2022 Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester is one of America's favorite compact crossover SUVs, thanks to a history of good reliability and the security of all-wheel-drive. The compact crossover SUV segment is filled with other choices like the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, but Forester vehicles have been outdoing these rivals for some time. The basic recipe of a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated boxer-four with 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque is unchanged and includes a continuously variable transmission that makes this an easy car to live with in traffic, just as its good ground clearance and all-weather grip make it easy to live with on the trail. But as cars get more and more luxurious and tech-forward, is the Forester still good enough to be the favorite?

The exterior of the new Subaru Forester is pretty generic, with nothing especially unique compared to other vehicles in this segment. Still, it's not ugly either, and it certainly looks a bit more aggressive this year with its new LED headlights on either side of a redesigned new grille. 17-inch steel wheels are standard on the base trim while alloys measuring up to 18-inches are standard on higher trims, but you have to step up from the base model to get things like roof rails, LED fog lights, a roof spoiler, body-color mirrors, and a panoramic sunroof. The Sport model gets a unique grille and orange accents. The off-road focused new Wilderness boasts significantly more ground clearance, matte-black 17-inch alloy wheels fitted with special Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires, extensive black lower-body cladding, and anodized-copper exterior accents.

The 2022 Subaru Forester features dimensions of 182.1 inches for its length and 71.5 inches for its width. Height is 68.1 inches with roof rails (but 68.9 inches for the Sport), while the wheelbase measures 105.1 inches (but 104.9 inches for the Wilderness). Since this is a Subaru with a little more off-road ability than most competitors, ground clearance is pretty good at 8.7 inches for all trims but the Wilderness, which boasts an even better 9.2 inches. Curb weight varies depending on the trim but starts at 3,454 pounds for the base car and goes up to 3,620 lbs for the Wilderness.

The base Forester gets a choice of four no-cost colors, down from last year's six. These are Crystal White Pearl, Cascade Green Silica, Horizon Blue Pearl, and Magnetite Gray Metallic. Ice Silver Metallic and Crystal Black Silica are no longer available on this trim, but they are on the Premium, Limited, and Touring, which also get Autumn Green, Brilliant Bronze, Crimson Red Pearl, and Horizon Blue Pearl. Elsewhere in the range, the Sport model gets a limited palette of Crystal Black, Crystal White, Ice Silver, Magnetite Gray, and Dark Blue Pearl. The new Wilderness mostly mirrors the Sport's choices, but adds Autumn Green and replaces Dark Blue Pearl with Geyser Blue - a shade exclusively available on this trim. The metallics Sepia Bronze and Jasper Green are among the hues that are dropped altogether this year. Our picks are the two blue shades, but that Crimson Red is also a very attractive shade.

Performance in terms of acceleration and top speed is not the Forester's forte. In fact, this car's combination of a naturally aspirated engine and a CVT make it barely capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in under nine seconds. That's not too much of a big deal, but last year's unimpressive 1,500-pound towing capacity remains unchanged on all trims except the new Wilderness model, for which it has been increased to 3,000 pounds. The 2.5-liter boxer-four only produces 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque, and the goal with this crossover has less to do with on-road performance and more to do with how capable it is off-road and how smooth it is on long journeys. After all, this is a family car with a brilliant all-wheel-drive system. Still, for those that do want a little more fun from the experience, the Sport, Limited, and Touring models' CVT now mimics a seven-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode, although this is still unlikely to truly excite anyone. The Wilderness has an eight-speed manual mode. The Forester is about being reliable, economical, and smooth, and it excels in these endeavors.

Just one engine and transmission are on offer here, with all trims featuring a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated boxer motor generating 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. This is paired with a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission. No manual or conventional automatic gearbox is on offer, but this pairing is ideal for the school run and city traffic. Sure, the Forester doesn't exactly wow drivers with its acceleration, but it's more than good enough for its target market, with a sense of urgency that is neither hair-raising nor sleep-inducing. The CVT, although generally our least favorite transmission type, makes good use of the engine's output and will help keep you in the powerband, thus making it easy to overtake. That said, timing will be important as you can't expect to just whiz past anything holding you up. Overall, the power plant in the Subaru Forester is inoffensive, smooth, and reliable, and that's all you really need from a family car like this one. The top four trims' CVTs offer a simulated manual-shifting mode.

