Subaru Forester vs Subaru Outback

What's the difference?

The MY26 Subaru Forester packs plenty of punch in terms of standard features, a roomy and functional interior and overall driveability. Sure, it’s not the most exciting vehicle to drive on- or off-road but to get stuck on that is to miss the point entirely. This is a decent all-rounder with a solid background and an AWD system that long ago set the gold standard for vehicles of this type.

In a tough mid-size SUV market segment aimed more at those intent on driving through car parks rather than adventuring through national parks, the Forester offers greater versatility than most and should not be ignored.

The Subaru Outback Sport Touring XT is what you get when you want a beefed-up station wagon masquerading as an SUV that can handle adventuring and haul the family around in comfort. The limited edition has all of the great features you'd expect from a top model and a reasonable price tag but its fuel thirst will turn some people off.

This Forester is 4655mm long (with a 2670mm wheelbase), 1830mm wide and 1730mm high.

The new generation retains more than enough of the previous Forester – blocky profile included – to remain clearly recognisable.

Traditionalists may chafe at the slicker, more citified appearance of this Forester over previous generations but the overall package is inoffensive enough to not elicit any howls of outrage from passers-by on the street.

The Forester’s interior maintains a similar cabin look and feel as before but with a 11.6-inch portrait-oriented multimedia touchscreen dominating up front, a mix of physical and on-screen buttons, as well as soft-touch surfaces and durable plastics.

The Sport Touring XT model is only available in the exclusive Geyser Blue paintwork (you'll either love it or hate it), has green accents scattered across the body and sports sharply styled and dark 18-inch alloy wheels.

The rear gets black badging and a spoiler but the black plastic moulding that Subaru is well known for is well and truly present.

There are some small design differences between the limited edition and it's siblings but at the end of the day it looks like an Outback.

Head inside and you'll find a solid and well-built cabin. The dashboard features a flashy 11.6-inch tech screen but the instrument cluster is still mostly analogue with a small 4.2-inch screen.

There are heaps of buttons and dials to play with and you also get a proper gear-shifter. The design will make this a winner for folks who want a car to look like a car, with its controls where they expect them to be.

Overall, the cabin feels premium but isn't fussy.

The Forester is quite roomy for a mid-size SUV and this is the top-spec variant so there’s leather everywhere.

The interior layout is neat and tidy and lands firmly on the correct side of being practical and familiar, with all controls easy to locate and operate.

The touchscreen offers mostly simple intuitive functionality with infrequent need to cycle through numerous menus and sub-menus to access what you want.

The aforementioned mix of physical and on-screen buttons, as well as soft-touch surfaces and durable plastic are welcome here because, you know... real life.

The front seats offer ample support and the driver is able to dial-in their preferred position via power controls on the eight-way power-adjustable seat (with dual memory). The front passenger has an eight-way power-adjustable seat. Both seats are heated and ventilated.

The 60/40 split folding second-row seats aren’t too shabby either, in terms of comfort and amenities, with a fold-down arm-rest with cupholders and directional air vents etc.

Cargo volume is 496 litres (with rear seat in use) and 1174 litres (with the rear seat down, 1667 litres to ceiling.

The tailgate is powered and hands-free with a kick sensor (apparently). But I never tried that, instead opting for the tailgate-mounted button to open and close it.

The cabin of the Outback has always been practical but the premium features this grade comes with ensures proper comfort for all occupants.

Seat comfort is high with the powered front seats that have heat and ventilation functions but the driver benefits the most with the extendable lumbar- and under-thigh supports.

The rear row is almost as comfortable as the front where passengers feel secured by the padded side bolsters, while taller occupants will love the head and legroom on offer. The heat function for the outboards is appreciated and the directional air vents are easy to position.

The 213mm ground clearance means it's easy getting in and out of the model but access to the back row is a little annoying. The footwell lip sits high and catches unsuspecting feet but it's the doors that made my eight-year-old grumble this week because they're heavy to operate.

Storage up front isn't class-leading but you get a glovebox that fits a manual, a dual-opening middle console, two cupholders and drink bottle holders, as well as a sunglasses holder and small cubby in front of the gear-shifter (which is annoying to access).

Storage is much better in the rear with four map pockets, storage bins in each door, two cupholders and two drink bottle holders to choose from.

