The refreshed Forester is the product to inaugurate Subaru’s 30th year in SA.
As a manner of keeping the Forester fresh and relevant in the compact crossover SUV segment, Subaru has given it a nip and tuck for the 2022 model year.
Already on sale locally, the refreshed Subaru Forester serves as the product to celebrate the brand’s 30th year in Mzansi. It is sold in two trims, four variants as well as two engine options.
The new Subaru Forester features a larger, hexagonal grille that now boasts more black elements around the tweaked headlight and foglamp clusters. The headlights now come with a range of LED bulbs for enhanced driver vision as part of the Forester Adaptive Headlamps and High Beam Assist features.
The Sport variant features fog lamps that are six-bulb LED units with a black housing while the Premium model boasts three chromed horizontal pieces. Other enhanced bits and pieces include the mirror caps, A and B-pillar covers, rear spoiler and tailgate finishes.
Subaru’s Forester Sport features mirror caps and a rear end that is finished in a geometric textured material. The Premium trim is bolstered with chromed mirror covers and a high gloss black cover.
The base model is equipped with redesigned 17” alloys while going for the high spec variants add reworked 18” alloy wheels in a new five-spoke, dual-tone design. The Forester Sport on the other hand gets all-black multi-spoke shoes.
A new Cascade Green Silica hue joins the Forester’s colour palette that consists of Crimson Red Pearl, Crystal Black Silica, Crystal White Pearl, Horizon Blue Pearl, Ice Silver Metallic, Magnetite Grey Metallic, Sepia Bronze Metallic for the Premium derivatives. The Forester Sport’s colour choices remain unchanged as Magnetite Grey Metallic, Ice Silver Metallic, Dark Blue Pearl, Crystal Black Silica and Crystal White Pearl.
The Subaru Forester’s powertrains remain unchanged and still consist of a 2.0-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder unit with 115 kW and 196 Nm of torque. A more potent unit comes courtesy of a 2.5-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder with 136 kW and 239 Nm.
Both engines are mated to a CVT transmission and the brand’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system.
Despite the unchanged engines, the facelifted Subaru Forester boasts a tweaked front suspension to improve steering responsiveness, ride quality, and handling thanks to reworked coil springs and dampers. To reduce noise, vibration and harshness, the new Subaru has been fitted with new aluminium engine-mount brackets.
The X-Mode has also been updated with enhanced hill-descent control speed management. The EyeSight Driver Assist Technology now has the latest 4.0 version that comes with overall improvement such as a new dual-camera system with a much wider field of view – almost double what it was.
According to Subaru, the system is now faster, more intuitive and works better with the EyeSight system at intersections. In addition, the new EyeSight version 4.0 now also comes with three new technologies; Active Lane Centering, Lane Departure Prevention and Autonomous Emergency Steering.
As standard, the ES or EyeSight-equipped Forester models come fitted with blind Spot Detection technology with Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. Reverse Automatic Braking is also included on EyeSight-equipped models.
To ensure the safe use of roof-top tents, for example, the Forester’s roof rails have also been strengthened and redesigned to allow for a higher load capacity.
Subaru Forester 2.0i CVT R486,000
Subaru Forester 2.0i-S ES CVT R564,000
Subaru Forester 2.5i-Sport ES CVT R599,000
Subaru Forester 2.5i-S ES CVT R649,000
The new Subaru Forester is sold with a three-year/75,000 km full Maintenance Plan as well as a five-year/150,000 km Warranty.
Keyword: MY22 Subaru Forester goes on sale