2026 Subaru Forester AWD Sport review

The Subaru Forester has always looked right at home Down Under.

It’s handsome, versatile, spacious and tough – all attributes valued highly by the stereotypical Aussie family. So highly, in fact, that the Forester quickly became a popular purchase among mid-size SUVs, and it remains just that despite a growing pool of competitors.

The sixth-generation Forester arrived last year and this petrol Sport variant sits smack bang in the middle of the range.

Priced a tad under $50k, it’s specced for adventure and positioned against the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Nissan X-Trail, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, and Mitsubishi Outlander. Hardly a shortage of rivals, and that’s before you consider newer arrivals such as the BYD Sealion 6 and Jaecoo J7.

So, how does the Forester Sport stack up? And is it worthy of the nameplate’s reputation? Read on to find out.

How much does the Subaru Forester cost?

This mid-spec Sport will set you back $48,490 before on-road costs, while the range tops out at $55,990 plus on-roads for the Hybrid Touring.

For context, the new-generation Toyota RAV4 starts from $45,990 before on-road costs for the entry-level front-wheel drive GX, although you’ll pay an additional $4080 for all-wheel drive.

However, the cheapest Forester Hybrid costs $500 more than the GX, itself a hybrid.

Forester prices rose substantially with the introduction of the current model earlier this year – the outgoing Forester was priced from $38,690 before on-road costs for the base 2.5i, and peaked at $50,140 before on-roads for the flagship Hybrid S.

To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

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What is the Subaru Forester like on the inside?

The interior of the Forester has been designed with utility and practicality front of mind, and that’s especially true of this mid-spec Sport model.

Because, unlike other variants in the range, the Sport gets water-repellent upholstery and bright green contrast stitching that really rams home the outdoorsy aesthetic. Given that I value my job, I didn’t spray down the seats to test Subaru’s waterproof claim, but there’s a lot to be said for a car that’s easier to clean after a family getaway.

Beyond the seats, everything else feels pretty resilient, too. The doors and dash are finished in hardy plastics, while a wetsuit-like material also features prominently throughout the cabin – both fit for the purpose of withstanding thrills and spills.

Durability gets a big tick, then. But if you were hoping for a slice of luxury, you’ve come to the wrong place, because rivals such as the BYD Sealion 6, Jaecoo J7 and Volkswagen Tiguan deliver more showroom appeal, albeit without a rugged edge.

It’s not like the Forester Sport is unpleasant to sit in, though. Far from it.

The synthetic leather seats are both supportive and comfortable over long journeys, with plenty of bolstering and ample electric adjustment, while the leather-wrapped steering is sculpted to perfection. Thoughtful touches like padding on the side of the centre tunnel – where the driver’s left knee naturally rests – and extra steering wheel reach elevate the experience further.

Still, seat ventilation would be welcome given Australia’s summer heat. Oh, and steering wheel heating for those cold winter mornings, please. The latter is missing from all versions of the Forester, while only the flagship Touring offers the former.

Indeed, the Forester Sport is a little light on features by modern standards. For example, there’s no head-up display, nor a digital instrument cluster.

Rather, the technology suite consists of a portrait infotainment screen and 4.2-inch instrument display, both of which are a little yesterday, especially for a ‘new’ model.

I say that because the central tablet lacks polish compared to those found in modern Kia, Hyundai and BYD models. It’s unresponsive, laggy and unimpressive to look at, with fuzzy graphics that belong in the 2010s.

That’s not to mention the several glitches I experienced when using Apple CarPlay. The Forester supports wireless smartphone mirroring, but reliability was a constant issue throughout our test – it was rare that my phone connected to the car without manual intervention, and on multiple occasions audio volume became ‘stuck’ despite adjustments registering on the screen.

Perhaps the lack of wires was the issue, in which case there’s the option to connect via USB-A, USB-C, or even an AUX cable.

It also doesn’t help that so many popular vehicle functions are embedded within the infotainment screen, forcing regular interaction with the system. Physical controls remain for external camera views, temperature adjustment, and audio volume, but that’s about it.

A full set of shortcuts including climate controls can always be found at the base of the centre screen, although the climate menu itself can feel cluttered. Still, the interface is actually quite user-friendly… when it’s firing on all cylinders.

All native apps are set out clearly in grid fashion, and the basics are all there – native satnav, digital radio, settings etc. The absence of an in-car app store prevents access to the likes of YouTube and Spotify, though.

Such features are considered superfluous by many, but there’s no escaping the sense that Subaru’s tech is a generation behind the competition.

And, for all its famed practicality, the Forester doesn’t offer a mountain of storage up front, either. The door bins are relatively narrow, and the centre console bin is merely adequate for a car of this size.

Further afield there’s a wireless phone charging pad, generous glovebox, and a cubby for sunglasses overhead.

So, why all the fuss about the Forester then? Well, the second row goes some way to explaining the fascination.

