The first generation of the Forester has been on the market since 1997, and the fourth generation has been on sale since 2012, although the sales in China are not high, but the fourth generation of the Forester is still relatively popular in North America, with more than 100,000 units sold every year, and 177,000 units sold in North America in 2017. With both the XV and Ascent equipped with the SGP platform, the fifth-generation Forester has been replaced with a new SGP chassis, with Eyesight active safety as standard and a hybrid model as standard.
 
Generally speaking, a replacement model will have a relatively large change in appearance, but Subaru is an exception, the 5th generation Forester compared to the previous generation model, the appearance of the change is really small, as small as the two generations of models together, it is not clear which one is new. You can understand that Subaru is an engineer-led car company, and there is not enough investment in design, or you can understand it as a family inheritance, and there is no problem.
 
This generation of Forester eliminated the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and only introduced a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine version, and added a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine and a 9.6kW single-motor hybrid version, while North America still retained the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine version. Although the engine is still a 2.0-liter self-priming machine, it has been changed from multi-point EFI to in-cylinder direct injection, and the book figure has not changed much, with the maximum horsepower of the petrol version being 156 hp and the hybrid version being 145 hp.
 
The transmission part continues to use the Lineartronic CVT transmission, although each new Subaru model is launched, the official will say that it has been greatly improved, but in terms of actual experience, this change is still relatively subtle, and it is not easy for ordinary consumers to notice, it may also be because the previous generation of Lineartronic CVT has been good enough, resulting in this time the improvement is not obvious.
 
The 2.0L self-priming engine with CVT transmission is destined to be destined for this generation of foresters and the words "power" and "extreme". When driving in the city, it can be done relatively soft and smooth, and the power is quite enough, but when it comes to high-speed driving, the shortcomings of insufficient power are easy to expose, even if it is S Mode, when you step on the accelerator deeply, you can hear the roar of the engine, and the power is still very reluctant. Unlike X-Trail, Subaru did not even introduce a 2.5L engine this time, and the hybrid version of the Forester is just a very weak option, with a higher price, but the improvement is not obvious compared to the hybrid system of the two fields, and the options provided to consumers are too limited.
 
This generation of Foresters is still equipped with full-time four-wheel drive as standard in all models, and the X Mode has been changed from the button of the previous generation to a new knob, which is divided into two modes, Snow/Dirt mode can be used on snow and ice or ordinary dirt roads, and Deep Snow/Mud mode can be used for more difficult road conditions such as deep snow and muddy roads. With full-time four-wheel drive and X Mode, plus a minimum ground clearance of 22cm and a steep hill descent function, the Forester is still the best off-road model in its class or even across classes.
 
Subaru's interior has always been the pursuit of simplicity and practicality, but now competitors and consumers are constantly pursuing more refined interiors, the Forester is unlikely to continue to be complacent, compared with the previous generation of models, the fifth generation in the texture of the interior is a great improvement, although it is not very good in the same class, but relatively speaking, the shortcomings of the Forester in the interior are not too obvious. If you have high requirements for the interior, then the forester will not be able to satisfy you in any way.
 
The wheelbase of this generation of Foresters has been increased by 3cm, all of which is reflected in the rear space, with plenty of knee room and plenty of headroom, which is on par with the CR-V. Although it is equipped with a four-wheel drive system and has a high ground clearance, the floor in the center of the rear row is surprisingly low, and three adults can easily sit in the back. The version that entered China is equipped with a panoramic sunroof as standard in the whole series, coupled with the square shape of the forester and wide windows, the whole feeling of the rear row is very open. The design of the Forester's seat is well received, the length of the cushion is sufficient, the thickness is good, and the angle of the backrest can also be adjusted, but there are no air outlets in the rear, and the comfort is slightly reduced.
 
Although Subaru introduced domestic models also have this kind of low configuration, but it is relative to its own models, if compared with other models in the same class, the configuration of the Forester is still very high, the lowest configuration of the Forester has been almost the same as the CR-V with the middle and high configuration, if it is the gasoline version with Eyesight, counting the active and passive safety equipment, the configuration is not much worse than the CR-V of the top four-wheel drive.
 
The reliability of the third-generation Subaru in terms of engine is very average, and there is generally the phenomenon of burning engine oil, but by the fourth generation, the failure rate of the engine is already very low, and there is no phenomenon of burning oil, and Subaru has risen to sixth place in the 2018 brand reliability ranking of American consumer reports, which is a great improvement. The fifth-generation Forester's engine was replaced with in-cylinder direct injection, and when it reaches a sufficiently long mileage, the problem of carbon deposits is unavoidable, which is also a common problem of in-cylinder direct injection, which can only be alleviated by fuel additives.
 
Subaru's performance in the IIHS has always been very good, the previous generation of Foresters from 2014 to 2017 received the highest safety rating of the TSP for 4 consecutive times, and only in 2018 received the TSP score, because in the same class, the co-pilot small area collision only received the Marginal evaluation, and the headlights only received the Acceptable, which is no longer enough to select the TSP. After the fifth-generation Forester adopts the SGP chassis and is equipped with LED headlights as standard, the possibility of obtaining a TSP is very high.
Subaru Forester review report