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The Subaru Forester has always looked right at home Down Under.
The eloquent, flexible and large-bodied is it’s tough–all qualities that are valued by the stereotypical Aussie family. The Forester quickly became a popular buy for mid-size SUVs, and it is just that even though there’s dozens of competitors competing with the car so much in fact.
The sixth-generation Forester arrived last year and this petrol Sport variant sits smack bang in the middle of the range.
Priced a tad under $50k, it’s specced for adventure and positioned against the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Nissan X-Trail, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, and Mitsubishi Outlander. Hardly a shortage of rivals, and that’s before you consider newer arrivals such as the BYD Sealion 6 and Jaecoo J7.
What is the quality of Forester Sport? Is it a good nameplate for its reputation? Read on to know about this.
How much does the Subaru Forester cost?
It will cost you $48,490 for this mid-spec Sport, while range tops out at $55,990 plus on-roads for the Hybrid Touring.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| 2026 Subaru Forester AWD | $43,490 |
| 2026 Subaru Forester AWD Premium | $46,490 |
| 2026 Subaru Forester AWD Hybrid | $46,490 |
| 2026 Subaru Forester AWD Sport | $48,490 |
| 2026 Subaru Forester AWD Touring | $50,990 |
| 2026 Subaru Forester AWD Hybrid Sport | $54,990 |
| 2026 Subaru Forester AWD Hybrid Touring | $55,990 |
In a context, the new-generation Toyota RAV4 starts at $45,990 and on-road costs for the entry-level front-wheel drive GX are $$1, but you’ll pay an additional $4080 for all-drive.
However, the cheapest Forester Hybrid costs $500 more than the GX, itself a hybrid.
In the upcoming model, Forester prices rose significantly after this year’s introduction to the current model – the outgoing Forestler was priced from $38,690 before on-road costs for the base 2 were at its lowest. 5i – which was $50,140 before being released for the flagship Hybrid S.
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
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What is the Subaru Forester like on the inside?
The interior of the Forester has been’very useful and practical’, which is especially true with this mid-spec Sport model.
In contrast to other variants in the range, for example, unlike most of the Sport’s counterparts, water-repellent upholstery and bright green contrast stitching are essentially home to the outdoorsy aesthetic. I value my job, so I didn’t spray down the seats to test Subaru’s waterproof claim but there is a lot of truth behind claiming for ‘the car that can be easier to clean after escaping from family home.
But outside of the seats, everything else feels pretty tough — too much so that’s a bit strong. It is finished in hardy plastics and the doors and dash are a wetsuit-like material, which also features prominently throughout the cabin – both for fun and spills.
Durability gets a big tick, then. But if you were hoping for a slice of luxury, you’ve come to the wrong place, because rivals such as the BYD Sealion 6, Jaecoo J7 and Volkswagen Tiguan deliver more showroom appeal, albeit without a rugged edge.
It’s not like the Forester Sport is unpleasant to sit in, though. Far from it.
During long trips, the synthetic leather seats are supportive and comfortable with plenty of bolstering and ample electric adjustment; while the leather-wrapped steering is sculpted to perfection. A thoughtful touches such as padding on the side of the centre tunnel – where the driver’s left knee naturally rests – and extra steering wheel reach make it even more memorable.
However, if Australia is in the summer heat, seat ventilation would be welcome. If you’re sick winter mornings and want to know if your steering wheel is heating, Oh or Oh? The latter is not included in all versions of the Forester, but only the flagship Touring has the former.
In fact, the Forester Sport is a little light on features by modern standards and thus offers ‘the most interesting thing to know about it. So for example, there is no head-up display, no digital instrument cluster.
But instead, it’s the technology suite with a portrait infotainment screen and 4 to be sure. Two-inch instrument display, both a little yesterday (especially for – new’ model) are 2-inch instruments and were also.
The central tablet is not polish like the ones in modern Kia, Hyundai and BYD models have a lot of polish, I say. It’s a bit of an unresponsive, laggy and impressive look at it with fuzzy graphics that are the 2010s-era.
It doesn’t mention the a number of bugs I have had when using Apple CarPlay, but that’s not to say it. The Forester supports wireless smartphone mirroring, but reliability was a constant problem throughout our test – it was rare that my phone connected to the car without manual intervention and on several occasions audio volume became ‘stuck’ even though adjustments were made in the screen.
