Subaru Forester 2022 review: Hybrid L

It’s a bit of a chonk. Like the previous design, its curves are bulky and rugged but I quite like it. It has a lot of character and the lines of the body make it seem bigger than it is and it looks solid because of it.

The rear is wide and has lovely LED tail-lights that hug the sides. Everything is well-positioned to look as symmetrically pleasing as possible.

Some new SUVs are going the sleek route but this design feels a little old school. A feeling which is carried into the interior, as well. The dashboard is quite busy with a lot of different shapes and cutaways – it’s not exactly elegant, but it does look capable.

It’s a well-sized interior that will allow all occupants to enjoy a decent amount of legroom and headroom. I had my in-laws and five-year old in the back for a trip and all three were fairly comfortable. They probably wouldn’t want to go from Sydney to QLD and back, but for short trips adults will be okay.

The storage up front is average for a car of this size. The glove box is large enough to house the Forester’s massive manual. And the centre console is adequate (and even has a removable shelf with coin holders!).

The two cupholders in the front are deep and will suit bigger bottles, too, but it does make it trickier to dig out a small coffee cup when they are both occupied. I was worried I was going to pop off the lid, and did on a few occasions.

The rear has map and device pockets plus a bottle holder in each door. The middle armrest also has two shallow cupholders. 

The boot is a good size and with the back seat up you get 509L of space, but pop that seat down and it jumps up considerably to 1779L! Which is generous for this size of SUV. 

It’s a nice car to potter around in and more than practical for groceries and school runs. The comfort for all passengers has been considered and I like the mixed use of cloth and synthetic leather on the seats, even though that cloth isn’t super practical when you have pets or kids.

I do like the colour and texture of the fabric, though. The front seats adjust manually and, while there’s no lumbar support, they are heated! Love my heated seats. The sun visors have extenders, which is helpful in a car with such wide windows.

The front seats adjust manually and, while there’s no lumbar support, they are heated! (image: Glen Sullivan)

The height of the car is good and my five-year old had no issues climbing in and out. The lip height of the boot is good as well – not too high or low and the rubber-like cargo mat is great, especially with all the wet weather we’re having. It doesn’t have a powered tailgate in this spec but the boot lid isn’t too heavy to open.

And lastly, you don’t get a spare tyre in this model, rather a puncture repair kit. Not sure how handy that would be in the real world but it might suit the MacGyver’s out there.

The Forester Hybrid has the safety and tech features you expect on a newer model with this price tag, including adaptive cruise control, with driving assist, meaning it will steer itself but you still have to have your hands on the wheel.

It also has blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assist and lane keeping aids. There are only six airbags, including curtain airbags covering the second row.

There's plenty of space for front occupants when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed. (image: Glen Sullivan)

The Forester has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing conducted in 2019. The car feels solid on the road and I felt pretty confident in terms of safety while driving it.

There are two ISOFIX mounts and three top tethers, and with the right car seats, there’s a chance you’ll get three side by side. There's plenty of space for front occupants when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

The Hybrid L will cost you $41,390, before on-road costs. Which makes it one of the more affordable hybrid SUVs on the market, but not being the top-spec model means you miss out on some features, like leather seats, an electric sunroof and a powered tailgate, to name a few.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 6.7/L100km and I achieved 7.6L/100km on a mixture of city and longer highway driving. I thought the fuel economy might be a bit better considering it’s a hybrid, but that’s still a good result for such a big car.

The Hybrid L will cost you $41,390, before on-road costs. (image: Glen Sullivan)

It feels like the fuel level goes down quickly but that’s because the tank is only 48L on the hybrid. But you should still be able to get more than 600km on a tank

The Forester comes with five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the class. It only comes with three-years' capped priced servicing, which can be pre-purchased for $1288 and averages $430 per service, but that’s not super competitive for the SUV market.