The boot has 522 litres of capacity available, which is plenty of room for a road trip or a big grocery haul and the level loading space makes it easy to slide things in and out. You get a proper full-size spare tyre, which is rare nowadays and the powered tailgate is always a handy feature.

Technology feels well rounded and the touchscreen multimedia system is responsive and easy to use. However, the portrait position makes the icons and text on the wireless Apple CarPlay look small and I may have made a few accidental calls this week because of it.

The satellite navigation is easy to use and there's also wireless Android Auto. Charging options are decent with each row getting a single USB-A and C port but the front misses out on a wireless charging pad.

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There are usually five variants available for the Subaru Outback but the model on test for this review is a special edition that blends the qualities and features of the top Touring XT but with some exclusive design changes.

Did we need it? Probably not but Subaru has wisely kept the price increase to a minimum, so the AWD Sport Touring XT is $57,490 before on-road costs, just $500 dearer than the usual top grade.

Despite looking more like a station wagon, the Outback sits in the large SUV segment and when it comes to an 'apples to apple' comparison, there's nothing really to compare it to.

With that in mind, the Skoda Superb Sportline wagon costs $74,990 drive-away, and a more traditional SUV like the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 162TSI R-Line is priced from $60,590 MSRP.

The standard premium equipment for the Sport Touring XT model includes Nappa leather upholstery, eight-way powered front seats with the driver enjoying additional lumbar and under-thigh support, as well as two-position memory function.

Also included are heating and ventilation functions for the front seats, heat function for the rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel and sunroof with manual blind.

Technology is well-rounded with an 11.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system with satellite navigation, dual climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, AM/FM radio, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets, and a nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

Practical features include dusk-sensing LED headlights, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, keyless entry/ start, a full-size spare tyre and hands-free powered tailgate.

The limited-edition model is well-specified and while it lacks the extra two-seats that its rivals have, it still offers solid value.

The Forester has the line-up’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine (producing 136kW at 5800rpm and 247Nm at 3700rpm) matched to a constantly variable transmission (CVT), which some people detest, and some people couldn’t give a rat’s whether it’s there or not.

Also onboard is Subaru’s all-wheel drive system, driving modes (including 'Normal', 'Deep snow/Mud', and 'Snow/Dirt') and 'X-Mode' “that constantly monitors the traction available to each wheel and centralises the control of key components including the engine, transmission, drivetrain and brakes to help manage slippery conditions”, according to Subaru.

The Sport Touring XT gets a 2.4L four-cylinder turbo-petrol boxer engine that produces a hefty 183kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

The re-tuned continuously variable transmission (CVT) system feels like it is changing gears but it's smooth and punctual, no matter the speed.

Official fuel consumption on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle for the Forester is 7.9L/100km and it uses 91RON 'standard' unleaded petrol at a minimum.

On this test, I recorded 8.1L/100km. But fuel consumption was as low as a dash-indicated 1.7L/100km while driving the Forester with adaptive cruise control engaged.

The Forester has a 63-litre fuel tank, so, going by our on-test fuel-use figures you could reasonably expect a driving range of almost 780km from a full tank. However, as with any vehicle, once you’ve loaded the Forester with any real-world burdens (e.g kids, dogs, camping gear, etc) you’ll soon see the fuel consumption increase.

Unfortunately, the turbo-petrol engine is thirsty and the official combined fuel cycle figure is 9.0L/100km.

With its 63L fuel tank, you have a theoretical driving range of up to 700km, which is best-case scenario but expect less range if you’re a city dweller.

After doing a mix of open road and city driving this week, my real-world usage came out at 9.3L, which is better than I expected.

The Forester feels comfortable and composed on sealed surfaces and offers some degree of dynamism to the driving experience – so in line with previous generations.

It feels more refined, sharper to steer and more responsive than before. There’s ample visibility to the front but a substantial B pillar obscures the driver’s vision back over their right shoulder.

The Boxer engine and CVT work well together, power and torque outputs are more than adequate in this package, and that much-maligned transmission is not intrusive if the Forester is driven with care and common sense.

However, acceleration from a full stop is sluggish.

The suspension set-up – MacPherson struts up front and double wishbones at the rear – yields a firm but not jarring sense of ride and handling.

