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What's the difference?
There is a plethora of medium SUVs to choose from in our market, so what will make you notice the Subaru Forester 2.5i-S?
It's second from the top for the (petrol) Forester line-up, has a decidedly spacious cabin, and probably most importantly, an affordable price point!
It has some tough rivals, like the practical Nissan X-Trail, which you can now get with seven seats and the feature-heavy Skoda Karoq.
Australia’s darling, the Toyota RAV4, is also a contender. So, should you make like the snow fields and join forces with this Subaru?
I’ve been driving it with my family of three to find out for you.
Like your favourite TV show from the ‘90s, MG’s high-definition re-boot in the last few years has proven to be full of surprises.
Not only has it earned itself a spot in the top 10 automakers in Australia (the first Chinese-backed brand to ever do so) but the automaker has also proven it has more than one trick up its sleeve.
It found astounding success with its budget MG3 hatch and ZS SUV, and has played an important role in bringing the cost of electrification down in Australia.
The latest offering, and the car we’re looking at for this review, is the now even cheaper plug-in hybrid HS mid-size SUV.
Question is, at a price which can compete with 'self-charging' hybrid tech, should you choose an option you can plug-in? Stay with us to find out.
The Subaru Forester 2.5i-S continues to impress me. It’s a very practical family car with its features and use of space but I like the price, too. Some of the old-school design aspects won’t appeal to everyone, though. I also would prefer a more powerful engine but this easily gets an 8.0/10 from me.
My son liked his view this week and the big sunroof, he gives it a 7.0/10.
MG is quietly establishing itself as a champion of the electric space, with this HS mid-sizer offering a compelling list of specs with a long electric range in an attractive package.
It is still lacking in a few obvious areas, from driving dynamics to charging speed, but it’s doing its part at the asking price to at least make a plug-in hybrid alternative worth considering.
The 2023 model hasn’t seen a facelift and remains decidedly curvy with its chunky body panelling but the LED exterior lights add some sharpness to the overall look.
The interior carries the ‘muscular’ vibe with the thick cutaways and ledges on the dashboard and door panels. There’s a lot happening inside but it all somehow manages to not be overwhelming.
It’s a bit old-school inside, with the traditional gearshifter, CD player (yep, they still exist) and smaller 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system but I reckon it just makes this look more capable.
It’s certainly polished but it won’t appeal to drivers who are looking for sleek or futuristic styling.
MG’s success is not just in being one of the most affordable but making affordability so damn good looking.
Taking cues from Mazda’s successful glitzy design formula, the HS impresses with a chrome-embossed grille, chiselled light clusters, combining with a curvaceous bonnet for an eye-catching face.
Down the side the curvy lines continue, undulating over the wheelarches, to a well resolved rear-end, complete with tidy light clusters and even dual-exhaust pipes.
Look at this car a little too long, though, and you start to find more than a few flaws with its design.
Sure, it’s eye catching, but the 17-inch alloys do a pretty ordinary job of filling those big wheelarches, and there’s something a little off about the ride height.
You can also see the rear suspension control arms sitting well below the base of the rear, a reminder the HS is an SUV based on the MG6 sedan.
Suffice it to say, while it looks great at a few paces, up close it misses out on some of the nuance and poise of its rivals.
Inside follows the same formula of the outside, with attractive curvy lines, a sporty-looking steering wheel and a pair of dazzling screens.
Again, though, look closer and you’ll see this otherwise modern-looking interior is not as impressive beneath the surface.
The seats look plush but feel cheap with vinyl trim, and the same goes for the door cards and centre console. All have soft-touch surfaces which, in reality, are paper thin. It still beats having hard plastic in the doors, though, so context is everything.
The plastic trims throughout are also hit-and-miss, with some looking great, and others hard and nasty.
The +EV versions of the HS ditch the mechanical shifter in the centre console for an electronic one, which combines nicely with the digital dash to make the cabin feel more modern than even some more upmarket rivals.
The interior is downright practical and boasts more space than this SUV class can usually claim. At 168cm (5'6") I have plenty of head and legroom in both rows, even with the electric sunroof! Tall passengers will feel comfortable, too.
Up front, the leather-accented seats are well-padded and both are electric with heating function but the passenger side misses out on additional lumbar support.
Individual storage options are quite good with a deep middle console and glove box, plus two cupholders and a drink bottle holder in each door.
The phone utility tray is a tad too small for my iPhone 8 Plus, which makes it awkward when you connect to the wired Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
The 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system is on the smaller side but the graphics are super clear. It’s not laggy either, which is always a bonus, and has built-in satellite navigation, too.
