2023 Subaru Forester

2023 is a carry-over year in the fifth-generation (2019–2024) Forester, one year after the 2022 refresh: all six trims share the direct-injection 2.5L FB25 boxer-four at 182 hp with no turbo XT and no hybrid offered, so the volume Premium trim's figure is also the model-range maximum — near the bottom of the compact SUV set.

176 lb-ft peaking at a high 4,400 rpm trails the turbocharged compact SUV rivals of 2023 (Nissan Rogue VC-Turbo 225 lb-ft, Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo 320 lb-ft on premium), and the peaky delivery is why the Forester needs revs to move.

Two independent instrumented tests put the 2023 Forester at 9.2–9.3 seconds to 60 mph, among the slowest results in the compact SUV segment and the vehicle's clearest dynamic weakness; MotorTrend's quicker 8.5 s Touring run is the outlier of the set.

Naturally aspirated, the 2.5L has no turbo lag and responds predictably off idle, and the boxer is smooth at a steady cruise — but reviewers consistently flag that it gets loud and coarse when worked, which is often given how little output is on tap.

The Lineartronic CVT is the only transmission offered and is well-calibrated for gentle around-town driving, with simulated stepped ratios and paddle shifters on Sport and above, but it holds revs and drones under sustained throttle — the standard CVT complaint, made more audible by how much throttle the 182-hp engine needs.

The item asks for the maximum rating in any configuration, which for 2023 is the Wilderness at 3,000 lbs on its shorter final drive and added transmission cooling; the volume Premium trim a typical buyer orders tows only 1,500 lbs. Even at its best the Forester trails the CX-50 (3,500 lbs) and is a light-duty tow vehicle in mainstream form.

Symmetrical full-time AWD is standard on all six 2023 trims — there is no front-drive base model and no AWD upcharge, a position most compact SUV rivals reach only by optioning up. Active torque vectoring is standard and X-MODE adds low-traction logic.

8.7 inches of ground clearance on standard trims — more than a 2023 CR-V, RAV4 or Tucson — plus standard AWD, X-MODE and Hill Descent Control give the ordinary Forester real light-trail ability, and the Wilderness is a genuine dedicated off-road trim (9.2 in clearance, all-terrain tires, shorter final drive, better approach/departure angles). It stops short of lockers, low range or Bronco Sport Badlands-class hardware.

2023 is a single-powertrain year: the 2.5L NA boxer with a CVT is the only choice across the whole range. The turbo XT was dropped after the fourth generation and the Strong Hybrid does not arrive until the 2026 sixth generation, so a 2023 buyer has no electrified, turbocharged or manual alternative — take it or leave it, in a segment where hybrid and turbo options were already routine.

The volume gas Premium trim returns 29 MPG combined — strong for a compact SUV carrying standard full-time symmetrical AWD, where most 2023 rivals match that only in front-drive form. The Wilderness drops to 26 combined on its taller all-terrain tires and shorter gearing.

26 MPG city is good for a non-hybrid AWD compact SUV — helped by standard auto stop-start — though the 2023 RAV4 and CR-V hybrids reach the low 40s in town.

33 MPG highway is a genuine strength and the number Subaru led its 2023 marketing with, since the CVT keeps revs low at cruise despite the mechanical drag of always-on AWD.

A 16.6-gallon tank at the EPA's 29 combined MPG works out to roughly 481 miles of total range — comfortably enough for long-haul use without being remarkable; larger-tank mid-size SUVs and hybrid compacts go further.

EPA's standard-assumption annual fuel cost is $2,100 for the 2023 gas AWD Forester — moderate running costs, held down by the regular-fuel requirement, but above what a hybrid compact SUV of the same year costs to feed.

Every 2023 Forester trim runs on regular 87-octane unleaded, with no premium recommendation, no diesel and no charging hardware to think about — the cheapest and simplest fuel situation available.

The 2023 Forester earns NHTSA's top 5-star overall rating, with 5 stars in both the frontal and side evaluations and 4 stars for rollover resistance (16.9% rollover probability, no tip in the dynamic test).

