Subaru Forester 2019 - Top features

All new 2019 Subaru Forester is a crossover that is very well weighted and even though it might not be the fastest car in the segment it feels incredibly well-balanced. The car is available in 3- variants with prices starting at RM 139,788 and there is an RM 10,000 increase between every variant in the range that follows. You can find the 2019 Subaru Forester price list below. Interestingly, the mid-range variant and the top of the line version of Subaru Forester do not have any prominent differences when it comes to their features.

The 2019 version of Subaru Forester is the fifth generation iteration which made its entry into the Malaysian market in August this year. The outgoing model of Subaru Forester shares the same engine option across the three variant line up which is a 2-liter, 4- cylinder, horizontally opposed (boxer), 16- valve, DOHC motor that produces 156 bhp of power and 196 Nm of peak torque. With such power figures, the engine does struggle to cope up with the weight of the all-new crossover SUV. Subaru Forester color options include Ice silver metallic, crystal black silica, sepia bronze metallic, dark grey metallic, crystal white pearl, horizon blue pearl, and jasper green metallic.

Variant	Price
2.0i- L	RM 139,788
2.0i- S	RM 149,788
2.0i- S ES	RM 159,788

The popularity of the all-new Subaru Forester is on an all-time high along with that of the crossover SUV segment. This is the reason why we have listed out our top picks of creature comforts and features offered in the latest version of Subaru Forester. Let’s check them out.

Comfortable Seats

The seat has been designed specifically to offer incredible lumbar support which for shorter passengers can be uncomfortable at times but the material used is very plush and soft. Seats also sit very low on the floor of the crossover which means it has been designed to offer a laid back driving position and incredible headroom.

LED headlights/ taillights and Fog lamps

LED headlamp cluster offered in the 2019 Subaru Forester comes with an active bending feature. This means that the projector unit in the headlamp turns along with the direction of the steering wheel to better illuminate the road at night. Taillights of the crossover SUV also get the LED treatment and it is a common feature that is shared between the mid-range and the top of the range i- S EyeSight (ES) variant.

Subaru EyeSight technology

Top of the range Subaru forester comes with the Japanese carmaker’s EyeSight technology which is an innovative safety feature. Unlike other cars that use radars with a module positioned at the front- end of the vehicle, Subaru Forester gets a completely different setup to monitor traffic conditions. The 2019 Subaru Forester comes equipped with a set of two stereoscopic camera units. These cameras record the view in front and compute if the obstacles ahead present any threat of collision to the crossover SUV and whether or not there is a need for intervention by the onboard computer in the utility vehicle. 

The 2019 Subaru Forester also comes equipped with cruise control and automatic braking like other offerings in the market and still employs a single radar unit to map the surroundings around the crossover that works in tandem with the EyeSight technology to offer better levels of safety. The Subaru EyeSight technology a very capable and intuitive system that has received many accolades in the United States.

All-new vehicle architecture

Even though the 2019 Subaru Forester looks quite similar to its predecessor not only has the exteriors and interiors of the car been updated but the Japanese carmaker has also updated the architecture on which the Forester sits. The wheelbase of the car has been extended as the courtesy of the all-new global vehicle architecture that forester shares with the XV and the new- crossover is much longer than the older model. This translates into additional cabin and cargo space.

Boot space

The all-new 2019 Subaru Forester comes with a power tailgate which makes way for the impressive boot of the crossover SUV. On the sides of the boot, we also get buttons for one-touch remote rear seat release. Interestingly, the boot also comes equipped with 12- volt power sockets. With 2155 liters of cargo capacity, Subaru Forester manages to hold its own against its rivals in the segment and the loading bay is flat which means it is easier to load and unload bulky items.

Impressive off-road capabilities

Unlike other crossover SUVs in the segment the 2019 Subaru Forester offers impressive off-road capabilities which can only be matched by the likes of Mitsubishi Outlander and far outshines those of offerings like Honda CR- V. In a true Subaru tradition, the drivetrain of the 2019 Forester offers incredibly smooth and linear performance. The handling of the crossover SUV is quite impressive but the engine does feel a tad underpowered at times. As compared to other crossover SUVs in the segment like the Proton X70 and Honda CR- V, the 2019 Subaru Forester is more off-road biased much like the Mitsubishi Outlander. The crossover’s rugged chassis combined with the all-wheel-drive system makes the 2019 Subaru Forester a very capable back- road driver.

Verdict

2019 Subaru Forester is a  well-built, spacious, reliable, safe and capable car. And when it comes to the price, this is one crossover you just can’t ignore.

Also read: Subaru Forester 2019 vs. Honda CR-V - The better 5-seater crossover