grille and the black frame around it completely fills the space between the headlights, we find a decorative strip in the D-pillar that should suggest that the roof is floating and the rear lights are optically connected by a decorative strip. . We also encounter more playful shapes in the front and rear bumpers than in those of the outgoing Forester. Subaru even shows versions with gold accents and wheels. Subaru is not yet offering a Wilderness version to the American consumer, but given the eagerness with which Subaru is rolling out such versions across its model range, the new Forester cannot remain without it for long.

Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester’s dashboard, with its large vertical infotainment screen and the air vents on either side of it, is very similar to that of the Impreza, Crosstrek and Outback. Only the way in which the center tunnel connects to the center console is clearly different. In the United States, the Forester has so far only been presented with a 183 hp 2.5 four-cylinder boxer engine. This machine distributes its forces to all four wheels via a CVT. In the Netherlands, the outgoing Forester is also available with a mild-hybrid powertrain. If this new Forester also comes to Europe – we see no reason to think that won’t happen – we expect that an electrified power plant will also find its way back to the Subaru Forester.

Subaru Forester in the Netherlands

Since the introduction of the first generation Forester in 1997, more than 11,700 units have been registered in the Netherlands. This makes it the best-selling Subaru – measured since 1983 – after the Mini Jumbo (20,187 units!) and the Justy (14,482 units). The Legacy follows in fourth place with 10,435 units delivered. We only find the Impreza below this with 8,931 units.