Top Safety Pick, not TSP+: Good in both small overlap front tests, the original moderate overlap front, roof strength and head restraints, but only Marginal in the updated moderate overlap front test (rear-passenger protection) and Acceptable in the updated side test. Structure and front-occupant protection are strong; the tougher new rear-seat and side evaluations are where this facelifted fifth generation gives ground.

The fourth-generation EyeSight introduced with the 2022 facelift is standard on every 2023 trim — pre-collision braking and throttle management, Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control with lane centering, and lane departure/sway warning with lane keep assist — broader than most compact SUV base trims. Blind-Spot Detection with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert is the gap: standard only from Sport upward, a single option package on Premium and unavailable on Base, so both volume trims can leave the lot without it.

EyeSight's wider-field stereo-camera AEB sweeps IIHS front crash prevention: Superior in vehicle-to-vehicle and Superior in both daytime and nighttime pedestrian testing, plus Good in the harder updated vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 evaluation. Nighttime pedestrian detection at the top rating is the result that separates it from most rivals of this year.

Alert-only Blind-Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, standard from Sport upward and a single option package on Premium — Base buyers cannot get either at any price. Automatic Emergency Steering (active below 50 mph) is bundled with BSD, which is more intervention than most compact SUV rivals offer, but coverage across the range is the limitation.

Lane departure and sway warning plus lane keep assist with lane centering are standard on every trim, and the 2022 facelift's wider-angle EyeSight cameras improved recognition. It remains a hands-on assist that works best on clearly marked highway lanes, with the occasional assertive intervention and mild wander owners report.

Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control is standard on all six trims with full-speed-range stop-and-go operation and Lead Vehicle Start Alert; combined with the standard lane centering it makes a competent highway assist for a mainstream compact SUV. Reviewers rate it as working reliably without the polish or integration of the best rival systems.

Subaru offered no hands-free highway system on the 2023 Forester at any trim — nothing comparable to BlueCruise, Super Cruise or Hyundai/Kia Highway Driving Assist. EyeSight requires hands on the wheel, and DriverFocus on Touring is a distraction monitor rather than a hands-free enabler.

IIHS rates the 2023 Forester's headlights Good on every trim, and steering-responsive LED headlights are standard from the Base trim up — no trim penalty, which is unusual in the compact SUV class where good lighting is typically an upper-trim upgrade.

The fifth-generation Forester's upright greenhouse, slim pillars and deep side glass give it among the best natural sightlines of any modern SUV, a point reviewers return to repeatedly. It leans on glass rather than cameras — there is no surround-view camera on the 2023 lineup — but it does not need the compensation.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Good with extra positions — its top result — and the Forester's boxy cabin, wide-opening rear doors and flat rear bench make installing seats and reaching into them straightforward.

2023 is the fifth year of the fifth-generation (2019-2024) Forester and a near-pure carry-over year; every trim — Base, Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited and Touring — is a two-row, five-passenger compact SUV with no third row offered at any price.

The volume Premium trim carries a standard power panoramic moonroof, which trims front headroom to 40.2 in from the moonroof-less Base trim's 41.2 in. Either figure is above the compact-SUV norm, and the upright glasshouse and low beltline make the front of the cabin feel airier still.

43.3 in of front legroom is unchanged by trim and is a genuine segment strength, running ahead of the 2023 CR-V and RAV4; reviewers note tall adults fit comfortably up front.

Second-row headroom on the moonroof-equipped volume Premium is 37.6 in — mid-pack for a compact SUV. The moonroof standard from Premium up costs a full two inches against the Base trim's 39.6 in, which is the class-leading figure the Forester's boxy roofline would otherwise deliver.

39.4 in of second-row legroom is the Forester's strongest passenger-space number and sits comfortably above compact-SUV norms, with a reclining rear seatback standard from Premium up to make use of it.

No third row exists on any 2023 Forester trim — it is a two-row-only compact SUV, and Subaru buyers needing seven or eight seats step up to the Ascent.

