It has also been a significant change in the new Subaru Forester range, and there is certainly much more noise about the brand new ‘Strong Hybrid’ petrol-electric variants that are being introduced into the lineup.
We were looking for a review of this car, but we wanted to know whether the petrol Forester might be ‘good buys’ for those who don’t think starting their electrification journey just yet.
In fact I’ve read that the hybrid Forester’s fuel consumption is still a bit thirsty, and so far I wanted to scratch the itch. Would you be surprised at my results?
How much does the Subaru Forester cost?
Four versions of the purely petrol-powered new Forester are available in Australia, and all represent a price advantage over their petrol–electric Strong Hybrid equivalents.
| 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 |
Certainly there are some of the more appealing ways to spend this type of money (about $56,000 in your driveway) but for those who live on average prices of SUVs from the ‘legacy’ brands that creep up all the time, it is considered reasonably good value.
Check out the standard equipment list below to see what you’re getting for your money.
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What is the Subaru Forester like on the inside?
If you’re looking for something more bling, there are outlandish options in the segment but the top-spec Touring version of the new Forester has a pretty nice cabin design with fewer trim elements than cheaper grades.
It is a seat finishing that is microsuede and leather, with brown stitching as well as the seat finish. For those who want the full brown-out experience, there is an optional interior package in that colour if you wish.
There’s no such glitzy ambient lighting tech you (and your children or grandkids) might love, and it is just like a dark grey plastic-fest. It works, but it’s what Foresters are about.
Several good storage options are available cup and bottle holders, loose-item caddies (in addition to the other) indium cadedies, a wireless phone charger or more – while the materials may not be as ‘wow’-inducing as some rivals have; an hexagonal finish on the dash is neatly finished at the front of the passenger’ with its clean lines and the centre-stage section of Dash proudly held by the vertical 11. SYSTEMS 6-inch touchscreen multimedia system by .
It’s a bit of learning for that display, even though you haven’t had an actual Subie screen but I think it is really easy to get grips with.
There are a number of icons to make it easy to navigate the main menus, but if you’re like most people you just installed your phone so that it can connect wirelessly to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. My experience was problem free in that regard,’ .
It’s a bit of nonsense, but it isn’t perfect . You have a few controls for the temperature and demisters around the screen, but you must tap the display to adjust fan speed and direction; it takes some taps of that screen to turn on the recirc system, too.
It’s also necessary to learn how to disable the driver monitoring camera system when you do not like it (as it defaults back every time you drive) and the same for the lane-keeping system. It’s not as easy to turn off some of those systems I’d like, and if you dare say you’ll get the same.
At least there are volume and tuning dials, and again, once you’re across the screen layout, you should be okay.
Spectacular petrol Forester has it, but the driver still misses out on fully digital instrumentation for the high-spec model car while the luxury hybrid variant is equipped with it. But that’s a shame, because the dials and smaller centre screen look like an old-school thing but in some ways that sort of fits with the Forester mindset.
They are comfortable and well-equipped seats compared to many other new SUVs that you feel like out of the Forester – the big glasshouse design has always been part of this appeal here, and it really makes urban driving in particular particularly hard.
It also has a ‘not huge’ sunroof in this model. It’s not one of those heat-dissipating, full glass roof jobs – there is a small open space above the front seats with ‘a thick cover that can be manually operated. That adds a bit of nice airiness over the top, because otherwise black headlining is slightly darky.
Space in the rear of the seat is squabby, with room for a six-footer to fit into room and spare behind his own driving position. I was in a leg, foot and head room. You will be able to squish three adults in the back if you need me.” There’s a small transmission tunnel intrusion, but it’ll be manageable.
Subaru’s storage smarts run through to the rear, with multiple pockets on the seatbacks, door storage that fits bottles easily and a flip-down armrest with cupholders.
Despite the fact that it is strange for the Japanese brand to have yet to figure out how to integrate the middle seatbelt into the seat. This is annoying if you have big things in the boot and a full back bench, which still hangs down from the ceiling.
This is not equipped with heated rear outboard seats (although there are blank plates in the back telling you what you’re missing out on) but directional air vents, plus USB-A and USB–C ports to keep the kids happy.
If you have youngsters, there are ISOFIX child seat anchors in the window positions, and three top-tether points as well.
A spare wheel under the floor is better than in the hybrids (which provide a tyre repair kit only), and there are some neat inclusions in cargo zone, which means that you still get ‘the boot of the petrol models’.
On either side of the load space there are two shopping bag hooks, 12-volt power, rear seat triggers for easy deployment and even a couple of item hook’s overhead (you may possibly hang wet clothes up at the back windowline). overhead light, too, as does .