With permanent symmetrical AWD that is a trademark of Subaru's offerings, the 2022 Forester is a car that handles better than you may expect, especially for a crossover. Thanks to a low center of gravity, there isn't too much body roll and the light but accurate steering contributes to making the Forester feel more agile and nimble than its size would suggest. That light steering also helps in traffic and when parking, making this a great car for those who have a family and live in the city. The suspension is good too, with a perfect balance between stiffness and comfort. Obviously, its Mazda-badged rival is a more adept vehicle when it comes to taking corners, but the Subaru is still one of the best out there. Whether it be a long-distance road trip or a quick run to the mall, the Forester won't give anyone back issues or car sickness. The brakes are good too, proving easy to modulate and powerful. Off-road, that AWD system again shows its worth with this vehicle able to maintain its good reputation even on the slipperiest of surfaces. The Wilderness adds an extra measure of off-road ability and control with its special tires, higher ground clearance, and eight-speed manual mode.

Another of the Forester's best traits is its gas mileage. According to the EPA's review of the Subaru Forester, it will manage 26/33/29 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles. Thanks to a 16.6-gallon gas tank, you can reasonably expect to achieve around 481 miles of range with mixed driving. Unfortunately, the Wilderness' higher stance, chunkier tires, and increased weight take their toll, lowering these numbers to 25/28/26 mpg. By comparison, the Honda CR-V AWD returns 27/32/29 mpg on the same cycles while the Mazda CX-5 AWD competition promises 24/30/26 mpg. Considering that the Subaru is not turbocharged, its figures are especially impressive.

The interior of the Subaru Forester SUV is an attractive place to be, with good build quality, impressive space, and great materials. The dash is especially attractive with its contours and stitching, but Subaru hasn't forgotten about ergonomics either, with all controls in easy reach of the driver. Large windows mean good visibility too, reinforcing the Forester's attention to detail and commitment to making as safe a crossover as possible. Sure, there are some cheaper materials scattered about and there isn't a massive digital driver display like most cars are starting to offer, but at the price of the Subaru Forester, we're very happy with what is on offer.

The Subaru Forester seats five individuals in comfort, with even six-footers able to sit up straight without brushing the roof lining, even in the second row. There's plenty of legroom back there too, and this makes the Forester a great travel companion. Ingress and egress are easy too, thanks to large door openings and step-in pads that can help shorter individuals get into the car with ease. In front, the driver has a great view out in all directions and will easily find a good driving position. The base model, however, misses out on a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat and heating for the first row.

The base model of the Forester again misses out on a feature as all other variants get a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Cloth upholstery is standard on the base and Premium, while the other end of the spectrum sees the Limited model get leather upholstery in black or gray while the Touring gets black or Saddle Brown. The Sport model gets fabric in a two-tone gray with orange contrast stitching while the base and Premium variants get gray or black cloth, with a choice between these colors based on the exterior paint. The Wilderness gets textured gray StarTex water-repellant material on the seats, copper contrast stitching, and Subaru Wilderness branding embossed on the front headrests.

One of the most important aspects of a vehicle like this is how good it is at carrying stuff. Fortunately, the Forester doesn't disappoint with up to 28.9 cubic feet of cargo volume in the back. That drops slightly to 26.9 cubes with the sunroof fitted, but you still have enough volume to carry luggage for all occupants with ease and still have extra space for supplies if you're the adventurous type. If you need more space, the rear seats can be folded in a 60/40 split to open up 74.2 cubic feet or 69.1 cubic feet with the sunroof.

In the front, you get large door pockets with bottle holders, a large center armrest storage bin, a good-sized glovebox, a pair of cupholders in each row, and center console storage for your phone, wallet, or keys.