Cargo volume behind the second row measures 26.9 cu ft on the moonroof-equipped volume Premium — well behind the 2023 CR-V and Rogue on paper and the Forester's weakest space measurement. The tall 32.4 in cargo-area height, 51.2 in gate opening and 28.5 in liftover make it more usable than the number suggests, but the number is what it is.

With the standard 60/40 split seatbacks folded the moonroof-equipped Premium offers 69.1 cu ft against 74.2 cu ft on the moonroof-less Base — below mid-pack on paper, though the tall roof, near-flat floor and 69.9 in of load length let it swallow bulky items that defeat lower-roofed rivals.

Competitive everyday storage with no headline innovation: an illuminated front storage console tray, illuminated glovebox, rear center console storage tray, a passenger-side front seatback pocket, deep bottle-holding door bins and a wide flat cargo floor with tie-down and headliner hooks plus a cargo cover from Premium up. Device power is the dated part — 12-volt outlets in dash, console and cargo area but USB-A only, no USB-C anywhere in the 2023 range, and the volume Premium's rear USB ports are an option-package item.

The 10-way power driver's seat with power lumbar is standard from the volume Premium up and testers rate it comfortable and supportive over long stints, with well-padded cushions and good bolstering. The rear bench is spacious and reclines but is plainer than the front, and some owners find the front cushions firm — enough to keep this in the upper half of the competitive band rather than at the top.

Ride comfort is the fifth-generation Forester's standout comfort trait and 2023 is a year past the 2022 refresh's retuned front springs and dampers — Consumer Reports rates it one of the better-riding SUVs in the class, absorbing broken pavement smoothly while staying controlled rather than floaty. It stops short of the very top band because the 18-inch Sport and Limited trims ride firmer and the tall body pitches more than the segment's most sophisticated setups.

Average at best, and this generation's acknowledged weak point. A sound-insulating windshield is standard and road noise is quieter than earlier Foresters, but the flat-four's coarse note under load is a recurring complaint, the CVT holds revs on any real throttle request, and the upright body generates wind noise at highway speed. Subaru's answer was to add substantial sound deadening for the 2025 redesign.

Solid mainstream equipment for a cold-weather brand: the All-Weather Package with heated front seats, heated mirrors and a wiper de-icer is standard from the volume Premium up, automatic climate control and rear-seat climate outlets are standard, and a reclining rear seatback comes with them. What holds it mid-band is that dual-zone automatic climate control does not arrive until Limited, the heated steering wheel is a Limited option or Touring standard, heated rear seats are Touring-only, and no 2023 trim offers ventilated front seats.

The entry 2023 Forester lands under $28,000 delivered with Symmetrical AWD, the full EyeSight suite and — new for 2023 — the 6.5-inch STARLINK touchscreen all standard, where most compact-SUV rivals still charged roughly $1,400 extra just to add all-wheel drive.

Premium is the Forester's best-selling trim and is normally ordered with its single option package — blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency steering and a power rear gate — which covers the equipment rivals bundle into their mid trims.

The naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre boxer with a timing chain and conventional service intervals keeps scheduled work ordinary, and with no turbo or hybrid system the unscheduled-repair reserve sits near the compact-SUV norm; the figure lands toward the upper end of the published spread because Subaru's AWD driveline and boxer packaging make some routine jobs more labour-intensive than a transverse front-drive rival's.

The Forester is one of the strongest residual performers in the mainstream compact-SUV class — standard AWD, a durable reputation and steady demand keep used prices firm — and the value is set a few points below the published figures because those are nameplate averages, while a 2023 car was bought against the inflated new-price basis of that year and gives some of it back as the market normalized.

The industry floor. Subaru matches Toyota, Honda and Mazda here, but a 2023 Tucson or Sportage buyer got 5 years/60,000 miles of the same coverage for similar money.

Also the segment floor, and half the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain term Hyundai and Kia put behind their compact SUVs — a real gap for a CVT drivetrain buyers intend to keep past 100,000 miles.