There is an additional 4.2-inch screen on top of the dash plus the 6.3-inch digital instrument panel – both display safety and vehicle information but I found it confusing jumping between all three screens while on the go.
Incorporating the smaller screen’s info into a larger instrument panel would have been better.
Charging options are good throughout with each row getting two USB-A ports but the front also enjoys two 12-volt ports too.
The back seat is almost as comfortable as the front and individual storage is better than average with a map pocket and two device holders on the backs of both front seats. There are those drink bottle holders and two cupholders in the fold-down armrest.
The amenities are a bit bare but I do like that you have directional air-vents and those USB ports.
My six-year old and my parents found it super easy to get in and out of this car because of the 220mm ground clearance.
The doors were a little heavy for my son to operate smoothly but I love how they open to almost 90 degrees because it made it easy to fit my monster booster seat through the aperture.
On that note, there are ISOFIX child-seat mounts on the outboard seats and three top-tether anchor points and I reckon you might get lucky with three skinny seats.
There should be plenty of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed, too.
I really like how wide and tall the aperture is for the boot but was surprised that it only has 498L of capacity because it looks a lot bigger.
It has a level loading space but because of the full-sized spare wheel, you can’t adjust the floor level. And as always, it’s great having a powered tailgate.
There are some particularly strange things about the HS’s cabin when it comes to practicality.
The seats are perhaps the biggest issue. Not only are they clad in a cheap feeling vinyl, but the seating position is very high, and you hardly sink into the seat base, leaving you with the impression you’re sitting on the car rather than in it. Weird.
Visibility is great out the sides of this car, but with the seating position the way it is, I feel like my head is close to the roof and the windscreen has a narrow letterbox aspect. This is complicated further by the rear vision mirror, which sticks a fair way down into your field of view.
The front of the cabin feels plenty wide enough, though, and there are some other practicality wins, like the multimedia screen which is easily within reach.
Its limited resolution is a benefit here, with the touch elements being big and easy to reach while you’re concentrating on the road, but the stock software is clumsily laid out and slow, taking a full second or two to react to some interactions.
This is especially notable as the entire climate system is operated via the touchscreen.
The cabin offers up decent storage. There are big bottle holders in the doors as part of a larger bin, and there are a further two large bottle holders in the centre console with a removable divider.
The armrest box opens to reveal a small storage area, which also has an internal vent for the air-conditioning.
Under the shortcut buttons up front there’s a flip-open tray with two USB outlets and a 12V port, but this little opening is so tiny it’s no good to store any kind of object. It’s also impossible to close the flip cover if you have something plugged in.
The rear seat is one of the HS’s best attributes. Compared to even the front seats, the rear passenger space is enormous, with ample width, headroom, and legroom.
The seats can recline slightly, and amenities are even impressive with two pockets on the backs of the front seats, large bottle holders in the doors, dual adjustable air vents, and two USB ports for rear passengers.
Of special note is the strangely lavish drop-down centre armrest, which is clad in soft trim and has a flip-open tray and dual bottle holders.
Rear seat space comes at a bit of a cost to boot capacity, though. The HS offers 451 litres, which is a little off-the-pace for the mid-size SUV segment. The rear seats intrude into the space a fair bit, and the floor is quite high.
It fit our three-piece CarsGuide luggage set, but only just, and it required removing the retractable luggage cover. Unlike the top-spec Essence, the Excite does not have a power tailgate.
No spare wheel in +EV versions of the HS, with the underfloor space housing a repair kit and a small cutaway for charging paraphernalia.
There are seven models in the petrol-based Forester line-up and this sits second from the top, with a price tag of $46,340, before on-road costs.
That puts it just under its nearest rival, the X-Trail ST-L ($46,790) but makes it a fair bit more affordable than the Karoq Sportline 4x4 ($49,490) and RAV4 XSE ($52,585).
There are two hybrid versions available, if you’re looking for something a bit eco-friendlier.
The Forester 2.5i-S is well-specified with leather-accented trims, heated front seats, electric front seats with eight-way adjustments, dual memory seat positions (driver only), a powered tailgate, a sunroof and a full-size spare wheel.
The exterior hosts full LEDs with its daytime running lights, headlights and tail-lights but it still misses out on ambient lighting inside.
Is has dual climate-control is up front and directional air vents in both rows, plus multiple charging options add to interior practicality. Its technology feels up to market with the graphics however the packaging looks older but more on that later.
You do have to fork out a bit extra for carpet mats ($207.07, fitted) but otherwise, even the paintwork is included in the price tag.
MG now calls its plug-in hybrid cars +EV. It says this is to help demystify the technology, by showing it’s essentially a combustion vehicle, plus an electric vehicle component.
