02-07-2025
New Subaru Forester coming to South Africa
Its most recent local market developments having been in 2023 when it announced pricing for the XV and the turbocharged Outback XT, Subaru has officially confirmed the sixth generation Forester for South Africa by way of a teaser image on its Instagram page.
What to expect?
Shown on the eve of the Los Angeles International Auto Show nearly two years ago, the internally named SL Forester not only sports a less rounded appearance than the preceding SK, but a stiffer Global Platform foundation as well as improved steering.
Wider and longer than the SK, the SL also has more boot space ranging from 838l to 2 106l, and inside, improved materials plus the portrait-style 11.6-inch Starlink infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.
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While specification is set to vary depending on the trim level, notable items available in the States include heated and ventilated front seats, a hands-free electric tailgate, wireless smartphone charger, dual-zone climate control and LED headlights.
As part of the heavily revised EyeSight range of safety and driver assistance systems, the Forester comes equipped with Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring, Reverse Automatic Braking, Driver Attention Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Exit Assist and Lane Keep Assist.
In addition, Subaru has upgraded the quality of the forward facing camera, as well as the overall 360-degree surround-view system.
Up front
Up front, the South African-spec Forester is unlikely to offer the 1.8l turbocharged flat-four Boxer engine, or indeed the pair of hybrid units consisting of the mild-hybrid 2l e-Boxer and the self-charging 2.5l e-Boxer.
As in not only the US but also Australasia, the only unit set to be available is the conventional normally aspirated 2.5l that produces 132kW/241Nm in the former and 136kW/247Nm Down Under.
In both instances, a revised Lineartronic CVT sends the amount of twist to all four wheels through Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system.
At present, the outgoing local market Forester has a choice of two powerunits; the 2l flat-four outputting 115kW/196Nm and the mentioned 2.5 rated at 136kW/239Nm.
More soon
Priced from $43 490 (R504 629) in Australia and $29 995 (R528 536) in the United States, Subaru South Africa is yet to confirm an exact date of reveal, however, given the commencing of the teaser campaign yesterday, expect more details to be announced soon.
As a reminder, the current three model SK Forester range starts at R699 000 for the 2.0i S ES, extends to R729 000 for the 2.5i Sport ES and ends at R780 000 for the flagship 2.5i S ES.
This article first appeared in the The Citizen.
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