Subaru includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance in the US, so every oil change is out of pocket from delivery — that puts the Forester squarely on the "basic roadside only" rung: 3 years/36,000 miles of 24-hour roadside assistance plus a 3-year STARLINK Safety Plus trial, against ToyotaCare's 2 years/25,000 miles of free service on a 2023 RAV4.

$31,785 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (64% retained, or about $20,342) leaves about $11,443 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,300 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $15,743 in total.

2023 is the fifth year of the fifth-generation SK Forester (2019-2024) and a near-pure carry-over year — the only notable change was a restyled Sport trim — so there was no new hardware to shake out. Both major predictors put it above average: J.D. Power gives the 2023 Forester an 84/100 predicted-reliability score ('Great') and Consumer Reports rated it above average, calling it the best small SUV of the year. Strong but a step below the outright 5/5 top-of-segment result the 2024 car earned.

Subaru sits comfortably in the upper third but not the top tier for the 2023 model year. J.D. Power's 2026 Vehicle Dependability Study — which surveys three-year-old vehicles, i.e. exactly these 2023 cars — places Subaru 6th of all brands at 181 PP100, and the 2023 Initial Quality Study put the brand above the industry average for the first time in years. Consumer Reports ranked Subaru 7th of 24 brands in its 2023 survey, before the brand's climb to #1 in 2024 and #2 since.

A single NHTSA recall for the 2023 model year — a clean count — though the front-driveshaft campaign is driveline-safety-relevant rather than cosmetic, covering outer races that can crack and cause loss of motive power or rollaway. Owner complaints are modest in volume and cluster on non-systemic themes: spontaneous windshield cracking (a long-running Subaru grievance) and EyeSight phantom automatic braking, alongside the generation's familiar FB25 valve-cover/spark-plug-tube seepage and CVT shudder TSBs.

The 2.5-liter FB25 boxer four with the Lineartronic CVT is a high-volume, long-running combination shared across most of the Subaru range, with a broad high-mileage record and no unproven technology. It is kept out of the top band by well-documented family issues rather than any 2023-specific defect: oil consumption on the direct-injected FB variants, cam-carrier and valve-cover leaks, and a persistent history of CVT shudder complaints.

The SK Forester cabin is engineered for durability rather than richness: hard plastic covers much of the lower dash and door surfaces on the volume Premium trim, with soft-touch materials, Startex upholstery and leather reserved for Sport, Limited and Touring. Reviewers consistently describe it as pleasant, airy and solidly assembled but a clear step behind the CR-V and Tucson on perceived material quality for the money.

The 2023 Forester posted the strongest initial-quality result of its generation: it finished among the top three compact SUVs in J.D. Power's 2023 IQS, in the same year Subaru as a brand finally cleared the industry average. Fifth-year production at Subaru of Indiana Automotive means assembly is thoroughly dialed in, with consistent panel gaps and only scattered rattle complaints.

Subaru runs roughly 630 US retailers — adequate nationally but materially thinner than Toyota, Honda, Ford or Chevrolet, and geographically skewed toward the Northeast, Pacific Northwest and Colorado at the expense of the Sun Belt and Plains, so rural southern owners can face a long drive. Service satisfaction is respectable, with Subaru mid-pack among mass-market brands in J.D. Power's Customer Service Index.

RepairPal puts Forester average annual repair cost at $632 — above the $521 compact-SUV average but below the $652 all-vehicle figure — with repair frequency and severity both near normal. Nameplate volume keeps common wear parts widely stocked and the enthusiast aftermarket healthy, but boxer-specific and AWD driveline parts run dearer than a transverse-four rival's, and RepairPal's own reliability rank for the model is a middling 21st of 26.

The volume Premium trim carries the small 6.5-inch STARLINK head unit — 2023 was the year the Base trim finally got that screen as standard, so the volume trim's display did not grow. The 8.0-inch panel is reserved for Limited, Touring and option packages. 6.5 in sits below the compact-SUV normalization floor of 7 in and was among the smallest center screens in the segment for 2023.