If you ask me, ‘plus EV’ is actually more confusing, but the point is this new version brings the price down once again.
This is because the plug-in version of the HS originally launched in 2021, only as the top-spec Essence. The Essence is still one of the most affordable plug-in hybrids you can buy in Australia, but the new mid-grade Excite trim we’re looking at for this review brings it down further.
Wearing a drive-away price-tag of $46,990, the strategy here is to offer the more expensive plug-in hybrid technology at the cost of a mid-grade self-charging hybrid RAV4.
Elsewhere the HS Excite competes with higher grades of the currently combustion-only Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, but the big threat for this car will likely emerge in the form of the self-charging hybrid Haval H6 which launces in the coming months.
The HS is immediately impressive in terms of its raw numbers, though, with a massive 16.6kWh battery pack granting it a relatively long 63km purely electric driving range (although this is to the more lenient NEDC standard).
Aside from its electric features, there’s an appealing list of spec items included, with 17-inch alloy wheels, a 10.1-inch multimedia touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, a 12.3-inch digital dash cluster, keyless entry with push-start ignition, six-way power seat adjust for the driver, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and a pretty good reversing camera.
What do you miss out on picking the more affordable Excite PHEV over the top-spec Essence? 18-inch alloys, a panoramic sunroof, improved seat trim, and, disappointingly, LED headlights. The Excite only ships with old-school halogen bulbs.
It’s also worth noting the hybrid RAV4s can be all-wheel drive at this price, while the +EV variants of the HS are front-drive only. Still, this mid-size SUV is one of the most affordable PHEVs on the market.
Our Forester model has a 2.5-litre, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder 'boxer' petrol engine with a maximum power output of 136kW and 239Nm of torque.
It’s not the most powerful engine but I feel it had plenty of power for what I required of it this week. It can occasionally whine if you push it hard on a hill.
This is an all-wheel drive but has a continuously variable auto transmission, which can feel a bit clumsy at lower speeds.
This is where plug-in hybrids tend to get a bit complicated, so bear with us.
The MG HS +EV pairs a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor on the front axle. The two drive the front wheels via a new 10-speed traditional torque converter automatic transmission, instead of the dual-clutch which features in the combustion-only versions of this car.
The engine produces 119kW/250Nm on its own, while the electric motor produces 90kW/230Nm. The two combined produce 189kW/370Nm, making the +EV by far the most powerful HS on the market, capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds.
The official fuel figure for the combined cycle is 7.4L/100km and my real-world usage came to 6.9L. That’s great economy for this sized SUV but I did mostly open-road driving this week. Expect it to be higher in the city.
Based on the combined fuel figure and the 63L fuel tank, you should be able to get a driving range of around 850km, which is good for those families who like to do road trips.
The HS +EV backs its electric features with a relatively large 16.6kWh battery pack, allowing it a purely electric driving range rated at 63km.
This is on the more lenient NEDC standard, though, and our car was reporting between 40–45km on a full charge. Still pretty good for a plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV.
As a result of this well-supported system, +EV versions of the HS have an official/combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 1.7L/100km, but as with all plug-in hybrids this will depend on how you use it.
On my week-long test, the car returned a figure of 3.9L/100km, with the caveat I did run it out of charge on more than one occasion. The HS’s turbocharged engine requires mid-grade 95RON unleaded.
Take a moment to appreciate this mid-sizer still used less fuel than a tiny hatchback, but charging is a less impressive story.
MG says the +EV will charge to 100 per cent from the reserve level in five ours on a 7.0kW charging connection, the only problem is the numbers don’t add up.
If you divide 16.6 by five you get 3.3kW, which is the actual charging rate. For a battery this big, that’s too slow. To put it in perspective, it’s only slightly faster than if you were to charge it up from a wall socket, and makes this car best for those who can trickle charge it at home.
Even dragging out your grocery shop to, say, 2.5 hours, will only net you half this car’s battery, making it inconvenient if you need to rely on public charging to get by.
I’ve mostly enjoyed driving this around town but it delivers a steadier experience on the open road. That CVT auto just doesn’t do it any favours in stop/start traffic, I’m afraid!
I didn’t have to get too aggressive with the accelerator on hills, but the engine can whine if you push it too hard.
Overall, the steering is responsive enough to confidently take on a winding road but it’s on the looser side of firm. The ride comfort is superior and while the suspension feels super cushioned, it’s not floaty.
The cabin can get a bit loud at higher speeds and your senses might feel battered after a long trip but it is otherwise pleasant to be in.
I am particularly fond of the higher driving position and how the windows at the rear are so wide. It has great visibility, which is important in a SUV.
The exterior styling makes the Forester appear a lot larger than it is but the 10.8m turning circle reminds you how easy it is to manoeuvre!
