Not long after its global reveal, the 2022 Subaru Forester is due on sale in Australia in October 2021. Subaru Australia has revealed local pricing and specs for the important model, which sold over 12,000 units in 2020 alone. Pricing has risen by between $700-$900, but so have standard equipment levels across the range. While there have been very little mechanical changes, the car’s styling has been updated, and more tech features as well.
Subaru Australia General Manager, Blair Read, said: “We’ve never had greater demand for Subaru SUVs and current generation Forester is leading the charge.
“These latest subtle changes to the Forester range will add to its appeal, which has already attracted new audiences with the introduction of hybrid variants and the Sport over the last 18-months.
Stylistically, the 2022 Subaru Forester has gained a new face with a more angular grille and larger headlights, as well as new alloy wheels on the top-spec 2.5i-S and Hybrid S models.
Though a 130kW/300Nm 1.8-litre turbo engine is sold in Japan, the Australian versions of 2022 Subaru Forester remain unchanged under the bonnet. 2.5i models use a 136kW/239Nm 2.5-litre ‘Boxer’ four-cylinder petrol engine while hybrid models use a 110kW/196Nm 2.0-litre petrol engine with a 12.3kW/66Nm electric motor. All Forester models are all-wheel drive and all use a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
There have been changes mechanically though, with a general retuning of the suspension for a greater ride and handling balance, as well as sharper steering and an improved noise and vibration balance. The company’s ‘X-Mode’ off-road system has been tweaked to automatically reactivate once the car drops below 35 km/h, and the hill descent control has been upgraded too.
The 2022 Subaru Forester range continues as before with the 2.5i sitting at the bottom of the range, the 2.5i-L, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Sport and Hybrid L in the middle, and the 2.5i-S and Hybrid S at the top of the range.
All models now get the larger 8.0-inch touchscreen system – previously the base 2.5i and 2.5i-L and Hybrid L were fitted with a smaller 6.5-inch unit – while all models now feature lane centre assist, lane departure prevention and autonomous emergency steering. Subaru’s adaptive driving beam is now fitted to all models above the base 2.5i, while a number of small changes have also been implemented – the 2.5i Sport gains new LED front fog lights and gunmetal and orange highlights are added to the cabin.
Finally, Subaru has added three new colours: ‘Autumn Green’, ‘Brilliant Bronze’ and ‘Cascade Green’, which are available on all models aside from the 2.5i Sport.
Standard kit on the base 2.5i ($35,990 plus on-road costs) includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, 17-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, LED lighting, keyless entry and start, front and rear fog lights, a six-speaker sound system and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever.
Safety features include auto emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, lane centre assist, autonomous emergency steering, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera.
The 2.5i-L ($38,390) and Hybrid L ($41,390) adds driver attention monitoring, reverse auto braking, Matrix adaptive high beam functionality for the headlights, front and side cameras and heated front seats.
The 2.5i Premium ($41,140) adds ‘premium’ cloth trim, inbuilt satellite navigation, larger 18-inch wheels, a power tailgate, eight-way electrically adjustable front seats with driver’s memory and sports pedals.
The 2.5i Sport ($42,690) adds a water-repellent cloth trim, a sunroof, LED front fog lights and orange and gunmetal interior highlights.
Finally, the top-spec 2.5i-S ($44,190) and Hybrid S ($47,190) add leather upholstery and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
2022 Subaru Forester pricing (plus on-road costs):
- 2.5i: $35,990 (+$800)
- 2.5i-L: $38,390 (+$800)
- 2.5i Premium: $41,140 (+$700)
- 2.5i Sport: $42,690 (+$700)
- 2.5i-S: $44,190 (+$700)
- Hybrid L: $41,390 (+$900)
- Hybrid S: $47,190 (+$700)
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