In short, it’s lovely back there.

For starters, the rear doors open wide, so it’s easy to slide in and out. And once seated, it’s quickly apparent that there’s plenty of space for three adults to ride in style.

Leggy types will particularly appreciate the soft front seat backs, as well as the clearance between the bottom of the front seats and the floor. Headroom is also in strong supply. To top it all off, huge windows and a sunroof bathe the passenger area in natural light.

More than just spacious, the comfort afforded by the rear bench suggests it was hardly an afterthought. All three seats are cushy and gently reclined, which bodes well for long family road trips.

As for amenities, well that base is also covered. Unlike many rivals, the Forester features both USB-A and USB-C outlets in the second row, plus tiered map pockets, lots of drink storage, and smaller slots for loose items.

Moving further back, the boot is equally family-friendly. The headline capacity figure – 496 litres – might not sound noteworthy, but it only tells half the story.

That number doesn’t tell you that the power tailgate lifts to reveal an opening aperture that’s wide and tall, nor does it tell you that the loading area is perfectly flat. The boot floor sits low to the ground, so you won’t struggle to hoist heavy suitcases or camping equipment up into the boot.

Need more space? You can drop the rear seats at the flick of a switch, unlocking up to 1174 litres of cargo capacity.

But wait, there’s more! Additional handy features include a 12V power source, bag hooks, tie-down points, and a retractable cargo cover.

It’s this combination of attributes that renders the Forester one of the most practical mid-sized SUVs on the market.

Better yet, buyers will rejoice at the ongoing inclusion of a full-size spare wheel, which can be found under the boot floor in petrol models. Hybrid versions, on the other hand, carry only a tyre repair kit.

To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

All Foresters feature a 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine, in classic Subaru fashion. This is mated with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) as standard in petrol variants.

To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Subaru Forester drive?

Overbearing safety nannies aside, the Forester is an absolute joy to drive – far more so than the vast majority of mainstream mid-size SUVs.

It’s a little lacking in the performance department, at least in non-hybrid guise, but that absence of straight-line speed is made up for by an excellent chassis that strikes a sweet balance between dynamics and comfort.

Put simply, the Forester feels smaller than it really is, which makes for a stress-free urban driving experience. In fact, I’d go as far as to say driving the Forester around town is actually fun.

On a more practical front, the Forester’s manoeuvrability translates to an excellent turning circle and easy parking, which is also made possible by superb outward visibility, surround-view cameras, a reversing camera with guidelines, and parking sensors.

At the same time, there’s none of the harshness that is often associated with high levels of agility. The ride is supple enough that you can properly relax over long journeys, and even the roughest surfaces rarely send shockwaves through the cabin. The same can’t always be said of European SUVs, which tend to be firmer, while some Chinese alternatives exhibit the complete opposite – uncontrolled, nauseating bounciness.

Instead, the Forester displays strong body control that inspires confidence both over bumps and around bends, the latter of which also brings the best out of this family wagon.

A quick blast down a country road reveals that the Forester is more than capable when the tarmac gets twisty. Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive system ensures sustained traction no matter the road conditions, and there’s a weight and directness to the steering that’s rarely felt in 2026.

However, the powertrain in this petrol Sport model offers regular reminders that you haven’t bought a sports car. The naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine feels eager enough at low revs but offers little further up the range – hardly surprising given its meagre outputs.

You won’t get much help from the transmission, either. Engineered for smoothness rather than performance, the CVT eliminates traditional gearshifts, replacing them with a constant slurring sensation. With that said, you can take more control over the driving experience by pulling on ‘shift’ paddles positioned behind the steering wheel.

And, importantly, the Forester still sounds like a proper Subaru, even if that soundtrack is relatively muted in this model.

A quiet powertrain suggests a refined experience on the highway, but that’s not really the case. Noise from the tyres and surrounding traffic penetrates the cabin with frustrating ease, while the adaptive cruise control system can be slow to respond to changes in traffic flow. And then there’s safety tech…

There’s no other way to say it – the advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) in the Forester are infuriating. Unless you take the time to configure the safety settings before each drive, there’s almost always some kind of alert or warning chiming away in the background, whether it be the driver monitoring system, lane-keep assist, or speed camera alert.

The former is by far the most annoying, such is its unforgiving nature. If you so much as glance at the infotainment screen for a moment, the system senses distraction and immediately sounds the alarm. As you can imagine, it doesn’t take long for this to drive you insane.

Now, it is possible to make permanent adjustments to some settings, but not all. For example, the driver monitoring system resets after every drive.

As such, it’s difficult to get around the constant intrusions of safety nannies, and this can make the Forester a frustrating car to live with despite all its strengths.

Frustrating on the road, yes, but what about when the bitumen ends? After all, the Forester has long been a favourite among campers and adventure-centric types, with a reputation for sturdiness and off-road capability.