In the petrol models, boot capacity is better than in the hybrids (along with the boot power) of . But, if you like boot usability and spare-tyre practicality, it’s the obvious one.
| Dimensions | Subaru Forester AWD Touring |
| — | — |
| 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?
It has the Subaru Forester petrol model range, which is a true powertrain that was provided in the last model of the car and while it’s not really ‘game-changer today but an honest (oomphy) thing. more sexy than ever, and as.
| Specifications | Subaru Forester AWD Touring |
| — | — |
| Engine | 2.5L 4cyl ‘boxer’ petrol |
| Engine power | 136kW @ 5800rpm |
| Engine torque | 247Nm @ 3700rpm |
| Transmission | CVT |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1622kg |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 7.9L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | 9.3L/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 |
If you don’t believe the step up to the hybrid model, then the fuel consumption story here could further stoke your argument against spending more to get the electrified Forester.
I took the test on my test – almost identical to one of the tests I did in the hybrid.’ The returned was shown as 9 and 9. I’m sorry, not a great number but still respectable in an amalgamation of urban, highway, freeway and errand-running duties.’ The statement was made by 3L/100km… admittedly ‘It is no wonder that the numbers are so good at all?
For reference, when I did the same sort of thing in a high-spec hybrid Forester, I got 7.1L/100km.
I don’t know a mathematician (ask my Year 11 teacher about my results!) but think it would take some kays of driving to get back the extra cost for buying the hybrid at that rate of real-world consumption.
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
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How does the Subaru Forester drive?
If you ever drove the previous-generation petrol Forester, the experience here will be familiar, that’s for sure.
Often, it’s about the carryover engine and transmission that might not be cutting edge in the modern world but is an innovative option which still provides exactly what it has for decades now.
A strong operator, and while the power and torque numbers may be mind-blowing, it’s how that the CVT auto harnesses the force and carries up some ‘shift’ actions to make it feel more conventionally like an experience which feels pretty good well, traditional.
There are times when you can feel the slurry type of nature of the transmission, but many of that time it responds snappily and like I said “it’s not just shove.” But it’s also a more sophisticated and quieter than generations ago.
But the steering is predictable, well-balanced and again, while it’s not a thriller to drive but pivotal; you can push through bends with some fun factor when you find yourself out and about on elated weekend drive.
Unless the road is wet or unsealed, then you’ll actually be able to feel that kind of pull all-wheel-drive system provides. A lot of city-savers might think that you’re not going to need AWD, but when you get it and suddenly have the confidence for it, it’s a pretty nice thing.
It is a smooth suspension in most situations, and while there’s threw up some body wobble when you change directions quickly or when moving in and out of driveways and so forth it’s composed and comfortable over broken surfaces and bumpy bits.
Honestly I think the drive experience is one of the easiest and most comfortable driving experiences in the mid-size SUV segment – in many ways, at least…
This is a bit of an active safety tech sours, with ‘A driver monitoring camera that seems to be saying you’re looking somewhere that doesn’t go straight ahead and some Beeps could happily beeped off (such as the fact it keeps telling things in your blind-spot when you are signalling in traffic).
Look, test drive one in your everyday life and you’ll pretty quickly know whether you like the tech or not.
I just hope that some of those functions were a little easier… in other words, the touchscreen is asking for ‘drop-down menu to easily disable things’ as many rivals now offer.
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
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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.
2026 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
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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?
Under the 2024 testing criteria, the Subaru Forester was rated at maximum five-star ANCAP safety for its car. All versions sold from mid-2025 to that rating are considered by That Rating all variants.
| 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
There are some annoyances to the implementation of the safety systems here, as mentioned in the driving section.
There are nine airbags in the Forester dual front, front ‘far side’ centre, passenger cushion, driver’s knee, Front side and full-length curtain air bags.
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
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How much does the Subaru Forester cost to run?
Subaru Australia offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for all of its models.
| 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 |
For those who want to choose the ‘pay as you go’ approach to your first few years of ownership, there is a limited-price servicing program for the brand and some more attractive options are also available in terms of prepaid servicing.
A three-year, 45,000km plan at $1261 is the first; a five year, 75,000kilometre plan for $2299 is another. And so, that means your average costs are the same as normal service – an average of $459. Per visit 80 per . That is a class-competitive price for s.
If you take the five-year plan Subaru has three years of roadside help for free – but there’s an added perk.
The standard level of roadside cover is 12 months for free, then it’s an added cost each year thereafter.
To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our
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childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Subaru Forester AWD Touring
I’d be a petrol Forester and not if I had smashed up with. It makes sense to me, and the fuel consumption isn’t that much higher.
Though I think I would personally spend this lot on a petrol Forester, I don’t think it was an important part of my life as if I had to go through this. Mid-spec Premium looks like it’d do the job.
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