2023 Subaru Forester Performance

Performance in terms of acceleration and top speed is not the Forester's forte. In fact, this car's combination of a naturally aspirated engine and a CVT make it barely capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in under nine seconds. That's not too much of a big deal, but the unimpressive 1,500-pound towing capacity remains unchanged on all trims except the new Wilderness model, for which it has been increased to 3,000 pounds. The 2.5-liter boxer-four only produces 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque, and the goal with this crossover has less to do with on-road performance and more to do with how capable it is off-road and how smooth it is on long journeys. After all, this is a family car with a brilliant all-wheel-drive system. Still, for those that do want a little more fun from the experience, the Sport, Limited, and Touring models' CVT now mimics a seven-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode, although this is still unlikely to truly excite anyone. The Wilderness has an eight-speed manual mode. The Forester is about being reliable, economical, and smooth, and it excels in these endeavors.

Just one engine and transmission are on offer here, with all trims featuring a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated boxer motor generating 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. This is paired with a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission. No manual or conventional automatic gearbox is on offer, but this pairing is ideal for the school run and city traffic. Sure, the Forester doesn't exactly wow drivers with its acceleration, but it's more than good enough for its target market, with a sense of urgency that is neither hair-raising nor sleep-inducing. The CVT, although generally our least favorite transmission type, makes good use of the engine's output and will help keep you in the powerband, thus making it easy to overtake. That said, timing will be important as you can't expect to just whiz past anything holding you up. Overall, the power plant in the Subaru Forester is inoffensive, smooth, and reliable, and that's all you really need from a family car like this one. The top four trims' CVTs offer a simulated manual-shifting mode.

Another of the Forester's best traits is its gas mileage. According to the EPA's review of the Subaru Forester, it will manage 26/33/29 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles. Thanks to a 16.6-gallon gas tank, you can reasonably expect to achieve around 481 miles of range with mixed driving. Unfortunately, the Wilderness' higher stance, chunkier tires, and increased weight take their toll, lowering these numbers to 25/28/26 mpg. By comparison, the Honda CR-V AWD returns 27/32/29 mpg on the same cycles while the Mazda CX-5 AWD promises 24/30/26 mpg. Considering that the Subaru is not turbocharged, its figures are especially impressive.