The Subaru Forester ranked high among its rivals in Cars.com’s 2021 Compact SUV Challenge thanks to its interior quality, visibility, comfortable ride and robust driver-assist suite. The 2022 Forester gives shoppers two more reasons to add it to their consideration list: It gains an off-road-oriented Wilderness model and a Top Safety Pick Plus designation from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
Matching the 2021 Forester’s performance in IIHS’ evaluations, the 2022 model has once again aced all crash tests and safety ratings, earning the top honor for the fourth consecutive year. To qualify for a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must score good ratings in a series of IIHS crash tests, including driver-side small overlap, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. Additionally, an available front crash prevention system must be rated as advanced or superior in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation. The Forester’s front crash prevention system — a standard feature in Subaru’s Eyesight driver-assist suite — was deemed superior in both tests.
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness | Manufacturer image
Headlights are the final consideration and can make or break a car’s final rating; at least one headlight system must earn a good or acceptable score. The only distinguishing feature of a Top Safety Pick Plus model is that it has good- or acceptable-rated headlights standard across all trims. All Forester trims come with good-rated curve-adaptive LED projector headlights.
Standard safety tech offered with the Eyesight suite includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. Higher trims like the Sport, Wilderness, Limited and Touring add standard blind spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness | Manufacturer image
The 2022 Forester joins Subaru’s other Top Safety Pick Plus honorees, including the 2022 Ascent, Crosstrek Hybrid, Legacy and Outback. Earning IIHS’ second-highest Top Safety Pick awards for 2022 are the Crosstrek and Impreza hatchbacks; this designation only applies to models with optional front crash prevention technology.
The 2022 Subaru Forester is on sale now with a starting price of $27,070 for the base model and the new Subaru Wilderness starts at $34,695.
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Keyword: 2022 Subaru Forester Clinches Fourth Straight IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus Award