The interior of the Subaru Forester SUV is an attractive place to be, with good build quality, impressive space, and great materials. The dash is especially attractive with its contours and stitching, but Subaru hasn't forgotten about ergonomics either, with all controls in easy reach of the driver. Large windows mean good visibility too, reinforcing the Forester's attention to detail and commitment to making as safe a crossover as possible. Sure, there are some cheaper materials scattered about and there isn't a massive digital driver display like most cars are starting to offer, but at the price of the Subaru Forester, we're very happy with what is available.
The Subaru Forester seats five individuals in comfort, with even six-footers able to sit up straight without brushing the roof lining, even in the second row. There's plenty of legroom back there too, and this makes the Forester a great travel companion. Ingress and egress are easy too, thanks to large door openings and step-in pads that can help shorter individuals get into the car with ease. In front, the driver has a great view out in all directions and will easily find a good driving position. The base model, however, misses out on a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat and heating for the first row.
Subaru Forester Trims | Base | Premium | Sport | Limited | Wilderness | Touring |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seating | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Headroom Front Seat | 41.2 in. | 40.2 in. | 40.2 in. | 40.2 in. | 40.2 in. | 40.2 in. |
Headroom Back Seat | 39.6 in. | 37.6 in. | 37.6 in. | 37.6 in. | 37.6 in. | 37.6 in. |
Legroom Front Seat | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. |
Legroom Back Seat | 39.4 in. | 39.4 in. | 39.4 in. | 39.4 in. | 39.4 in. | 39.4 in. |
Shoulder Room Front | 58.1 in. | 58.1 in. | 58.1 in. | 58.1 in. | 58.1 in. | 58.1 in. |
Shoulder Room Rear | 57.2 in. | 57.2 in. | 57.2 in. | 57.2 in. | 57.2 in. | 57.2 in. |
Hip Room, Front | 54.5 in. | 54.5 in. | 54.5 in. | 54.5 in. | 54.5 in. | 54.5 in. |
Hip Room, Rear | 53.5 in. | 53.5 in. | 53.5 in. | 53.5 in. | 53.5 in. | 53.5 in. |
The base model of the Forester again misses out on a feature as all other variants get a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Cloth upholstery is standard on the base and Premium, while the other end of the spectrum sees the Limited model get leather upholstery in black or gray while the Touring gets black or Saddle Brown. The Sport model gets fabric in a two-tone gray with orange contrast stitching while the base and Premium variants get gray or black cloth, with a choice between these colors based on the exterior paint. The Wilderness gets textured gray StarTex water-repellant material on the seats, copper contrast stitching, and Subaru Wilderness branding embossed on the front headrests.
One of the most important aspects of a vehicle like this is how good it is at carrying stuff. Fortunately, the Forester doesn't disappoint with up to 28.9 cubic feet of cargo volume in the back. That drops slightly to 26.9 cubes with the sunroof fitted, but you still have enough volume to carry luggage for all occupants with ease and still have extra space for supplies if you're the adventurous type. If you need more space, the rear seats can be folded in a 60/40 split to open up 74.2 cubic feet or 69.1 cubic feet with the sunroof.
In the front, you get large door pockets with bottle holders, a large center armrest storage bin, a good-sized glovebox, a pair of cupholders in each row, and center console storage for your phone, wallet, or keys.
Subaru Forester Trims | Base | Premium | Sport | Limited | Wilderness | Touring |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Box Width (Wheelhousings) | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. | 43.3 in. |
Box Height (Area) | 34.8 in. | 32.4 in. | 32.4 in. | 32.4 in. | 32.4 in. | 32.4 in. |
Despite what this review may have led you to believe up until this point, the base Forester is actually pretty nicely specced. You get keyless entry, automatic steering-responsive LED headlights, a rearview camera, single-zone automatic climate control, a six-way manually-adjustable driver's seat, a torque-vectoring system, Subaru's SI-Drive drive-mode selector, auto start/stop, and the Subaru EyeSight safety suite. This includes adaptive cruise control, sway warning, lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist. Further up, higher trims unlock features like a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, reclining rear seatbacks, push-button start, a 6.3-inch color driver-info display, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, blind-spot monitoring with lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic alert, one-touch folding rear seats, reverse automatic braking, and a driver focus monitor. Also available are things like a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, and a power-adjustable passenger seat.
As standard, the Forester comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment display, a four-speaker sound system, two front USB ports, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, HD Radio, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Further up the trims, you get an eight-inch touchscreen display, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, and a six-speaker sound system, but the Touring model boasts a nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio setup. The system works well and is easy to understand, but the bigger screen is all but necessary for displaying clearer images as the 6.5-inch display can be tricky to navigate on the go.