Subaru celebrates its successes quietly, the cars appeal to a specific audience.
The best-known model in this country is probably the Forester, a medium-sized SUV that has been available in the fifth generation since 2019 and has now undergone a slight revision.
From the outside, the newly designed front is particularly noticeable, we like the face.
The chassis has been slightly modified, it works comfortably without being spongy.
Otherwise, the new Forester is very much the same: at prices from around 35,000 euros for the Trend basic version to 44,000 euros for the fully equipped Platinum, the customer gets the best all-round view, plenty of space on the easy-care plastic seats and in the trunk, as well as an SUV that intended for people who need advanced terrain features, such as farmers or hunters.
Among other things, the Forester offers 22 centimeters of ground clearance, relatively good departure angles, a protected underbody and two off-road programs.
The first lets it roll gently and is intended for packed snow, the second pushes the car more radically and is said to be the right choice for deep snow or mud.
A hill descent assistant and an inclinometer switch on automatically.
There is also a sports program, you have to look for it among the buttons scattered all over the place.
The most important one sits in front of the left knee and switches off the driver recognition and monitoring, which tells the driver to look ahead when he is looking for a parking space.
The only drive available is a 150 hp boxer engine, which sends its power to all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission, but simulates seven gears.
It is supported by an electric unit with an output of 12.3 kW, which is charged by recuperation and enables electric rolling a few meters.
It doesn't do much to reduce consumption, we got exactly 10 liters in mixed operation.