New 2023 Subaru Forester revealed: price, specs and release date

The new Subaru Forester celebrates 25 years of this popular crossover estate with a smart refresh and more standard equipment than ever. 

The new Subaru Forester e-Boxer also boasts enhanced safety assistance tech and an improved X-Mode off-road function.

The Forester competes with rugged four-wheel-drive estate cars such as the Skoda Octavia 4×4 and Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, along with the well-priced Dacia Duster SUV. It is a niche sector, given how those buying or leasing a new car generally prefer SUVs, but the Subaru Forester has a loyal following. Globally, it has racked up more than 4.5 million sales.

New Subaru Forester price and release date

The new Subaru Forester is priced from £37,895. This buys a 2.0-litre e-Boxer XE model, with a standard Lineartronic automatic gearbox. New Subaru Forester Sport prices start from £39,995, while the range-topping Subaru Forester XE Premium costs £40,895. Optional metallic paint is an extra £595. The new Subaru Forester is already on sale and open for orders now.

All new Subaru Foresters have an infotainment and audio system, complete with an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen and a 6.3-inch driver information display.

New Subaru Forester: exterior and interior

The new Subaru Forester has a more rugged appearance at the front, which the Japanese company says is based on its ‘Dynamic X Solid’ design philosophy. The bumper and grille have been redesigned, and there are refreshed headlights and fog lights. The new Subaru Forester now has a more SUV-like appearance, and stands out more on the road.

All new Subaru Foresters feature standard alloy wheels. These are 17-inch items on the standard XE, 18 inches with a black finish on the Sport, or 18 inches and diamond-cut on the XE Premium. The new Subaru Forester Sport also stands out with red and orange inserts for the front and rear bumpers, black roof rails (also with red and orange inserts), black door mirrors and rear privacy glass.

Those buying or leasing a Subaru Forester can choose from three new colours: Cascade Green Silica, Brilliant Bronze metallic and Autumn Green Metallic.

The new Subaru Forester interior boasts a high-set seating position for a commanding view outwards. It is very well-built and long-lasting, with clear and easy-to-use controls. A high roof gives plenty of headroom and the range-topping new Subaru Forester XE Premium enhances the airy feel further with a standard panoramic glass roof.

All new Subaru Foresters have an infotainment and audio system, complete with an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen and a 6.3-inch driver information display. Sat-nav is standard on Sport and XE Premium variants, while all models get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, plus a voice recognition system.

A novel feature in the new Subaru Forester is the driver monitoring system. This uses facial recognition technology that not only checks for driver distraction or fatigue, but can even automatically adjust the settings for seat position, door mirror angles and the climate control. The new Subaru Forester also comes with gesture control, so the driver can raise or lower the cabin temperature via hand gestures.

The new Subaru Forester is a practical car. It has a 509-litre boot with the rear seats up, which expands to a very generous 1,779 litres with them folded. This is impressive space efficiency for a car that measures 4,640mm long, 1,815mm wide and 1,730mm tall. It will be easier to park than a conventional SUV, too.

The new Subaru Forester e-Boxer uses a hybrid system that harnesses electrical energy from a self-charging battery to provide an electric boost to the engine.

New Subaru Forester: engines and gearboxes

All new Subaru Foresters use the same 2.0-litre horizontally-opposed e-Boxer direct injection petrol engine. It produces 150PS for 0-62mph acceleration in 11.8 seconds. This is delivered easily by the self-shifting Lineartronic automatic gearbox.

The new Subaru Forester e-Boxer uses a hybrid system that harnesses electrical energy from a self-charging battery to provide an electric boost to the engine. This helps make it more responsive, particularly at lower speeds, and also means the engine doesn’t have to work as hard, helping to improve fuel efficiency. Overall, the new Subaru Forester averages 34.7mpg and emits 185g/km of CO2.

There are three different driving modes: engine driving, EV driving and motor assist driving. When starting off or at low speed, the electric motor alone powers the vehicle, for silent and emissions-free driving. The engine works in tandem with the electric motor during everyday motoring, while the engine alone powers the car at higher speeds.

The acclaimed four-wheel drive system on the new Subaru Forester is called S-AWD, or symmetrical all-wheel drive. It is a full-time system, so always delivers an equal amount of drive to all four wheels, significantly improving stability and traction. The car also has standard active torque vectoring, making it feel more assured in corners.

The S-AWD system is enhanced by the new Subaru Forester’s X-Mode technology. As well as a regular driving mode, there are Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud settings. It is active at speeds below 22mph – and if the driver exceeds that speed, it automatically re-engages when they slow down again. It includes a hill-descent control function as well, adding to the rugged new Subaru Forester’s off-road abilities.

In terms of active safety, the new Subaru Forester comes with an enhanced, fourth-generation version of the Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. The forward-facing camera has a wider field of view (it’s almost doubled over the previous version) and includes 11 safety functions, three of which are new: automatic emergency steering, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, and lane departure prevention that now detects dividing lines, road edges and even grass verges.

Find a used Subaru Forester for sale

Used Subaru Forester prices here at heycar start from less than £15,000. The firm did sell a diesel version for a while, but the 2.0-litre petrol engine is more popular. We spotted a 2016 2.0 XT Lineartronic with around 47,000 miles on the clock for a tempting £17,500.

Looking for more new car news?

If you’re seeking a practical car with even greater space for passengers and luggage – and a pure electric drivetrain – the new Mercedes-Benz EQT might be of interest. We also have news of the new Jaguar F-Pace facelift for 2023, which enhances the car’s technology and delivers a better pure electric range for the plug-in hybrid. And we have details of how the new Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge will gain more electric range for 2023, too.

The new Subaru Forester may look like an estate car, but it is superb off the road. It has 220mm of ground clearance – more than some SUVs – and the X-Mode off-road assist technology has been enhanced for a variety of weather and road conditions.

The new Subaru Forester has a healthy towing capacity of 1,870kg, which is enough for even the largest caravans or horseboxes. The standard automatic transmission and symmetrical four-wheel drive improve stability when towing, too.

Subaru says the new Forester is one of the most popular models in its range, with 25 years of heritage and happy customers. Of the 4.5 million that have been sold globally, almost 360,000 have found homes in Europe, including in the UK.