Despite what this review may have led you to believe up until this point, the base Forester is actually pretty nicely specced. You get keyless entry, automatic steering-responsive LED headlights, a rearview camera, single-zone automatic climate control, a six-way manually-adjustable driver's seat, a torque-vectoring system, Subaru's SI-Drive drive-mode selector, auto start/stop, and the Subaru EyeSight safety suite. This includes adaptive cruise control, sway warning, lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist. Further up, higher trims unlock features like a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, reclining rear seatbacks, push-button start, a 6.3-inch color driver-info display, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, blind-spot monitoring with lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic alert, one-touch folding rear seats, reverse automatic braking, and a driver focus monitor. Also available are things like a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, and a power-adjustable passenger seat.

As standard, the Forester comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment display, a four-speaker sound system, two front USB ports, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, HD Radio, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Further up the trims, you get an eight-inch touchscreen display, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, and a six-speaker sound system, but the Touring model boasts a nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio setup. The system works well and is easy to understand, but the bigger screen is all but necessary for displaying clearer images as the 6.5-inch display can be tricky to navigate on the go.

Thus far, the 2020, 2021, and 2022 variants of the Subaru Forester have all proven reliable with no recalls issued.

In terms of warranty coverage, the Forester comes with a basic three-year/36,000-mile warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, but no complimentary scheduled maintenance is offered. However, a Wear Item limited warranty runs for three years or 36,000 miles and will cover items like brake pads.

Another big selling point of the Subaru Forester is its safety, and the 2022 model does not disappoint with a full five-star rating from the NHTSA. Over at the IIHS, the 2022 model has achieved Good scores for most crash-test criteria except the side impact, which was scored Acceptable. Last year, the 2021 achieved the highest possible honor with a Top Safety Pick+ award.

What some variants of the Forester lack in convenience features, they all make up for with a long list of standard safety features that include a rearview camera that is obligatory in the USA, seven airbags including a driver knee bag, forward-collision alert with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, adaptive LED headlights, lane-keep assist, an electronic parking brake with auto-hold, and sway warning. The Sport model adds blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and lane-change assist while the Touring builds on this with a driver condition monitor. The Touring and Wilderness get reverse automatic braking and the Wilderness is the only trim to get a 180-degree front-view monitor.

Subaru Forester ratings have always been high. It may not be the most engaging vehicle to drive or have the longest list of standard convenience features, but beyond that, it's a really good car and it's easy to understand why it's one of the most popular vehicles in the US. It comes loaded with safety features and has an economical engine that comes with a pretty good CVT. It also offers plenty of cargo space and has an attractive if generic design. The ride is good too, and you can comfortably seat adults in the front or back on long trips with no complaints. Coupled with its off-road ability, this is a great all-round package that suits various lifestyle types. Sure, there are some competitors that excel at things like driving dynamics or towing capacity, but the Forester combines good ability in all respects for a great package that is affordable, comfortable, and capable. That said, a test drive is always the final deciding factor.

The base model of the Subaru Forester starts at $25,195 before a $1,125 destination charge. The Forester Premium Starts at $28,195 while the Sport is $29,765. The Limited trim starts at $31,895, the new Wilderness costs $32,820, and the top Touring variant has a base MSRP of $35,295. If you spec this model with all available accessories, a fully loaded model will reach the $38k mark, which is not too bad considering how much the base model costs.

The 2022 Subaru Forester range is made up of six trims: Forester, Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited, and Touring. They all share exactly the same mechanical specification, which is to say a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated flat-four engine with 182 hp / 176 lb-ft, mated to a CVT automatic and driving all four wheels.

The entry-level trim has automatic adaptive LED headlights, 17-inch steel wheels, keyless entry, a torque-vectoring system, an SI-Drive drive-mode selector, an electronic parking brake with auto-hold, a start/stop system, automatic climate control, cloth upholstery, and a six-way manually adjustable driver's seat. A 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment screen with smartphone integration, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, HD Radio, and a four-speaker sound system is included, as well as the Subaru EyeSight driver-assistance suite that includes high-beam assist, a backup camera, stability control, lane-departure warning, sway warning, and adaptive cruise control with lane centering.

The Premium trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, a roof spoiler, a panoramic moonroof, roof rails, and body-color mirrors. Inside, it gains a ten-way electrically adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, reclining rear seats, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear shifter, push-button start, 4G LTE Wi-Fi capability, and a six-speaker audio system.

