The Subaru solution has always been to reduce the compromises and to face realities head-on. Practical, roomy, user-friendly and cost-efficient, the Subaru Forester is the car that teaches its rivals about go-anywhere competence, without incurring extra costs.
The versatile Subaru Forester blends fantastic flexibility with great practicality. For anyday spontaneity to planned breaks away, the Forester is ready to deliver on all counts. Everywhere you travel, you’ll appreciate the thoughtful ways Forester combines generous space, user-friendly detailing and true ’go anywhere’ competence.
Sometimes the best part of driving is the en-route reward and Forester is ready to enjoy it with you. Its compact suspension and flexible luggage area means it can handle winding roads as expressly as it handles luggage loads. A wide opening boot, generous cabin and up to 2,000kg of towing capacity are just a few ways by which Forester opens up a world of auto-adventure.
Forester is well prepared to keep up with your life, from planned holidays to spontaneous shopping. The luggage area can accommodate four large suitcases or four sets of golf clubs, while an array of hooks helps secure smaller items. For longer loads, the 60/40 split rear seats fold flat usefully. No matter what you want to take with you, Forester handles it all with ease.
Forester’s low centre of gravity, refined suspension, permanent Symmetrical AWD and stability control combine to provide comfort, composure and cornering agility that's unlike many SUVs. The elements collaborate in precise harmony, to deliver sure-footed confidence, even in challenging conditions.
The Subaru Dynamic Chassis Control Concept (DC3) takes Forester’s inherent balance, composure and responsiveness to a peak of refinement. Forester boasts a highly rigid body and steering geometry, lower engine location and advanced, long-stroke double wishbone rear suspension. For you, this creates a more accurate and natural steering feel allied to a smoother ride quality.
Since introducing Symmetrical AWD in 1972, Subaru has advanced its technology continually to meet the ever-evolving needs of drivers. A Subaru is engineered from the outset to deliver both the traction and stability of four-wheel-drive, with its engine and drive train in a perfectly balanced straight line. Power is delivered to all four wheels simply and directly, for more natural balance and enhanced control. All of which gives you confident performance, regardless of conditions, unexpected from an SUV.
Exceptional traction allows acceleration to feel immediate and involving, while the symmetrical layout helps the Forester deliver responsive handling, because it’s more stable during cornering, which results in greater overall control.
Either in bad weather, or the precious seconds it takes to react to a sudden situation, the symmetrical drive train with its superb balance provides the stability, agility and traction to help you steer around potential dangers.
The more your tyres are engaged with the road, the more control is imparted to the driver. Power is routed to all four tyres, as they need it, in order to maintain the strongest possible connection to the road surface, thereby maximising handling and responsiveness.
Whether it's been a rough-road trek or the daily commute, you can feel reassured that your Forester is constantly cosseting you and is vigilant of your safety.
The Forester’s strut-type front and double wishbone rear suspension has been extensively refined to inspire even greater handling competence. Unlike most cars, innovative damper valves and optimised springs respond with extreme precision to even the smallest of road surface imperfections. This keeps all four wheels where they need to be – in contact with the road or track, enhancing driver feedback.
The compact rear suspension allows for a more spacious, more useable cargo area and even compensates for heavy loads. Generous suspension travel, a wide track and an impressive 215mm of ground clearance enable strong multi-surface capability, allied to a quiet ride and supportive, sure-footed driveability.
10.7 secs
115 mph
Drive |
Displacement (cc) |
Maximum power (PS @ rpm) |
Maximum torque (Nm @ rpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1995 |
150 @ 6000 |
198 @ 4200 |
Few SUVs drive with the sense of fun and eagerness of Forester, so you won’t be surprised by how uniquely it is accomplished. The horizontally-opposed configuration of the Subaru Boxer engine layout places the pistons 180 degrees apart, for a lower, flatter and more compact profile. This results in it possessing a lower centre of gravity for greater overall balance. Furthermore, the pistons’ opposing movements inherently counteract each other, to reduce mechanical vibration.
Because the engine block has a flatter profile and sits lower in the car‘s frame, Forester presents a lower centre of gravity, better inherent balance and is more resistant to body-roll than other engine layouts.
Throughout the rev range, the engine delivers immediate, responsive and smooth power. The pistons lie ‘flat’ and work together in opposition to reduce vibrations and make the ride both comfortable and rewarding.
The engine’s ‘flat’ design is inherently rigid and self-balancing, thus generating less vibration than some alternative layouts. This delivers great durability allied to more flexible performance.