The problem is that there’s a way to connect via USB-A, USB–C or even an AUX cable.
The fact that so many popular vehicle functions are embedded within the infotainment screen is also requiring regular interaction with the system, it doesn’t help. While external camera views, temperature adjustment and audio volume are still controlled by physical controls (but that’s about it), the underlying factors remain.
A full set of climate controls (including climate control) shortcuts can always be found at the bottom of the centre screen, although the climate menu itself is cluttered with noise. However, the interface is actually quite user-friendly… when it’s firing on all cylinders.
Clearly in grid fashion, all native apps are described; the basics are everything native satnav, digital radio and settings etc. However, YouTube and Spotify’s likes are not available because of the lack of an in-car app store that allows for access to their like.
While many people think such features are superfluous, there’s no escape from the feeling that Subaru’ – its tech is a generation behind the competition.
The Forester doesn’t provide a mountain of storage up front, either for all its famed practicality, or for the most part, as does . The door bins are a little narrow, and the centre console bin is just enough for ‘large car’.
Further afield there’s a wireless phone charging pad, generous glovebox, and a cubby for sunglasses overhead.
So, why all the fuss about the Forester then? Well, the second row goes some way to explaining the fascination.
In short, it’s lovely back there.
The rear doors are wide for starters so it’s easy to slide in and out, allowing . And once seated, it’s immediately clear that there is room for three adults to ride in style.
Especially Leggy types will appreciate the soft front seat backs, and the space between bottom of each side of the front seats and floor. A strong supply of headroom is also a source of . In order to complete it all off, large windows and a sunroof bathe the passenger area in natural light with huge windows.
And it was hardly an afterthought, but the comfort of the rear bench suggests that more than just wide-ranging s were comfortable. Those three seats are gently reclined, and all of them are cushy for long family road trips.
well there is also a base, and the as for facilities does. The Forester, unlike many competitors, has both USB-A and USB–C outlets in the second row; tiered map pockets with tiering maps, lots of drink storage (and smaller slots for loose items) as well as small slot holes.
But if you go back further, it’s the boot that is as family friendly as any other one. The headline capacity figure – 496 litres – may sound unimportant, but it only tells half the story.
But that number doesn’t say the power tailgate lifts to reveal an opening aperture, which is wide and tall, or it says loading area is perfectly flat – no one knows. So you won’t have to hoist heavy suitcases or camping equipment up into the boot, because it is a low-to-the-floor boot floor so that no one can struggle with lifting them down and even going back in the boots.
Have more space? At the flick of a switch, you drop the rear seats and unlock up to 1174 litres of cargo capacity.
But wait, there’s more! Other useful features include a 12V power source, bag hooks, tie-down points and reversable cargo cover.
It’s this combination of attributes that renders the Forester one of the most practical mid-sized SUVs on the market.
But buyers will rejoice that the full-size spare wheel is still available under the boot floor in petrol models, which can be found below the cab floor better yet. On the other hand, hybrid versions of s carry only a tyre repair kit.
| Dimensions | Subaru Forester AWD Sport |
| — | — |
| Length | 4655mm |
| Width | 1830mm |
| Height | 1730mm |
| Wheelbase | 2670mm |
| Cargo capacity (to window line) | 496L (rear seats up) 1174L (rear seats folded) |
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
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What’s under the bonnet?
A 2. is used in All Foresters, and the word “All Forester” has an ad-hoc one of them. Classic Subaru-style boxer engine 5 litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated boxers engine, in classic Subaru style. In petrol variants, this is accompanied by an continuously variable transmission (CVT) as standard for this.
| Specifications | Subaru Forester AWD Sport |
| — | — |
| Engine | 2.5L 4cyl ‘boxer’ petrol |
| Engine power | 136kW |
| Engine torque | 247Nm |
| Transmission | CVT |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1651kg |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 7.9L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | 10.3L/100km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 63L |
| Fuel requirement | 91-octane regular unleaded |
| CO2 emissions | 180g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 6c |
| Braked towing capacity | 1800kg |
| Payload | 572kg |
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
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How does the Subaru Forester drive?
The Forester is a joy to drive, far more than the vast majority of mainstream mid-size SUVs that are overbearing safety nannies aside.
Touring shown
It’s a little underperforming in the performance department, at least in non-hybrid style, but that lack of straight line speed is compensated by an excellent chassis which strikes ‘the balance between dynamics and comfort.