The Gen 3 STARLINK software is simple and logically laid out, and Subaru keeps real volume and tuning knobs plus hard climate buttons — a genuine daily-use advantage reviewers single out. But on the volume Premium's 6.5-inch panel the display is small, the graphics are visibly dated, the tile menus waste what little screen there is, and voice-activated controls are not even fitted. Functional rather than good, and behind a 2023 RAV4 or CR-V.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every 2023 trim including the Base, which keeps this out of the bottom band, but both are wired-only across the entire range — no trim, package or head unit offers wireless projection. Wireless phone mirroring did not reach the Forester until the sixth-generation 2025 car.

The volume Premium trim has neither built-in navigation nor voice-activated controls — both are additions of the 8.0-inch systems, and TomTom-powered navigation is confined to the 8.0-inch Multimedia Navigation System that is standard on Touring and an option on Wilderness and Limited. A Premium buyer is entirely dependent on wired phone projection for maps, and cannot order the native system at any price.

The Harman Kardon 9-speaker premium system is a credible upgrade and is standard on Touring, but it cannot be ordered on the volume Premium trim at all — it starts with the Sport option package. Premium ships with an unremarkable six-speaker setup and the Base trim gets only four. HD Radio, SiriusXM and a CD player are standard from the Base up, which is more than most 2023 rivals bothered with.

No full-digital instrument cluster is offered on the 2023 Forester at any trim. The volume Premium gets a high-grade combination meter — conventional analog dials with a small colour LCD between them — and the separate dash-top high-grade multi-function display is an option-package item on Premium rather than standard equipment.

The Gen 3 STARLINK head unit supports firmware-over-the-air updates of the multimedia software over Wi-Fi, and STARLINK connected services deliver vehicle health reports, but navigation map updates still require a USB transfer and there is no whole-vehicle OTA programme touching powertrain, chassis or driver-assist modules. Minimal but not absent.

STARLINK Safety Plus is standard from the volume Premium upward with a three-year subscription and covers collision notification, SOS and vehicle health, with the Security Plus tier adding remote engine start with climate, remote lock/unlock and vehicle locator on a six-month trial. Core functions are there, but remote start sits behind a paid tier once that six-month trial lapses, the Base trim has no connected services at all, and there is no phone-as-key.

The weakest part of the 2023 Forester's technology showing. Every port in the car is USB-A — there is no USB-C anywhere in the range — wireless phone charging is not offered on any trim, and there is no household AC outlet. The volume Premium gets dual front USB-A ports, and even the dual rear USB-A charge ports are inside its $1,165 option package rather than standard. Three 12-volt outlets are the only other power source.

Keyless Access with Push-Button Start including PIN Code Access and front-passenger-door and rear-gate sensors is standard from the volume Premium up, and remote start is available through the STARLINK app. Held to mid-band because the Base trim still uses a traditional remote key, the power rear gate is an option package on Premium and is not hands-free, remote start needs an active subscription after the trial, and no phone-as-key exists.

The volume Premium leaves the showroom with a rear-vision camera and nothing else — no parking sensors, no front camera and no parking automation. The 180-degree Front View Monitor is a Wilderness-exclusive, reverse automatic braking is a Wilderness/Touring standard or an option on Sport and Limited, and no 2023 Forester trim offers a 360-degree surround-view camera; that arrived only with the 2025 redesign.

No head-up display is offered on the 2023 Forester at any trim or in any option package — Subaru fitted a HUD to no vehicle in its US lineup for this model year.

Family logistics are close to segment-best: IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Good with extra positions, the upright body opens wide rear doors onto a boxy cabin, 39.4 in of rear legroom leaves room for a rear-facing seat without shoving the front passenger forward, and a Rear Seat Reminder is standard on every trim. It stops short of the top few points because 26.9 cu ft behind the second row on the moonroof-equipped volume trims is a real constraint for a stroller plus a week's gear, and three seats across is tight.

