Now in its fifth generation, the Forester has been on sale since 2018, registering over 700 000-unit sales in the United States alone during that period, meaning that the Japanese brand is certainly on to a winner with the most recent model. From a local perspective, the Forester is less popular but is still a solid, dependable offering in the mid-size SUV segment. We recently had the updated Forester in Sport guise for a week-long evaluation.
Styling
Subaru has updated the Forester's aesthetics for 2022, including an updated front grille, revised headlamps and new front bumper. The Japanese marque has also updated the mirror caps which are textured on our test vehicle, the A and B-pillar covers are new as are the rear spoiler and tailgate. As with the previous Sport models, there are various orange accents on the exterior, including on the roof rails, the side skirts, rear and front bumper, which might be a hit-or-miss with some consumers.
Interior and space
The interior of the Forester Sport is certainly striking, with combination seats that feature grey cloth, black leather and contrasting orange stitching. There are also orange accents on the steering wheel, gear lever and infotainment toggle switch. This colour combination may not work for everyone, but there is no denying that it lifts the interior of the Forester. The 8.0-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and is not the fastest system out there, but it is certainly easy to use. As we have come to expect, the Forester is very well screwed together with reasonable material quality and the general impression that it will last a very long time indeed.
From a practical perspective, the Forester is wonderfully capacious inside, offering a great deal of space for front and rear occupants, including rear ventilation and two 2.1-amp USB charging ports for rear passengers. The boot offers 520-litres of space, and 1 060-litres with the second row of seats folded flat. There is also an optional removable rubberised boot liner, meaning that muddy gear and other goodies used in activities can be loaded without the risk of staining your boot
Performance and driving impression
The Forester is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder Boxer engine paired with a CVT. The outputs are a modest 136kW and 239Nm of torque, which in an SUV weighing 1 561kg is just about acceptable. Performance is mediocre, with the 0-100km/h sprint time coming up in 9.5 seconds, while in the real world, attempting this results in the familiar CVT drone as the engine sits near redline attempting to provide as much power as possible. This means that the Forester feels best at partial throttle application, where the gearbox and engine work well with one other and results in effortless progress, albeit at a relaxed pace.
Safety
In 2019, the Forester was crash-tested by the Euro NCAP vehicle safety programme, where it achieved a 5-Star rating, receiving 97% for adult occupant safety, 91% for child occupant safety, 80% for pedestrian safety and 78% for its safety assistance systems.
Standard safety items include seven airbags, traction and stability control as well as hill-start control and ISOFIX child seat anchor points. Our press unit also had the brand's EyeSight semi-autonomous safety suite which includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Pre-Collision Braking, Lane Departure and Sway Warning and Autonomous Emergency Steering.
Fuel economy
The Forester's naturally aspirated engine and CVT gearbox result in a relatively high fuel consumption figure, with our weeklong test resulting in a figure of 10.4 L/100km despite a claimed figure of 8.3 L/100km.
Pricing
The Forester, in 2.5i-Sport guise, retails for R599 000, placing it directly in the firing line of Volkswagen's updated Tiguan, the all-new Hyundai Tucson, Toyota's RAV4 and even the likes of the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner for those looking at more space. The advantage that the Forester has is its all-wheel drive system and off-road ability at this price point. The model comes with a 3-year/75 000km maintenance plan.
Verdict
A week with the Forester revealed that Subaru still knows how to produce an off-road-ready mid-size family SUV that is big on safety and in-car features. The problem the Forester faces amid insane fuel price increases is its lack of efficiency, where consumers may find favour with less rugged, but more cost-effective and efficient competitors.