The Sport gets 18-inch alloy wheels, a seven-speed manual mode for its CVT, LED fog lights, sport cloth upholstery, a 6.3-inch color driver-information display, paddle shifters, blind-spot detection, lane-change assist, and rear cross-traffic alert.

The new off-road-focused Wilderness gets matte-black 17-inch alloy wheels with Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires, an eight-speed manual mode for its CVT, a dual-function X-Mode system with off-road driving modes, a 3,000-pound towing capacity, a higher 9.2-inch ground clearance, extensive black lower-body cladding, anodized-copper exterior accents, and high-capacity roof rails. Inside, it has StarTex water-repellent upholstery, Subaru Wilderness-embossed headrests, one-touch folding rear seatbacks, reverse automatic braking, dual-zone climate control, and an HD eight-inch infotainment screen. It is the only trim with a 180-degree front-view monitor.

The Limited receives 18-inch alloy wheels, halogen fog lights, a seven-speed manual mode for its CVT, the normal roof rails, leather upholstery, and a power rear liftgate.

The Touring trim is the flagship and it gets satin-chrome side mirrors, gloss-black window moldings, LED fog lights, an eight-way electrically adjustable front passenger seat, memory settings for the driver's seat, heated outboard rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a driver-focus distraction-mitigation system, reverse automatic braking, navigation, and a 576-watt, nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

On the base model, you can delete the unsightly steel wheels and plastic covers by speccing 17-inch alloys and roof rails for $600. The Premium model has access to a power rear tailgate and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert for $1,095. On the Sport trim, you can add reverse automatic braking, the top trim's nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a power rear tailgate, and an eight-inch infotainment display for $1,645. On the Limited variant, you can have the same additions as the Sport along with navigation and a heated steering wheel for $1,695. The top trim only gets access to minor accessories as it is fully loaded in standard form.

Each of the Subaru Forester trims has the same powertrain and capabilities, so the choice will come down to what features you like. Since you already have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, navigation isn't all that necessary. However, we do think the bigger infotainment screen is a help when driving. As a result, we recommend going for the Sport trim with its optional package that adds a better sound system, the bigger screen, and a power tailgate. This gives you a good mix of features along with a reasonable price of under $33,000, including the destination charge. However, the new Wilderness is an interesting alternative, not least for its significantly improved off-road ability, but also because it's the only trim to offer high-capacity roof rails, a 3,000-pound towing capacity, and a front-view monitor, at the expense of worse fuel consumption.

The Subaru Outback is very similar to the Forester. It's also got a wagon-like design and has the exact same powertrain with the same output but starts at almost two grand more than the base Forester. However, rather than being a compact, this model is a midsize crossover SUV/wagon. However, unlike the Forester, you can spec a more powerful and more urgent turbocharged engine in models with the XT designation. This 2.4-liter turbo engine produces 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, making it capable of towing up to 3,500 lbs. Even with the regular engine, the Outback can still out-tow all Foresters except the Wilderness with a rating of 2,700 lbs. There's also a little more space in the Outback, along with the availability of a large 11.6-inch touchscreen display and a Harman Kardon sound system. For these reasons, we recommend the Outback if you can afford it over the cost of the Subaru Forester.

The Mazda CX-5 is in the same league as the Forester with a base price of $25,370 and it has a lot going for it. Besides great handling and a proper automatic gearbox, the CX-5 has a more attractive design - in our opinion anyway. Its base 2.5-liter four-pot is a little more powerful too, with 187 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque. Like the Outback, a turbocharged motor is available on this car that makes up to 250 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. Front-wheel-drive is standard on most models with AWD available as an option, but the top trim with the most powerful engine gets power sent to all four wheels by default. Inside, an attractive and modern cabin is complemented by a 10.25-inch touch display, although this is a little trickier to reach than the one in the Subaru. Nevertheless, the CX-5 gets our vote for multiple drivetrain configurations, the availability of a turbo engine, great handling, a proper gearbox, and much more attractive design inside and out.