Subaru Forester e-BOXER Mild Hybrid 2.0i-S EyeSight (A) Facelift Review

With options including the Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Mazda CX-5 all recently arriving on our shores sporting appealing exteriors along with a suite of clever features, the family SUV segment is looking smarter with each passing year.

Can this updated Subaru Forester continue to hold its own against the ever-improving competition?

A great new snout

If it is design flair that you're after from your SUV, this updated Forester is now also no slouch.

Up front is where the changes are most apparent. The Forester now sports appealing new head lights, which take after the shape of those found on the Subaru WRX. There's also a new grille, surrounded by a new front bumper, both of which deliver high road presence.

And, the tasty black bar that runs between the taillights at the rear of this e-Boxer variant has been retained with this update.

Such big eyes

This new body is matched by new abilities within as well.

There's a new EyeSight system to start, which now houses its cameras right against the windscreen so their lenses now can't get smeared by curious fingers. The cameras themselves have also been upgraded, so that they now offer a wider field-of-view for more reliable detection of obstacles.

But customers will probably be more interested in the fact that the system now offers Lane Centering Control alongside an improved Adaptive Cruise Control, as well as new collision avoidance features.

All the bite from before

And the new system works great.

The car accelerates smoothly when left to its own devices, and warnings about illegally stopped vehicles in your lane are delivered in prompt fashion, as I found out while driving this morning along Bedok South Road.

Pick this e-Boxer variant and you'll get a rather competent drivetrain as well.

You only have 148bhp to push along a total of 1,682kg, so don't expect to leave anyone behind when the lights turn green, and the CVT in here is unashamed to let the rpms go well into the mid-ranges.

But even so, the engine note is far from harsh and always well muted. And, the mild hybrid system will eagerly turn the engine off when you come to a stop as well. Expect to be able to reach a fuel economy of close to 9.8km/L.

As big a belly as ever

But the real reason why you'd want to get the Forester is because of its excellent cabin.

Second row passengers here are treated to generous amounts of leg room, and head room is more than enough for all. And this spaciousness is further augmented by the acres of glass all around, even before you open that sunroof.

The excellent Driver Monitoring System that we saw in last year's Forester still continues to serve duty here, adding greater convenience if there are multiple drivers in your household. And as if this car could not get any more family-friendly, there's now new hooks at the top of the boot, which add to those already available at the sides.

Still the SUV to get

At $181,800, the Subaru Forester presents itself as quite the steal next to its rivals. The Mazda CX-5, for example, starts from $190,888, while the Hyundai Tucson come in from $208,999, and the Volkswagen Tiguan is asking for $214,900 (all prices as at 6 September 2022).

The Forester may be the least powerful amongst this bunch, but what it instead offers is excellent cabin space accompanied by a comprehensive sweep of safety features, which are exactly the points that should appeal to families. And for that it deserves to stand tall amongst the competition.


Looking for an SUV for the family? There's also these options to consider:

The Toyota RAV4 offers high fuel economy and uncompromised comfort

The Nissan Qashqai is quiet and remarkably handsome

The Honda CR-V is also comfortable and mighty practical

The Peugeot 3008 comes with a punchy drivetrain and plenty of stylish touches

We also test the GT Edition Subaru Forester on video! Catch us here!