Subaru Forester GT Edition EyeSight Review: Still A Sensible Family Car Choice

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Sometimes sensible is more suitable than sexy for a family SUV, and that is where the Subaru Forester absolutely shines.

For those in the market family SUV these days, it is fair to say that one isn’t to exactly be short on choice. In fact, there are literally a dozen new options out there that just the newcomer Chinese automakers alone have launched since January this year.

So with no shortage of appealing choice on the market right now, it might have escaped one’s notice that the admittedly aged Subaru Forester is still (somehow) hanging around. And if being entirely honest here, even this writer also had pretty much forgot about its existence until a little while ago.

But having since recently had the XV on test and subsequently fallen completely in love with it, this writer’s mind had begun to wonder whether its bigger brother was to be as similarly quietly impressive. And without wanting spoil the conclusion to this review right at the start too, a rather enjoyable family road trip to Ipoh with the Forester later and this writer is (once again) set to sing the praises of a(nother) Subaru as still being quite a good family car choice for any sensible family to consider.

Space

To start first on the many reasons why the Forester makes for such a good sensible family car, let’s just kick off by detailing that this massive Scooby SUV certainly has more than sufficient space for all the family.

Now of course with the Forester being a sizeable Subaru, this point of it having a fair amount of space should be a given. Though it has to be emphasised, especially in this current world of curvaceous crossovers, that this Scooby’s boxiness works in its favour to maximise the available interior volume, with this to particularly benefit those in the back.

While the front is already pretty wide and roomy place to be, the Forester’s rear is positively palatial to the point it seats 3 lanky lads of over 6-feet apiece with ease. What more too is that its boot also has enough capacity for everything a family of four could bring to (and back) from a particularly expensive trip to the various fruit and biscuit merchants of Ipoh.

Ride & Handling

Now for the keener driver here, it should unfortunately but expectedly be said that this family-friendly Forester does not drive like Subaru’s sportier selection. Its steering is more than a bit vague, and this SUV does feel somewhat floaty when the speedo needle drifts past (an alleged) 150 km/h on the highway.

But come now, sensible dads don’t tend to go above 150 clicks while the product of their loins are tucked up behind. What is instead likely more up their alley will be comfort and composure, to which this Forester delivers admirably.

Thanks to its thick tyres, the Forester glides over bumps like they’re barely there. And whatever road imperfections the suspension can’t iron out are further cushioned by the very plush seats, which this writer can personally attest are comfortable enough for hours-long interstate journeys without a single complaint from the bum.

Powertrain

Despite featuring a larger capacity than most in its segment at 2.0 litres, the Forester’s lack of the now-obligatory turbocharger in other SUVs means it’s not exactly a speed machine that will light any fire under a parent’s bottom. Then again, stick it in [S] on its Intelligent Drive mode selection and this Scooby musters enough poke for the driver to not feel that overtaking is a chore.

What more is that older drivers especially might appreciate its old school linear power delivery, which gives the Forester a more relaxed and comfortable way of gathering pace. And while the CVT rubber band-iness under load at low rpm, credit has to be given to Subaru for programming it to somehow be as smooth as if it was a single speed gearbox in between its axles.

Also, while it was mentioned earlier that this Forester is more of a cushy cruiser than a corner carver, when push comes to shove it nevertheless manages to take corners at speeds far quicker than a huge SUV realistically should. This is largely thanks to the amazing symmetrical four-wheel-drive system, which has the uncanny ability to see this Scooby take a bend at velocities no reasonable person would believe possible in its class.

As for the topic of fuel economy meanwhile, one might ordinarily expect this naturally-aspirated boxer four-cylinder to be drinking RON 95 like it was going out of fashion. But to the astonishment of this writer at least, this Forester surprisingly managed to average a little under 10 km per litre over the 500 km he travelled with it (65:35 highway-city driving split), which to put in context is really not all that far off what other smaller-engined turbocharged counterparts.

Practicality

Now practicality here means much more than just the space available, as it pretty much general catch all category that encompasses how easy is a car to live with on a daily basis. And really, it is in this particular regard where the Subaru just shines.

While the Forester’s cabin might look like it came from 2015, the benefits of decade behind the times is for it to still retain some delightfully old school features that automakers have since removed ion the name of progress. This Scooby SUV for instance still retains a plethora of tactile buttons, with simple twirl of a knob being all that is required to adjust the cabin temperature or change the volume.

Forester

The central infotainment screen is also just that: simple and easy to use for even the most tech illiterate. It might not be the (and frankly, it is not even the most high resolution), but it does have wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which really is all you need anyway!

Forester

Said practicality with this Subaru can further be felt in other areas too, like the fact that the Forester has a huge windscreen and large greenhouse, which combined with its boxy shape makes this sizeable Scooby a surprisingly easy car to manoeuvre. Being also more of a jacked-up estate than a true 4×4 SUV, it’s ever so easy to get in and out of y’know.

Forester

Just returning to the topic of visibility for a bit more as well, the Forester incidentally comes with one of the best headlights around. While it may not be those fancy-shmansy matrixing LED units, its beam is nevertheless super bright, which was especially handy as it masterfully pierces through the inky blackness of an unlit interstate highway.

Forester

In this writer’s humble opinion though, the truest measure of the Forester’s practicality lies in its ruggedness. It exudes the sense it could *practically* sustain any amount of abuse from anyone or anything, yet still somehow feels unbothered by it all.

Admittedly, some of that sense of ruggedness does come down to marketing, leveraging Subaru’s rally heritage for the promise that you can drive wherever and through whatever with utmost confidence. That said, the thick tyres and generous ground clearance genuinely give it the ability to tackle almost anything, with its symmetrical all-wheel drive (and X-Mode) further backing up the cheques its rally heritage writes when road conditions turn slippery or rocky.

Forester

And while some might see this as a negative, it could be construed that the sense of ruggedness further emphasised by the material quality found with this Subaru, which frankly is not the most premium in terms of look or feel. The upside though to all that hard plastic is that everything feels like it could sustain a decade (or more) of hard familial use and abuse, and still come up looking as fresh as it did the day it left the factory.

Conclusion

Just keeping it somewhat short at the end here, if you’re looking for the latest and greatest with showroom-wow features, look elsewhere. But if you want a sensible, dependable, and genuinely practical family hauler, the Subaru Forester is still a compelling option.

Yes, this admittedly aging Scooby is far from the most glamorous choice, but it’s one of the most honest. And if there’s one thing experience should have taught us, it’s that honesty really is the best policy.