The core credentials land on the trims families actually buy — NHTSA 5-star overall, the wider-view EyeSight suite with pre-collision braking, full-speed adaptive cruise and lane centering standard on the $27,620 Base rather than bundled upward, steering-responsive LED headlights rated Good on every trim, and larger rear outboard head restraints new for 2023. Two gaps hold it out of the top band: the 2023 car is a Top Safety Pick rather than TSP+, scoring only Marginal in the updated moderate overlap front test that specifically measures rear-passenger injury, and Blind-Spot Detection with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert is unavailable on Base and a $1,165 option package on the volume Premium.

Four travel comfortably on space alone — 39.4 in of rear legroom, a standard reclining rear seatback, rear-seat climate outlets and a panoramic moonroof from Premium up — but the amenity list is thin for a 2023 model. Dual-zone automatic climate control does not arrive until Limited, the rear dual USB-A charge ports are an option-package item on the volume Premium with no USB-C anywhere in the range, heated rear seats are Touring-only, there is no rear entertainment or rear sunshade, and cabin noise is this generation's acknowledged weak point on a long haul with kids aboard.

A low-stress commuter that does the fundamentals unusually well: the naturally-aspirated boxer and CVT have no turbo lag or shift hunting to manage at crawl speeds, the tall greenhouse and slim pillars give among the best sightlines of any modern SUV, ride comfort is rated at or near the top of the class, and full-speed adaptive cruise with lane centering plus Auto Vehicle Hold are standard on every trim. Not effortless, because 182 hp and a 9.2-second 0-60 mean merges and gaps need planning and the CVT drones audibly when you ask for them.

29 MPG combined and 26 city on regular 87-octane is a good return for a vehicle carrying full-time symmetrical AWD with no front-drive version flattering the number, helped by standard auto stop-start and active grille shutters, and the EPA puts annual fuel at about $2,100. Good rather than exceptional per mile: a 2023 RAV4 or CR-V hybrid undercuts it substantially in town, RepairPal measures Forester running costs above the compact-SUV average, and Subaru includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance, so every oil change is out of pocket from delivery.

A compact 182.7 in footprint and a 35.4 ft turning circle on a quick 2.6-turn rack make it easy to thread and park, and the Forester's real advantage is that it barely needs electronic help — deep side glass, slim pillars and a squared-off tail make the corners easy to place. Held below the top band because the volume Premium leaves the lot with a rear-vision camera and nothing else: no parking sensors, no front camera, no surround-view monitor at any 2023 trim, and no automated parking.

Not meaningfully a work vehicle. Base, Premium, Sport, Limited and Touring are all rated at 1,500 lbs of towing — a small utility trailer and nothing more — and only the Wilderness, with its shorter 4.11:1 final drive and external oil cooler, reaches 3,000 lbs. There is no bed, no meaningful payload headroom, and a 182-hp naturally-aspirated boxer making 176 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm through a CVT labors with anything hitched behind it.

Should hold up with care, but it is not a work tool. 2023 is the fifth year of the 2019-2024 generation, so the FB25 boxer, Lineartronic CVT and Global Platform chassis are mature rather than launch-year hardware, Subaru sits in the upper tier of reliability rankings, and StarTex upholstery with a PVC rear seatback on the Wilderness wipes clean. Against that, the CVT is the recognized long-term watch item and the wrong transmission to load repeatedly, this is a unibody crossover with no commercial or fleet presence, and the 2023 car carried a front driveshaft recall.

Basic provisions plus an outdoor — not commercial — accessory ecosystem. Raised ladder-type roof rails with tie-down points are standard from Premium up with deep Subaru, Thule and Yakima crossbar support, the cargo floor is wide and flat with tie-down and headliner hooks, and a 12-volt outlet sits in the cargo area alongside a cargo cover and an available water-resistant tray. But there is no onboard AC outlet on any 2023 trim and no USB-C anywhere, the standard 176-lb dynamic roof rating is ordinary, the Base trim needs a $625 package even to get rails, and nothing resembling a ladder-rack, shelving or partition upfit catalog exists for it.

