The popular Subaru Forester has been given an update as its in the middle of its lifecycle. What’s changed and how much does it cost? Read on…

The Subaru Forester is the Japanese brand’s most popular product in Southern Africa. 2022 marks 30 years of Subaru’s presence in Southern Africa.

What’s New?

The 2022 Subaru Forester has received some major design changes at the front of the vehicle with a new bigger hexagonal grille and new-look headlights. These new lights feature LED bulbs, while the Forester Sport gains 6-bulb LED fog lamps.

The rest of the Forester receives enhanced finishes to the mirror caps, A and B-pillar covers and rear spoiler. For the Sport, the mirror caps are finished in a textured geometric material, while the Premium gets chrome and high gloss black treatment.

The new Forester gets 17-inch alloy wheels on the base spec, while the high-spec gets an 18-inch unit. Customers get a new Cascade Green Silicia colour as a choice, along with the already comprehensive palette. The Subaru Forester Sport gets a revised orange and black theme both inside and out.

Mechanical changes include a tweaked front suspension to improve steering responsiveness, reworked coil springs to enhance the ride quality and handling, while the noise/vibration/harshness levels are managed by the new aluminium engine mount brackets.

The Subaru X-Mode has been enhanced with updated Hill Descent Control, while the more advanced version of Subaru’s EyeSight makes its debut. As a reminder, this system covers the car’s Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Pre-Collision Braking, Lane Departure and Sway Warning.

Also offered with EyeSight are three new technologies that employ active steering inputs:

Active Lane Centeringworks within the Adaptive Cruise Control function to ensures the vehicle remains in the centre of the lane. This reduces driver fatigue. When the system is active, the driver’s Multi-Function Display as well as the Information Display screen show the Active Tracking graphics, depicting the system at work.Lane Departure Preventionassists in keeping the vehicle within the correct lane by actively steering back into the correct lane.Autonomous Emergency Steeringworks as an accident prevention function and can steer the vehicle to avoid an accident, be it a pedestrian, another vehicle or a cyclist. Autonomous Emergency Steering sometimes works in conjunction with the Emergency braking function but can also work when the system deems emergency braking is not adequate to reduce the severity of a collision.

The Subaru Forester gains strengthened roof rails to allow for more cargo-carrying capacity as well as roof tents.

What’s on offer?

Subaru will be offering its 2022 Forester in a 4-model lineup. There are two engines on offer; 2.0 and a 2.5. Both engines are naturally-aspirated and are horizontally opposed in layout.

The 2.0-litre produces 115 kW and 196 Nm, while the 2.5-litre offers up 136 kW and 239 Nm. All Subaru Foresters feature CVTs and all-wheel drive.

How much does the updated Subaru Forester cost in South Africa?

The new Subaru Forester is sold with a 3 year/75 000km full Maintenance Plan as well as a 5 year/150 000km Warranty. These are extendable, with various plans available.

Forester 2.0i R486 000

Forester 2.0i-S ES R564 000

Forester 2.5i-Sport ES R599 000

Forester 2.5i-S ES R649 000

Further Reading

All-new Subaru WRX unveiled

Subaru Outback Review