The Subaru Forester is one of Subaru’s best selling, if not their best selling model, in Asia. Combining rally pedigree with a bodystyle favoured by car buyers can really only be a recipe for success.

But is there more to the Forester story than just solid base ingredients? And could it dethrone other SUVs in its segment with equally lengthy names?

Sedate Aesthetics

Given their rally heritage, one would’ve possibly expected a slightly more aggressive design approach with the fifth-generation Forester. And yet Subaru seems aware of the Forester’s target audience, choosing instead to stick to a fairly safe design overall.

And the same approach has been applied to this facelifted variant of the fifth-generation car. Even the original iteration of said car, launched internationally back in 2018, felt like an evolution of the car it replaced.

Sticking to this approach means you can track the car’s heritage, making the Forester truly distinctive from its other competitors in its segment. Doing this also allows the designers to optimise its styling to really drive home the “I’m a Subaru” point.

The side and rear profiles are pretty recognisable, and the C-shaped daytime running lights accentuate the front fascia. Tied together with the sizeable grille, this provides a fairly recognisable look overall. If you want additional visual pizzazz, you can spec the optional GT Edition package as featured on our test car.

Interior Surprises

In general, Japanese automakers haven’t had the best reputation for their interiors. But that is not the case with the Forester. The seats feature grey accents, white contrast stitching and a quilted design on the supple leatherette. This adds both a pop of colour and some visual flair as well.

An eight-inch screen handles all of your infotainment needs, further supplemented by a smaller screen on the dashboard. The latter is used to view and configure various settings and functions, such as fuel economy reading, directional heading or the power split of the all-wheel drive system, to name a few. 

Admittedly, the graphics aren’t the slickest, though I give Subaru props for their native user interface. Their menus are intuitive, responsive and easy to operate even while driving. And if you prefer to use your phone as the infotainment interface, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connect seamlessly.

Given its boxier shape, five people will fit comfortably in the car, seeing how the rear bench will fit three people easily with legroom aplenty. Combined with a 509-litre boot (which expands to 1,779 litres with the rear seats knocked down) and an electric tailgate, practicality is uncompromisable when it comes to the Forester.

Boxer Tradition

The Forester is powered by a 2.0 litre, naturally-aspirated boxer engine. This powerplant, with its mild-hybrid assistance, develops 150 bhp and 194 Nm of torque. As you’d expect from a Subaru, this power is sent to all four wheels. But not through a torque converter automatic or even a manual gearbox – it has been equipped with a CVT.

Subaru says it’d accelerate to 100 km/h in 11.8 seconds, so isn’t going to set your hair on fire. But for its intended purpose, it doesn’t have to. This is a car built for people who desire practicality, safety and comfort. And comfort is where the Forester excels, for it not only has quite a compliant ride, but some properly competent sound insulation too.

The comfort bias does mean there are a few handling trade-offs – the steering could do with a little more feel, and the transmission could be quicker too. And a turbocharger definitely wouldn’t hurt the car as well.

That being said, should you wonder how well a Forester can handle, perhaps this should help answer those questions. TL;DR: it’ll do a lot more than you think it can.

Deep Down, It’s Still A (true blue) Subaru

Subaru has a storied history of seriously capable models, as evidenced by their dominance in rally during the 1990s and their continuous popularity in the modified scene. And I like to believe that this heritage has been distilled into their current offerings, even if it isn’t immediately obvious.

Sure, it may not look like it, but the engineers didn’t forget to include what really makes a Subaru a Subaru when developing this car. Yes, market trends have shifted, and the days of sedans and wagons are steadily declining, since consumers today have shown a massive preference towards SUVs and crossovers.

To me, the Forester feels like it has been built to satisfy the needs of two camps. The first being modern consumers who desire the functionality SUVs or crossovers offer.

The second group are those that have accepted that their lives have changed, and a more sensible car is needed. But having a sensible car doesn’t mean it can’t be fun, and the Forester brings that sensibility together with capability that comes alive when the right buttons are pushed. 

And that, to me, is what the Forester is all about.

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