A good tourer with two clear endurance limits. Roughly 480 miles of range from the 16.6-gal tank, a comfortable and supportive 10-way power driver's seat standard from Premium up, class-leading ride comfort and standard adaptive cruise with lane centering on every trim make for relaxed interstate miles. Cabin noise is the drag — boxer coarseness, CVT buzz and notable road roar are this generation's acknowledged weak point — and 182 hp means a long run-up for passes on grade.

A genuine adventure enabler and the Forester's strongest use case. Symmetrical full-time AWD is standard on all six 2023 trims with no front-drive base model to avoid, X-MODE with Hill Descent Control is standard on everything but the Base and is dual-function from Sport up, ground clearance is 8.7 in — more than a 2023 CR-V, RAV4 or Tucson — and the Wilderness is a real off-pavement variant at 9.2 in with all-terrain Yokohamas, a full-size spare, an aluminum skid plate and 800-lb static roof rails for a rooftop tent. It stops short of the top because 1,500 lbs of towing on the volume trims rules out most trailered toys, there is no onboard AC power for camping, and there is no low range or locking differential.

Flexible in the ways that matter for bulky gear even though the paper volume is unremarkable: 60/40 split folding seatbacks open 69.1 cu ft on moonroof trims (74.2 without), a 51.2 in rear gate opening and 28.5 in liftover make loading easy, 69.9 in of load length swallows long items, and a cargo cover, tie-down and headliner hooks and standard roof rails with wide crossbar support cover the overflow. The 26.9 cu ft behind the raised second row is the limiter — well short of a 2023 CR-V or Rogue — and the roof is where a full family's gear ends up.

2023 sits one year after the 2022 refresh's retuned front springs and dampers, which fixed the earlier car's poorly controlled ride without making it sporty. Standard Symmetrical AWD, active torque vectoring and a strut-front/double-wishbone-rear layout on the Global Platform make it planted and neutral with contained body roll, but the soft-ish tune and 8.7 in of ground clearance keep the mass high and it is not a car that rewards being hurried.

The electric rack was revised at the 2022 refresh and at a 13.5:1 ratio and 2.6 turns lock-to-lock it is quick enough to make the Forester feel agile in town — Consumer Reports calls it fairly quick through corners. But reviewers of this generation consistently describe it as light and short on feedback, and it transmits more kickback on broken pavement than the 2025 redesign's dual-pinion unit. Precise enough without being communicative.

Braking is among the better parts of the way this car drives. The volume Premium steps up to 12.4-in ventilated front rotors over the Base trim's 11.6-in, with 11.2-in ventilated rears on every trim, and testers rate the pedal firm, repeatable and confidence-inspiring. It trails the very best in the class on outright distance — MotorWeek recorded 112 ft from 60 mph on the all-terrain-shod Wilderness of this generation — but nothing about the hardware or the tuning gives cause for concern.

The naturally aspirated 2.5L boxer has no turbo lag, sits on hydraulic engine mounts and is smooth at idle and light throttle, so the calibration itself is not the problem — the outputs are. 182 hp and 176 lb-ft peaking at a high 4,400 rpm mean 9.2-9.3 seconds to 60 mph, among the slowest in the compact SUV class, and the Lineartronic CVT answers any real throttle request by holding high revs without producing matching thrust.

At a steady cruise the boxer is inoffensive and vibration through the controls is minimal, helped by a sound-insulating windshield and hydraulic engine mounts. But because the engine needs so much throttle to move the car, the CVT's rev-holding turns routine merges and grades into a sustained buzz that reviewers name specifically — and the 2023 car lacks the extra sound deadening Subaru added for the 2025 redesign.

Subaru publishes a single 35.4 ft turning circle across the 2023 range, tight for a compact SUV and helped by the quick 13.5:1, 2.6-turn rack — U-turns and parking-garage maneuvers are easy despite the tall body.

Outward visibility is a genuine class benchmark — the upright body gives large glass, a low beltline and thin pillars all round — paired with a commanding seat position, a standard 10-way power driver's seat with lumbar from Premium up, a tilt-and-telescoping column, wide door openings and a low step-in height. Controls stay physical and clearly labeled rather than buried in the screen. The main gripe is that taller drivers sit high even at the seat's lowest setting.

