Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester shares its entire cabin design with the smaller crossover in Subaru’s lineup, the XV. The cabin packs in a plethora of modern features, however, the layout has been kept on a simpler side which makes it not too appealing place to be in, in general.

The three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel with trapezoidal spokes looks and feels meaty to hold, and with the normal-looking instrument console with a blue backlit MID in between, makes for a driver’s cockpit which is sober in feel. At the centre, there is a nestled panel at the top of the dashboard above the centre console, which houses an array of digital off toad gauges and data on display.

The broad centre console is dominated by the presence of a big 6.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system sourced from Harman, flanked by vertically aligned trapezoidal AC vents on either side. Just below the infotainment system, there is a regular looking panel for three dials for automatic climate control. Bits like aluminum pedals, piano black finish in the transmission tunnel, and paddle shifters only raise the sporty quotient of the cabin.

The Subaru Forester does get a quintessential SUV body style with a huge and upright stance with a boxy design, which gives it a commanding advantage over similarly priced crossovers and pseudo-SUVs. However, the overall styling is a bit conservative and does not break new grounds in the arena of design.

The Subaru Forester gets the familiar front face common to most of the Subaru vehicles, with the large trapezoidal grille with chrome surrounds and tapered upper edges taking the center stage. The wing-shaped wraparound headlamps with projectors and daytime running LEDs within them give it a modern touch. The front bumper looks subtle with trapezoidal chrome finished fog lamp housings and big skid plate.

The side profile of the Subaru Forester looks decent with an upright front bonnet giving it a slight towering stance needed for tough SUV looks. There is a nice combination of smooth curves flowing through sideways which add some heft to the modern appeal of the Forester. Continuing the SUV traits, the Subaru Forester gets large roof rails and tough-looking side molding flowing through the bottom of the side profile.

It is at the rear, where the Subaru Forester tries to exhibit some sort of exclusivity with C-shaped boomerang LED tail lamps and hexagonal scooped housing for the license plate. There is an elongated skid plate at the rear as well, rounding off the rugged appeal of the SUV.

Beneath the sober design of the Subaru Forester lies a very capable chassis, which gets a suspension setup of Macpherson struts at the front and double wishbone at the rear. The suspension feels sturdy and rock solid and tuned for the purpose it has been engineered – taking urban and off-road duties with equal prowess. Riding on 17-inch wheels, the Subaru Forester gets ventilated disc brakes at both the ends.

The source of breathtaking for the Subaru Forester is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, which comes paired to a CVT gearbox as the standard transmission choice. The engine produces 156 PS of maximum power output and 196 Nm of maximum torque output, which are not too astonishing figures but do get the job done.

There is a long safety equipment list for the Subaru Forester, which sees some important inclusions like the front, side, curtain and knee airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, active torque vectoring, brake override system, vehicle dynamics control, traction control and rear parking sensors with camera.

The Subaru Forester might not be a love at the first sight in terms of visual appeal with its plain looks, but underneath its simple design, it is a very capable SUV from mechanical point of view. The rugged chassis gives it a go-anywhere ability and the sufficient amount of features and space does make it a very practical option in the midsize SUV space.