Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester is your outdoorsy choice for a small SUV. It can go places most rivals can't thanks to its higher-than-average ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive. It's also packed with standard safety features and offers a generous amount of cargo space. Now, for 2022, Subaru is enhancing the Forester's strengths even further with the new Wilderness trim.

Similar to the Outback Wilderness that Subaru introduced last year, the Subaru Forester Wilderness has a slight suspension lift, giving it a total clearance of 9.2 inches. That's almost as much as a Toyota Tacoma's clearance and helps give the Forester's vital mechanical components underneath a little more breathing room when driving on off-road trails or through heavy snow. You also get chunky all-terrain tires and a few styling enhancements that set the Wilderness apart from other Foresters.

Overall, we give the Forester high marks but it does have a couple of weaknesses that might make a Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5 or Nissan Rogue a better choice for you. Check out our Expert Rating below to get our test team's full review of the Forester's performance, utility and more.

Which Forester does MatoCar recommend?

[Editor's note: The following feature breakdown is based on last year's 2021 Forester. The 2022 model will have a similar lineup and we'll update this section once we have complete information.] The Subaru Forester is available in six trim levels: base, Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited and Touring. As with nearly all Subarus, all-wheel drive is standard on all trims. Feature highlights include:

Base The base Forester is reasonably equipped with:

• 2.5-liter four-cylinder (182 horsepower, 176 lb-ft of torque)
• Continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT)
• 17-inch steel wheels
• LED headlights
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration
• 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Automatic climate control

You also get Subaru's EyeSight suite of driver aids:

• Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the Forester and the car in front)
• Forward collision mitigation (warns if a front impact is imminent and applies the brakes if you don't respond in time)
• Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)
• Lane keeping assist (steers the Forester back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)

Premium Includes all of the base model's features and further adds:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Raised roof rails
• Foglights
• Keyless entry with push-button start
• Panoramic sunroof
• Tinted rear windows
• Power-adjustable driver's seat
• 4G LTE Wi-Fi
• All-Weather package
• Heated front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Windshield wiper de-icer
• Multiple drive modes for improved traction in certain scenarios

Options on the Premium include:

• Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while reversing)
• Evasive steering assist (enhances the forward collision mitigation system with steering-based collision avoidance)
• Power liftgate

Sport It has the features of the Premium and its optional driver assist features, plus:

• 18-inch black-painted wheels
• Black and orange interior and exterior accents
• LED foglights

Options include:

• Harman Kardon audio system
• 8-inch touchscreen
• Power liftgate
• Rear automatic braking (brakes if sensors detect an imminent collision with an object behind the vehicle)

Wilderness This new trim is similar to the Forester Premium. It also adds unique style and improved capability to the lineup with:

• LED foglights
• Exclusive 17-inch wheels
• All-terrain tires (with full-size spare)
• Higher ground clearance
• Front skid plate
• Anti-glare, matte-black hood decal
• Water-resistant seating surfaces
• Roof rack

Options for the Forester Wilderness include:

• 8-inch screen with integrated navigation
• Premium sound system
• Power liftgate

Limited Based on the Premium, the Limited also has:

• 18-inch wheels
• 8-inch touchscreen display
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Leather upholstery
• Power liftgate

Options for the Limited include:

• Harman Kardon audio system
• Integrated navigation system
• Rear automatic braking
• Heated steering wheel

Touring The top-level Touring trim includes all of the Limited's optional feature and adds:

• More adjustment and memory settings for the driver's seat
• Power-adjustable passenger seat
• Standard driver monitoring system (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued)
• Heated rear outboard seats
• Heated steering wheel