Putting simply, the Forester is smaller than it really is and so for stress free urban driving experience comes from being under pressure. And yes, actually I’d say driving the Forester around town is really fun.
The Forester’s manoeuvrability means a great turning circle and easy parking on ‘an easier front’, as well as superb outward visibility, surround-view cameras, reversing camera with guidelines and parking sensors also make possible.
Conversely, no one has the slap of harshness that is often associated with high levels of agility. The ride is supple enough to allow you to relax well over long trips, and even the most difficult surfaces rarely send shock waves through the cabin. While European SUVs are generally more firmer, this is the case of the same can’t be said about EU vehicles; in some Chinese alternatives it is completely opposite – uncontrolled, nauseating bounciness.
Instead, the Forester has a strong body control that encourages confidence both over bumps and around bends (the latter of which also makes this family wagon best).
When the tarmac gets twisty, it’s more than possible to blow down an area road that has been quickly blasting down. The symmetrical all-wheel drive system of Subaru makes it easy to maintain traction no matter where the road is going, and there’s a weight and directness to the steering that’d rarely be felt in 2026.
Nevertheless, in this petrol Sport model the powertrain keeps reminding you that you haven’t bought a sports car. The naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine is eager enough at low revs but offers little further up the range – almost no surprise given its meagre outputs.
It’s not going to be a good transmission for you, either because you won’t get much help from the . Designed for smoothness rather than performance, the CVT removes traditional gearshift and replace them with a constant slurring sensation. You can control the driving experience with that said, by pulling on ‘shift’ paddles positioned behind the steering wheel.
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And, importantly, the Forester still sounds like a proper Subaru, even if that soundtrack is relatively muted in this model.
That’s not really the case, but a quiet powertrain suggests ‘the feeling of being refined on the highway. The cabin is suck with frustration from noise from the tyres and surrounding traffic, while the adaptive cruise control system can be slow to respond to changes in traffic flow. There’s safety tech then, after that, there’.
The word for it is no longer – the Forester’s advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) are furious. But unless you have the time to set up the safety settings before each drive there is almost always some kind of alert or warning that comes away in the background, whether it’s driver monitoring system, lane-keep assist (or speed camera alarm)?
It is by far the most annoying of all, such as its unforgiving nature. The system senses distraction and immediately hears the alarm when you look at the infotainment screen for a second. This doesn’t take long for this to drive you crazy as you imagine, and it is a .
Several settings can now be permanent adjustments to some of these settings, but not all. A driver monitoring system, for example, resets after every drive.
So as for the constant intrusions of safety nannies, it’s hard to get around that and this makes the Forester an uneasy car to live with even though all its strengths are in.
Is it true that if you’re on the road, yes, but when the bitumen ends? After all campers and adventure-centric types have been fond of Forester (along with its reputation for sturdiness and off-road ability).
The new Forester Hybrid was not swayed by the results of our recent mid-sized SUV mega test from an off-road point of view, but it’s still early days.
childcareman.xyz
founder Paul Maric said:
The Forester went from one of the most capable off-road mid-size SUVs to one that was least capable and I don’t know how Subaru missed that short.
That car was off-road and people bought because they’ve kind of ruined it by adding a hybrid system that makes it not all that good off road. ” , ‘I’m sure it is worth reading.
This would mean that all versions of the new Forester fail on unsealed surfaces, one hand. But on the other hand, it may be argued that petrol variants should be tested by their own before any conclusions are made.
| Off-road dimensions | Subaru Forester AWD Sport |
| — | — |
| Track front and rear | 1565mm – front 1570mm – rear |
| Ground clearance | 220mm |
| Approach angle | 19 degrees |
| Departure angle | 24.7 degrees |
| Ramp breakover angle | 19.3 degrees |
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
What do you get?
Three of the Forester’s trim levels are available with either petrol or hybrid power, but standard equipment differs for each.
