Subaru Forester 2.5i-S 2019 review

Smooth and easy, the Suburu Forester drives really well. It handles nicely, the steering is not too heavy or light, and it cruises along the road without a lot of effort - there’s no heaviness that you can sometimes get with a solid car.

The Forester only comes in AWD, there’s no 2WD option, which gives it better traction on the road.

There’s a 2.5-litre engine, which is enough power to get up hills and surge forward when you need to move quickly. The Forester only comes in AWD, there’s no 2WD option, which gives it better traction on the road. It feels good to drive around suburbia and I’d feel totally confident taking it away on longer trips.

Even though it’s long it’s not difficult to park. There’s a high definition reverse parking camera which is useful, the front camera however is on a mini screen that sits high on the dash - it’s a bit harder to see. There is a handy side camera in that viewing screen as well, which shows you the kerb or whatever is next to your car.

There was loads of room in the front. Me and my 185cm husband had plenty of leg space, and even with the sunroof there was a good amount of headroom. We weren’t cramped at all, with generous space in the front. 

My two children, aged five and seven, had enough room in the back, and when we had to take one of their friends with us to the movies, she easily fit in the centre in a booster seat. You can also fit a third children’s car seat in the centre - I did it with two booster seats and a baby capsule.

When you fit the baby capsule behind the front seat, there is enough room for the front passenger’s legs. At 161cm, I fit in the back seat with so much room to spare, I think most adults will be very comfortable back there. 

The boot has been up-sized for 2019 to 498L which is slightly bigger than a CX-5, and smaller than a RAV4. It is plenty of room to fit a pram or suitcases, and even though it’s not the largest in its class, its still big enough for a growing family.

This model comes with a power operated tailgate which I always make good use out of, it seems I am always overloaded with stuff to take in or out. 

There is also some fancy new technology which works on driver face recognition, and it automatically puts the driver’s settings back into place as soon as you sit in the car. You just look straight ahead and it will do its thing.

Rear passengers also get their own air vents but not separate climate control.

It was still quite high off the ground, even though it’s a long car rather than a high car. My little one needed a bit of help jumping down. You’ll get two cupholders in the front, two in the back, a bottle holder in each door and a centre storage bin. Rear passengers also get their own air vents but not separate climate control. 

The back seats flip down instantaneously with the lift of a button, which is very useful. 

All Suburu Foresters now come with Apple Carplay and Android Auto which is super helpful technology that syncs your phone with the multimedia system. Plug in and you’re able to use your phone’s main apps like Maps and Spotify, and you can also use voice control to make calls and send text messages. Handy!

Plug in and you’re able to use your phone’s main apps like Maps and Spotify.

The audio is also pretty good, I was able to turn the sound up quite loud and have a good sing-along.

The Suburu Forester 2.5i-S comes in at $41,490. Fuel consumption is a claimed 7.4L/100km on the combined cycle which is fairly average for a car of this size and type, and you can use regular 91 unleaded, which is better than most competitors. 

It’s covered by Suburu’s three year/unlimited km warranty, which is now a bit outdated compared with some of the offers out there. Services are needed every 12 months or 12,500km.