Used Subaru Forester Review (2019-2024)

The USA and the UK are similar in many respects, but one massive cultural difference is the popularity of Subaru. Stateside, the brand is one of the biggest-selling carmakers, while here it’s seen as a niche curio for farmers and landed gentry.

But should you consider it? Can the Forester compete against the numerous midsize SUVs on the market, such as the Ford Kuga, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan and Mazda CX-5?

To be blunt, no it can’t – unless you need Subaru’s off-road ability. Twist the X-Mode dial and you can traverse deep snow and sticky mud with confidence. You’ll get a lot further in these conditions in the Forester than in more road-biased SUVs. The Forester will also tow over 1.8 tonnes, making it a useful if not class-leading towcar.

Subaru is obsessive about keeping its passengers safe, and it’s built a reputation for durability. Owners tend to hold onto their cars far longer than owners of other car brands, which wouldn’t be the case if the cars broke down every other week.

The Japanese brand is famous for its high-performance engines, so it’s really disappointing that the Forester’s engine is so far off the pace. It’s a mild-hybrid non-turbo 2.0-litre petrol engine, but the hybrid system seems to be there in name only. The 17hp electric motor doesn’t do much for performance and the 0.57kWh battery doesn’t do much for fuel efficiency. That means the Forester is still a thirsty option, and its total output of 150hp leaves the car feeling sluggish.

Its interior feels like a Nokia in a world of iPhones. Robust, sure, but clearly outdated in its layout and in its graphics, and without all the functionality that we’ve come to expect. Mind you, that could appeal if you don’t want to drive an iPad on wheels.

The interior of the Forester is smart but not particularly modern-feeling. The driver’s zone feels very busy with lots of buttons on the steering wheel and more by your knee, although so many physical buttons makes the Forester easy to use.

In this generation of Forester, you get two screens. There’s a central eight-inch infotainment system that deals with navigation, radio and media playback, phone calls and the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Then a small top screen shows you the climate controls, temperature and time, plus a menu of driving information and – weirdly – additional camera views when reversing.

Neither boasts cutting edge graphics or quick responses, feeling similar to the experience you’d get on an early PlayStation or Xbox. The same is true of the cluttered driver’s display, too.

We’d say the material choices are functional. There isn't a huge array of plush soft-touch areas, instead lots of surfaces that are easy to wipe down. Which is handy given the Forester’s likely customer base. The build quality is strong, adding to the impression of durability.

For a modern car, the Forester’s windows are large, which has two main benefits. The cabin feels spacious and airy, and all-round visibility is really good. You get a decent amount of adjustment in the powered front seats, including height adjustment for the passenger.

Trim levels are XE, XE Premium and, sitting between them, Sport. Standard kit on the XE includes automatic LED headlights with high-beam assist, heated front seats, keyless entry, two-zone climate control, a reversing camera and, er, a CD player.

Subaru’s EyeSight driver assistance kit comes on every model, too, encompassing adaptive cruise control, lead vehicle driveaway alert, lane-keep assist with a centring function, emergency steering and braking assist, blind-spot monitoring and a driver monitoring system.

Sport trim adds a host of orange accents and dark-painted alloy wheels, while top-spec XE Premium includes a sunroof, leather upholstery and heated rear seats.

Here’s where the Forester puts in a better performance. Its upright stance enables plenty of headroom for tall passengers, which is matched by excellent rear legroom.

There’s room under the front seats to slide your size 10s, and it shouldn’t be too much of a squeeze for three adults to sit across the rear bench for short-ish journeys. If you’re thinking about child seats instead, the Forester’s Isofix points are fiddly but kids will love the big windows and high seating position.

Double-section seatback pockets give your rear-seat passengers somewhere to put their phones, as well as a copy of a well-thumbed, slightly out of date road atlas. Further forward, there’s a few good-sized storage areas to keep a tweed cap or stale dog treats.

The boot is strong on paper at 520 litres but, in practice, it’s even better. Its opening is wide and there’s barely a load lip to worry about. Subaru also gives you lots of hooks and you get nearly the same amount of space again above the parcel shelf. Few midsize SUVs can offer enough capacity to rival a small van, but the Forester certainly gives you plenty of space.

All Foresters come with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, which is unfortunate. It’s Subaru’s 'boxer' engine, where the pistons move sideways instead of up and down, and assisted by a small dollop of electrical power.

Given the prominent ‘e-Boxer’ badge on the bootlid, you might expect the Forester to feel like a hybrid – perhaps like a Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. But the electrical assistance isn’t generally noticeable at all; the Forester just feels like it’s engine powered.

That’s not surprising because the e-motor adds just 17hp. Total power stands at 150hp, and the Forester heaves and lumbers its way up to speed. The 0-62mph sprint, if you can call it that, takes around 12 seconds.

The battery is similarly compact, so it doesn’t do much to take the strain off the engine. With four-wheel drive, a big, bulky body and a lazy CVT automatic gearbox, the Forester isn’t an efficient thing. Subaru reckons you’ll get 34mpg in best conditions but, in hilly or rural areas, you might struggle to achieve that.

Insurance is reasonable but some models were over £40,000 when new, so these versions are subject to the luxury car tax until the sixth time the tax is renewed.

Good stuff first. The Forester is comfortable and composed over craggy road surfaces, its relatively small wheels and large tyres helping to soak up impacts nicely.

And, of course, the Forester’s a top choice if your commute to work takes you away from the Tarmac. You get a choice of drive modes for light mud/snow and deeply slippery conditions, and the permanent all-wheel drive gives plenty of grip. Off-road driving assistance tech includes hill descent control, which stops you going down steep inclines too quickly.

The CVT gearbox includes fake ‘steps’ to make it feel like a conventional automatic gearbox shifting between gears. This would help to keep the engine noise down…

…but the engine is very noisy at any sort of revs. It’s particularly gruff if you need to get up to motorway speeds, because the non-turbo engine’s power is at the top of the rev range. Together, the gearbox and engine add up to a sluggish driving experience that feels more like a chore than a pleasure.