It’s early days yet, but the results of our recent mid-sized SUV mega test didn’t flatter the new Forester Hybrid from an off-road perspective.

CarExpert founder Paul Maric said:

“The Forester went from being one of the most capable off-road mid-size SUVs to being one of the least capable and I don’t know how Subaru missed that brief.

“People bought that car because it was capable off-road and now they’ve kind of ruined it by adding a hybrid system that makes it not all that good off-road.”

On one hand, you could take this result to mean all versions of the new Forester disappoint on unsealed surfaces. But, on the other hand, it could be argued petrol variants deserve their own testing before any conclusions are made.

To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

Three of the Forester’s trim levels are available with either petrol or hybrid power, but standard equipment differs for each.

2025 Subaru Forester AWD equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Full-size spare tyre
• Automatic, steering-responsive LED headlights
• Power-folding exterior mirrors
• LED front fog lights
• Front cornering lights
• Ladder-style roof rails
• ‘X-Mode’ with one drive mode
• Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive) with two modes
• Hill descent control
• Proximity entry with push-button start
• 11.6-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wireless Android Auto
• Wireless phone charger
• USB-A and USB-C outlets
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster screen
• 6-speaker sound system
• Heated front seats
• Cloth upholstery
• Dual-zone climate control with rear vents
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Silver interior stitching
• One-touch power-folding rear seats
• 60:40 split/fold rear seats
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror

Forester AWD Premium adds:

• Power tailgate with kick sensor
• 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar
• 8-way power passenger seat
• Satellite navigation
• Auto-dipping passenger-side mirror
• Power-folding exterior mirrors with memory

Forester AWD Sport adds:

• Dark metallic 18-inch alloy wheels
• Power sunroof
• ‘X-Mode’ with two drive modes
• Black front grille with green insert
• Green badging
• Water-repellent synthetic leather upholstery
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Green interior stitching

Forester AWD Touring adds:

• Gloss black front grille, front and rear bumper accents, side mirrors
• Low-profile roof rails
• Leather and suede upholstery in black or brown
• Brown interior stitching
• Ventilated front seats
• 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with subwoofer

Forester AWD Hybrid adds (over base Forester):

• Tyre repair kit (instead of full-size spare)
• Paddle shifters for regenerative braking

Forester AWD Hybrid Sport adds (over Forester Sport):

• Bronze 19-inch alloy wheels
• Bronze exterior accents
• Low-profile roof rails
• Brown interior stitching
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with subwoofer

Forester AWD Hybrid Touring adds (over Forester Touring):

• Dark grey machined gloss finish 19-inch alloy wheels
• Leather and suede upholstery

To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Subaru Forester safe?

The Subaru Forester has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted by Euro NCAP in 2024. This applies to both powertrains.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 9 airbags, including:
  • Far-side
  • Front passenger seat cushion
• Active torque vectoring
• Autonomous emergency braking (forward and reverse)
• Autonomous emergency steering
• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver monitoring system
• Emergency driving stop system
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Front side radar
• Lane centring
• Lane change assist
• Lane-keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Rear parking sensors
• Surround-view camera
• Traffic sign recognition
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Wide-angle monocular camera

To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Subaru Forester cost to run?

Subaru Australia backs its Forester with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Five years of coverage remains par for the course, but Subaru’s service pricing is on the expensive side.

Petrol versions of the Forester can be costly at the petrol pump, too. Over a week of city commuting I saw average fuel consumption of 10.3 litres per 100km, whereas a hybrid RAV4, for example, would likely return closer to 6.0L/100km. The same goes for other hybrid SUVs, while PHEVs and EVs are even more frugal.

To see how the Subaru Forester lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Subaru Forester AWD Sport

Am I crazy in thinking this middle-of-the-range Forester doesn’t have enough strings to its bow?

All variants are spacious, comfy and lovely to drive, but the petrol Sport variant lacks the efficiency of its Hybrid siblings while sharing all their deficiencies.

Such deficiencies include a poorly-calibrated set of safety aids, middling performance, unreliable technology, and high running costs.

So, while the Forester promises familiar and flexible family motoring, it’s not the accomplished all-rounder I was expecting.

Off-road enthusiasts will still see value in the Subaru’s storied capability, and it’s hard to argue with that. After all, the symmetrical all-wheel drive system inspires confidence, as does the Forester’s ground clearance and ‘X-Mode’.

Yet, even with that use case in mind, I’d be directing potential buyers towards alternatives such as the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, both of which performed well in our recent mega test.

Still want a Forester? The Sport isn’t my pick of the bunch, anyway. After assessing the specs, I’d suggest the base model represents better value at $43,490 before on-road costs, while the top-spec petrol Touring is worth the premium it commands.

That said, water-repellent upholstery and some slick styling enhancements will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the great outdoors.

In that sense, there’s something for everyone in the Forester range. But, at the same time, there’s arguably more to be found elsewhere.

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