2025 Subaru Forester AWD equipment highlights:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Full-size spare tyre
- Automatic, steering-responsive LED headlights
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- LED front fog lights
- Front cornering lights
- Ladder-style roof rails
- ‘X-Mode’ with one drive mode
- Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive) with two modes
- Hill descent control
- Proximity entry with push-button start
- 11.6-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay
- Wireless Android Auto
- Wireless phone charger
- USB-A and USB-C outlets
- 4.2-inch instrument cluster screen
- 6-speaker sound system
- Heated front seats
- Cloth upholstery
- Dual-zone climate control with rear vents
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Silver interior stitching
- One-touch power-folding rear seats
- 60:40 split/fold rear seats
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
Forester AWD Premium adds:
- Power tailgate with kick sensor
- 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar
- 8-way power passenger seat
- Satellite navigation
- Auto-dipping passenger-side mirror
- Power-folding exterior mirrors with memory
Forester AWD Sport adds:
- Dark metallic 18-inch alloy wheels
- Power sunroof
- ‘X-Mode’ with two drive modes
- Black front grille with green insert
- Green badging
- Water-repellent synthetic leather upholstery
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Green interior stitching
Forester AWD Touring adds:
- Gloss black front grille, front and rear bumper accents, side mirrors
- Low-profile roof rails
- Leather and suede upholstery in black or brown
- Brown interior stitching
- Ventilated front seats
- 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with subwoofer
Forester AWD Hybrid adds (over base Forester):
- Tyre repair kit (instead of full-size spare)
- Paddle shifters for regenerative braking
Forester AWD Hybrid Sport adds (over Forester Sport):
- Bronze 19-inch alloy wheels
- Bronze exterior accents
- Low-profile roof rails
- Brown interior stitching
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with subwoofer
Forester AWD Hybrid Touring adds (over Forester Touring):
- Dark grey machined gloss finish 19-inch alloy wheels
- Leather and suede upholstery
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
Is the Subaru Forester safe?
based on tests by Euro NCAP in 2024, the Subaru Forester has a five-star ANCAP safety rating for its car. That’s for both powertrains, as it is with .
| Category | Subaru Forester |
| — | — |
| Adult occupant protection | 83 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 91 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 86 per cent |
| Safety assist | 75 per cent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- 9 airbags, including:
- Far-side
- Front passenger seat cushion
- Active torque vectoring
- Autonomous emergency braking (forward and reverse)
- Autonomous emergency steering
- Adaptive cruise control
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Driver monitoring system
- Emergency driving stop system
- Emergency lane-keep assist
- Front side radar
- Lane centring
- Lane change assist
- Lane-keep assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Rear parking sensors
- Surround-view camera
- Traffic sign recognition
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Wide-angle monocular camera
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
How much does the Subaru Forester cost to run?
Subaru Australia backs its Forester with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
| Servicing and Warranty | Subaru Forester |
| — | — |
| Warranty | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 12 months |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years |
| Average annual service cost | $459.80 |
| Total capped-price service cost | $2299 |
Five years of coverage remains par for the course, but Subaru’s service pricing is on the expensive side.
The petrol pump can also be expensive, too, as are the Petrol versions of the Forester’s redesigned forester. A week of city commuter driving I saw average fuel consumption of 10. litres per 100km, while a hybrid RAV4 (for example) would likely return closer to 6 at about the same time as 3. 0L/100km. Similarly, for other hybrid SUVs the same applies to PEVs and EV’s are even more frugal.
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Subaru Forester AWD Sport
Am I crazy in thinking this middle-of-the-range Forester doesn’t have enough strings to its bow?
All versions are big, comfy and beautiful to drive; however, the petrol Sport variant is a bit less efficient than its Hybrid siblings but shares all of their flaws.
Such deficiencies include a poorly-calibrated set of safety aids, middling performance, unreliable technology, and high running costs.
So, while the Forester promises familiar and flexible family motoring, it’s not the accomplished all-rounder I was expecting.
It’s a long-storied Subaru that will still be worth for off-road enthusiasts, and it’d hard to argue with the fact that there is no value in this sport. The symmetrical all-wheel drive system, after all, is an example of confidence; the Forester’s ground clearance and ‘X-Mode’.
Despite that use case in mind, I’m looking for alternatives like the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage which both did well in our recent mega test.
I still want a Forester. The Sport isn’t my pick of the bunch, but it doesn’s not me who would be better off with him or her as far as I can think. I have compared the specs and would say that the base model is worth more than $43,490 before on-road costs, while the top-spec petrol Touring is as good as it commands.
That said, water-repellent upholstery and some slick styling enhancements will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the great outdoors.
And there’s something for everyone in the Forester range, and that’d a sense of . But, meanwhile, there’s also probably more to be found elsewhere.
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