The Forester's appeal is competence, not entertainment. 182 hp, a buzzy CVT, light and feedback-free steering and a 9.2-second 0-60 give an enthusiast nothing to want, and 2023 offers no turbo XT and no hybrid alternative anywhere in the range. What character it has surfaces off pavement, where standard AWD, X-MODE and 8.7 in of clearance let it cover rough dirt roads at a satisfying pace — capability rather than the take-the-long-way-home kind of fun.

A $27,620 delivered Forester Base includes Symmetrical AWD, the full EyeSight suite — widened field of view for 2023, with Automatic Emergency Steering on qualifying models — steering-responsive LED headlights, seven airbags, and for the first time in 2023 the 6.5-inch STARLINK touchscreen on the base car, content a RAV4 LE or CR-V LX buyer paid roughly $1,400–$1,500 extra just to get all-wheel drive alongside. It stops short of the top band because blind-spot detection is still a Premium-only option package and heated seats and a power driver's seat wait for Premium.

Standard AWD and a complete driver-assist suite at the bottom of the range, one of the segment's largest cargo holds and 26/33 mpg make the Forester a lot of usable content per dollar, and Consumer Reports named it the best small SUV under $35,000 for 2023 on exactly that basis. The 182-hp naturally-aspirated boxer and CVT are the offsetting weakness: rivals gave more performance and, in hybrid form, far better economy for similar money.

Six trims — Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, Wilderness, Touring — spread across a $10,100 delivered span, with the Wilderness adding a genuinely different 9.2-inch-ground-clearance off-pavement variant (and a 3,000-lb tow rating against the rest of the line's 1,500 lb) rather than a trim sticker. The breadth is purely sideways, though: one engine, one transmission and one drivetrain, with no hybrid, no turbo and no cheaper front-drive entry point.

152,566 US sales in 2023 is a 34% rebound off a supply-constrained 2022 and a fixture of the compact-SUV top ten, though still short of the nameplate's 2019 peak and outsold roughly two-to-one by RAV4 and CR-V. Within Subaru's own lineup it was the third-biggest seller behind Outback and Crosstrek.

Subaru carries one of the strongest owner-loyalty records in the mainstream US market on the back of standard AWD, an outdoor-lifestyle identity and a long safety-award streak — and the Forester is one of the two or three models that identity is actually built on, so it gets the full benefit rather than a diluted one. Short of aspirational, but well above neutral for a mainstream badge.

Subaru runs among the lowest incentive spends of any mainstream brand and offers essentially no cash-back rebates on the Forester, and for much of 2023 tight inventory meant it transacted at or very near sticker; discounting only reappeared late in the year as supply recovered, when buyers were seeing roughly $2,800 off MSRP and 3.9% APR for 48 months. Modest and late rather than absent — and buyers were at least spared the over-sticker market adjustments of 2021–22.

2023 is the fifth model year of the fifth-generation (SK) Forester launched for 2019, so the platform was mid-to-late cycle — but the facelift was only one year old (the 2022 refresh brought revised front-end styling, the wider-view EyeSight hardware and the new Wilderness trim), and 2023 itself added the standard base touchscreen and Automatic Emergency Steering. The replacement was still a real consideration: the sixth-generation 2025 Forester was revealed in November 2023, inside this car's sales year.

The 2023 car had the strongest critical year of its generation: Consumer Reports made it the best small SUV under $35,000 in its 2023 Top Picks and rated it first of twenty compact SUVs for the tenth straight year, and IIHS gave it TOP SAFETY PICK for a 17th consecutive year. It falls short of the top band because the enthusiast press is cooler — reviewers consistently dock the 182-hp boxer's strained CVT acceleration and a small base screen, U.S. News ranks it only #4 in its class, and the award was TOP SAFETY PICK rather than the TSP+ that went to the Ascent, Outback and Solterra that year.