Used 2022 Subaru Forester

The 2022 Subaru Forester isn’t just any compact crossover — it’s an award-winner. In a vibrant, popular, and hotly contested class that includes the excellent Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, the Subaru Forester has been a multiple recipient of the Kelley Blue Book 5-Year Cost to Own title.

There is no secret sauce. Part of the Forester’s success has been the standard all-wheel-drive system — while still competing price-wise with 2-wheel-drive rivals — along with top safety scores, plenty of cabin space, and strong resale values.

This current generation of Forester (the fifth) debuted for the 2019 model year, so the tech is fresh and Subaru installs several driver assistance features as standard. To buyers who have done the research and think that a new Forester is the way to go, we’re not going to argue with you. It’s one of the company’s top sellers.

Active torque vectoring means the all-wheel-drive system can adjust how much power goes to each rear wheel. In corners, the outside wheel turns a little faster, bringing the Forester sweetly around the turn. It’s a standard feature with every 2022 Forester.

This sure-footedness brings some compensation for what is not a great amount of power, but enough to pull the Forester uphill with a full complement of people and stuff. Those occupants will also appreciate a generally comfortable ride quality.

The new Forester Wilderness variant debuts this year with slightly more ground clearance compared with a regular Forester: 9.2 inches to 8.7. It also wears all-terrain tires to cope with any off-road adventures its owners will embark upon.

We realize most people buying a new Forester won’t care, but the automatic transmission is of the continuously variable variety. These tend to react slower to throttle inputs and can also drone annoyingly. But they’re inexpensive compared with other more preferable setups. At least the one in the Forester has been engineered to be as effective as possible.

While we’re picking nits, there are a couple of functions we usually turn off when we’re in a Forester. The lane-keeping assistance system is one of them. It sounds its warnings a little too soon. And the engine stop/restart function doesn’t save enough fuel to justify living with the thunk that occurs when the engine kicks back in.

Automatic Emergency Steering is a new driver assistance feature this year. Working at speeds up to 50 mph, it helps with evasive steering maneuvers. It’s optional in Premium trim and standard above.

Whatever pieces of shiny plastic are in the 2022 Forester are easily overlooked when acknowledging the relatively generous 2-row/5-passenger cabin space. Rear passengers enjoy 39.4 inches of legroom — some midsize sedans can’t match that. Four 6-footers can fit into the Forester quite comfortably.

The optional moonroof encroaches upon headroom by about an inch or two, so that might be something to be aware of when test driving. It also reduces cargo space slightly from the maximum of 28.9 cubic feet behind the rear seats, 74.2 when they’re folded down.

A restyled front end with new headlights and a new front bumper differentiates the 2022 Forester from last year’s model. Not that it really matters.

The Forester is already a hot-selling Subaru, appealing to a certain section of automotive buyers who are willing to ignore any aesthetic shortcomings and concentrate instead on the vehicle’s many positive and tangible traits.

The exterior design has some of those traits, like large glass areas for great outward vision, as well as plastic cladding and other protective additions. The base version doesn’t have roof rails, but they are optional here. The rest of the lineup has them as standard.

Along with a slightly raised ride height, the new Forester Wilderness adds an extra skid plate up front, plus a dedicated grille treatment.

LARGE CARGO OPENING
This is an aspect that’s easily overlooked until there’s a big item to stow in the cargo area. Golf bags don’t need tilting to slide in sideways. This aperture, 51.3 inches wide, has a 6-inch advantage over the nearest rival.

STARTEX
So far, this upholstery material is only fitted to the Wilderness version on the Forester range, for which it’s perfect. Made from recycled materials and free from animal products, this kind-of-vinyl stuff is waterproof, durable, and easy to clean. The Wilderness model’s StarTex upholstery is enlivened by copper-colored stitching.

The base Forester has 17-inch steel wheels with plastic covers, steering-responsive/automatic on/off LED headlights, cloth upholstery, 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth, satellite radio, CD player, two USB ports, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration.

Driver assistance features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.

From here, trim levels go up to Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited, and Touring.

Higher trims bring the usual nicer appointments, with the Wilderness receiving its own set of dedicated features. Before that, the only options for the base trim are roof rails and 17-inch alloy wheels.

These are standard in Premium trim, along with heated side mirrors, panoramic powered moonroof, keyless entry/ignition, heated front seats, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, illuminated vanity mirrors, reclining rear seats, and Wi-Fi. This model is eligible for blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, Automatic Emergency Steering, upgraded driver’s display, powered tailgate with automatic close and height memory, and a rear center console with two more USB ports.

Sport trim gains that upgraded display and the extra driver aids, while adding 18-inch alloy wheels, and hill descent control for the all-wheel drive system. Among the optional extras are the powered tailgate, 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, rear parking sensors with reverse automatic braking, and a 9-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

The Wilderness model has a dedicated transmission and all-wheel-drive system, driving modes for deep mud and deep snow, automatic low gradient control, 17-inch alloy wheels wearing Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires, and a 180-degree front-view monitor. The powered tailgate, Harman Kardon system and 8-inch touchscreen are optional here as well.

Limited reverts to an on-road focus, bringing 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic high beams, dual-zone automatic climate control, perforated leather seating surfaces, 8-inch touchscreen, and the powered tailgate. Eligible extras include the Harman Kardon system, heated steering wheel, voice-activated navigation, and reverse automatic braking.

Touring has all the additional features listed so far, along with memory settings for the driver’s seat and side mirrors (the passenger’s side mirror also tilts automatically when reverse gear is selected), heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, the DriverFocus distraction mitigation system, and — new for 2022 — temperature adjustment through gesture control.

Two pairs of horizontally opposed cylinders create the flat-4 configuration of the Forester’s engine (the far more common arrangement is all four cylinders upright and in a line). This is another Subaru hallmark, along with all-wheel drive.

Because Subaru SUV/crossovers ride high enough to provide useful ground clearance, the engine layout helps to keep the center of gravity low. This contributes to a feeling of stability and whatever handling talents a vehicle might have.

The 2.5-liter flat-4 in the 2022 Forester doesn’t produce a whole lotta shove — 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque, with not a turbocharger in sight — but it’s adequate.

This goes through an automatic transmission to all four wheels. The new-for-2022 Forester Wilderness version has a slightly different transmission setup, tailored with more of a focus toward off-road work, resulting in lower fuel economy than the rest of the Forester range. They all take regular gasoline, though.

2.5-liter flat-4
182 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
176 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 26/33 mpg, 25/28 mpg (Wilderness)