Forester MPG
Forester L/100Km
Urban: 30.1
Urban: 9.4
Extra Urban: 44.1
Extra Urban: 6.4
Combined: 37.7
Combined: 7.5
The standard cargo cover is retractable or removable and features a rigid, lightweight aluminium frame.
There's always something new to discover in the Forester. Its expansive cabin is thoughtfully designed, with plenty of differently sized pockets, bins and trays. Each of them will give personal belongings a convenient place to travel, either within easy reach or hidden out of sight.
Ingenious storage abounds within the Forester, including bottle holders in the doors and overhead storage, along with an illuminated multi-function centre box, with a padded armrest.
Set your music free with the powerful 4-speaker 140-watt system. It’s equipped with speakers tuned specifically for the Subaru Forester’s acoustics, delivering a rich sound that’s literally music to your ears. Remote control switches on the steering wheel put complete audio control at your fingertips.
Plug in your iPod® or other mobile music player into Forester’s auxiliary audio input jack.
A Bluetooth® hands-free communications system is incorporated as standard with a ceiling-mounted microphone. The system connects with your compatible mobile phone automatically to allow hands-free talking with a single push of a steering wheel located button.
SRS front airbags
SRS front side airbags (for driver and front passenger)
SRS curtain airbags (front and rear, both sides)
Side-door reinforcement beams (front and rear, both sides)
Steering column support beam
Active headrests (for driver and front passenger)
Rear seat headrests for 3 occupants
Seatbelt indicator (for driver)
Front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters
Height adjustable seatbelt anchors (for driver and front passenger)
Rear 3-point seatbelts for 3 occupants
Safety brake pedal system
4-sensor/4-channel ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution Brake Assist system
ISO-FIX adapted child seat anchors (with tether anchors)
Childproof rear door locking (both sides)
Thatcham Cat 1 security system with engine immobiliser
The Vehicle Dynamics Control System (VDC) uses an array of sensors to analyse the Forester’s intended course while cornering or during evasive manoeuvres. If the vehicle approaches the limits of stability, the system instantly adjusts the AWD torque distribution*, the engine’s power output and brakes, at each wheel, to help keep the vehicle on course. (*Automatic transmission models only.)
In cornering, or making evasive manoeuvres, Vehicle Dynamics Control compares the driver’s intentions with the vehicle’s actual movements, based on steering angle and brake applications, as well as lateral acceleration (sideways movement) and yaw (rotational forces). The system adjusts engine output and the braking to individual wheels automatically, as needed, to keep the car close to its predetermined course.
Many of the same features that make a Forester fun to drive also contribute to its serious intent to protecting its occupants from unexpected hazards. The stable, responsive handling of its Symmetrical AWD is enhanced by the low centre of gravity of its Subaru Boxer engine. Its standard Vehicle Dynamics Control, sure-footed suspension, appropriately sized brakes and reactive steering equip the driver with excellent evasive capabilities. Even the superb outward visibility provided by its copious glass area is designed to help drivers to avoid incidents.
Even with the most advanced active safety systems, sometimes an incident is unavoidable. The Forester is designed to protect its occupants with a series of advanced systems and features. Its body structure is strengthened intelligently in key critical areas, including Subaru’s Ring-Shaped Reinforcement Frames, to help minimise the energies that reach the cabin structure during an impact. Advanced airbags, active front headrests, retracting pedals and 3-point seatbelts help protect occupants directly. It’s a core value of the Subaru philosophy, that peace of mind is the first step in providing driving enjoyment.
The Forester was designed with the objective of providing a high level of pedestrian protection. Shock-absorbing space between the bonnet and engine helps to reduce pedestrian injury in the event of an incident. Yet, the bonnet-line remains low, because of the space-saving ’Boxer’ engine configuration. This is supplemented by an energy-absorbing front bumper and a specially designed area around the windscreen wipers.
The standard 4-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) teams with Electronic Brake-Force distribution (EBD) to redistribute front-to-rear braking pressure, in conjunction with the load being carried. Brake Assist provides greater force in sudden braking, even if the driver doesn’t brake hard or soon enough. Hill Start Assist* holds the brakes for an extra second to help prevent rollback during uphill starts (*Fitted to manual models only).
The Ring-Shaped Reinforcement Frames strengthen the passenger compartment from the roof to the doors, pillars and floor. This design helps to divert and dissipate impact energy away from the occupants in a collision. The front crumple zone is integral to the frame.
Unlike some cars in its class, every Forester comes equipped with front, front-side and curtain airbags as standard. Height-adjustable front seatbelts with pretensioners hold passengers firmly in place, while load limiters ease forces to the chest. Active front head restraints move forward automatically in a rear collision to better support the front seat occupants’ heads and necks.
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