The reversing camera is clear and I love the additional side camera that shows the front left wheel. It makes it easy to line up the car with parking lines.
Okay, so once you get past the weird seating position we mentioned earlier, it's immediately apparent this hybrid version of the HS is the best to drive in the range.
The powerful electric motor in this car makes it so much smoother and easier to drive than the combustion car. It’s got quiet, smooth acceleration and a nice gentle regen braking, and you never even need to worry about what the transmission is doing.
This 10-speed automatic is so smooth it’s hard to tell what it’s doing at any given time, an out-of-sight improvement over the dual-clutch automatics which appear elsewhere in the range.
Where the HS isn’t as impressive is in the steering. It’s nicely weighted but a bit vague when it comes to feeling. I’m not super confident of what the front wheels are doing, and I feel like it doesn’t handle the additional weight from the big battery pack particularly well.
It feels comparatively top-heavy with a tendency towards mild understeer when you push it, missing some of the confidence its more established rivals have.
The ride is mixed. It’s generally soft, so it’s comfortable over smaller bumps, but when you hit big ones, it is evident the ride lacks a bit of control, because it will bounce around, and feel a little unsettled.
This imbalanced ride and handling is one of MG’s weak spots generally, which is why I’m surprised the electric drivetrain is so sleek, even comparable to Toyota systems.
When it comes to controlling those electric driving functions the HS defaults to a hybrid mode, where it seems to use primarily electric drive at lower speeds, activating the engine automatically at higher speeds, or when the accelerator is more heavily applied.
The only issue I have with this mode is I’m not sure at times how or why it decides to run the engine. With rival systems you’ll get some kind of ‘eco’ indicator which gives you an idea of when the engine will activate, but in this car there’s just a percentage indicator on the dash, which isn’t too helpful.
Your only other drive mode option is to stick it in EV mode, which you can do via a button on the centre console. In this mode it will only use the electric motor, and it’s able to do this at quite high speeds, so even if you’ve got a bit of an expressway or something on your drive it won’t necessarily need combustion support. Meaning you can have genuinely fully electric driving if you’ve got somewhere to charge it up at either end.
There’s no combustion or charge mode like some plug-ins have, and there is also no way to control the regen braking, so it’s not as customisable as we’d like. And the regen tune is relatively mild, so it’s probably not as energy efficient as it could be, either.
Still, the hybrid systems are impressively smooth and as a result the +EV versions of the HS are simply the best in the range to drive by a solid margin.
The safety features are robust on the Forester and I really like the driver fatigue monitor because it has facial recognition technology that watches you for signs of inattention. I tested it a lot this week and found it fairly responsive.
Other features that come standard, are LED daytime running lights, blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping aids, lane departure warning, intelligent seat belt reminders, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and adaptive cruise control with stop/go and lane keeping function.
It has autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection which is operational from 0-80km/h.
The Forester was awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating but it was done a while ago in 2019. There are seven airbags but it’s missing the front centre airbag we’re starting to see on new cars.
Although the Excite is the more affordable of the two +EV variants, it doesn’t miss out on any of MG’s active ‘Pilot’ safety suite.
This means it scores all the key items, from auto emergency braking (detects pedestrians at up to 64km/h and vehicles at up to 150km/h), plus lane keep assist with lane departure warning, to the rear-facing items including blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
It also scores adaptive cruise control, which late last year received an update making it a bit less twitchy than in launch form.
Six airbags and the expected array of electronic braking, stability, and traction aids appear, but while combustion-only versions of the HS wear a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to the 2019 standards, the +EV versions are excluded from this rating as they arrived later.
The on-going costs are quite reasonable on this with it coming with a five-year/unlimited km warranty. You can choose to pre-purchase a three- or five-year capped-priced servicing plan, which is cheaper than a pay-as-you-go option.
It’s $1387.25 for the three-year plan (averaging $463 per service). Expect to pay $2674.64 for the five-year plan (averaging $535 per service) but both plans are competitive for the class.
Servicing intervals are average at every 12 months or 12,500km, whichever occurs first.
MG has tweaked its ownership promise for its electrified models recently. While the brand generally follows in the footsteps of challenger brands like Kia by offering an ahead-of-the curve seven-year warranty, this has only just been extended to the +EV variants.
Strangely, there’s also a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty for the high-voltage battery components, which is a bit different from the industry standard eight-year/160,000km warranty.
Capped price servicing has also been added covering the duration of the warranty. Each visit at 12 monthly or 10,000km intervals costs between $265 and $968, for a yearly average of $403.14.
Not expensive, but also not at the cheap end of the spectrum.