The 1662kg Forester proved nimble to manoeuvre around the Big Smoke, the suburbs and in the bush (more about that soon) with a neat 10.8m turning circle.

All-wheel drive vehicles are capable of tackling off-road adventures in their own right but, for safety’s sake, AWD drivers should avoid anything beyond well-maintained dirt tracks in dry weather. AWD cars are designed for use on bitumen roads with some dirt or light-duty off-road use.

And so it was with our test of this Forester. On-test off-road terrain equalled firm-packed sand and gravel/dirt bush tracks in dry weather, although we did drive through one shin-deep mudhole with no trouble.

The Forester has a listed 220mm of ground clearance, the suspension held up well over a brief stint on mild corrugations and Subaru AWD proved more than up to the task when things became a little trickier, providing improved grip and traction in slippery conditions that demanded to be driven at very low speeds.

If push comes to shove, it’s capable of more than light off-roading, but the Forester’s ground clearance and off-road angles ultimately limit its off-road capabilities.

The Forester’s 'all season' tyres – Falken Ziex Z001A A/S (225/55 R18 98V) – are fine for light to moderate off-roading but anything more difficult than that and you’ll need to get a set of more aggressive all-terrain tyres. It does have a full-sized spare onboard.

It has maximum towing capacities of 750kg (unbraked trailer), 1800kg (braked) and a maximum towball download of 180kg. GVM is 2223kg; GCM is 4023kg.

Some niggles: The driver awareness system is annoyingly over-reactive.

The Sport Touring XT model is nice to drive. The best word to describe the on-road experience is ‘smooth’.

Power delivery is prompt and getting up to speed feels effortless. It's a great open roader but also feels spritely in the city.

The ride comfort is excellent and it’s only when you hit the highway that the wind noise starts to creep up, otherwise, the cabin is quiet and you can chat with back passengers without raising your voice.

The higher ride doesn’t translate to a bumpy suspension and while you’re aware of the road, you’re never bothered by it.

The steering is on the right side of firm for it to feel agile and competent no matter what you’re throwing at it. Visibility is also pretty good but the headrests in the back seat, when up, can hinder your rear-view vision.

The Outback sits at 4870mm long and 1875mm wide, so it fills out a car space but the higher ground clearance means you’re not worried about scraping on ramps and it’s relatively easy to park.

However, it feels cheeky to not have a 360-degree view camera system at this grade level. The reversing camera it comes with is sufficient, but you miss out on front parking sensors.

The Outback has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2021 and features eight airbags which includes a front centre airbag.

It also scored highly across its individual assessment scores with ANCAP. It got 88 per cent for adult protection, 91 per cent for child protection, 84 per cent for vulnerable road users, and 96 per cent for its safety assist systems.

Standard safety equipment includes blind-spot monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring, LED daytime running lights, rear and forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, emergency lane keeping aid, emergency autonomous steering, lead vehicle start alert, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, reversing camera and front parking sensors.

The driver monitoring system has been improved from previous models and while still sensitive, it no longer chimes at you all the time, which is a welcomed change.

The Outback has two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points. The rear seat is wide enough to accommodate three child seats if they're not too large.

The auto emergency braking (AEB) has car, pedestrian, cyclist and back-over detection and is operational from 1.0 to 160km/h but it's usual to see this system operate from 5.0km/h, which is excellent.

The MY26 Subaru range is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, five-year/75,000km capped price servicing, and 12 months roadside assistance.

A service is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs soonest. After your free “1 Month Health Check and Chat”, cost per service is $347.95 (at the 15,000km/12 month mark), $520.45 (30,000km or 24 months), $393.10 (45,000km or 36 months), $679.30 (60,000km or 48 months) and $358.20 (75,000km or 60 months). Average over the five years is $459.80.

Subaru Australia has more than 140 dealerships across the country with a decent spread over metro and regional areas. Foresters may be serviced at those dealers or by approved mechanics.

Subaru offers the Sport Touring XT model with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty but it’s becoming more common to see longer warranty periods being offered now.

You can pre-purchase a three- or five-year servicing program and the three-year program costs $1406.57 (average of $469).

The five-year option costs $2646.17 (average $529 per service) which is reasonable for the class.

Servicing intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.