Meet the sixth-generation Subaru Forester: same Subaru Global Platform (SGP), but pretty much a brand-new car. Everything you can see and touch, and quite a lot under the skin, is completely fresh.
Especially if we’re talking about the e-Boxer hybrid model, which features a powertrain that Subaru project general manager for ICE and hybrid vehicles Katsuro Tadaki calls “the most significant evolution in Forester’s history”. That’s a long history, remember: Forester was one of the original crossover-SUVs (albeit slightly behind Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V) when it was launched in 1997.
Subaru has even come up with a new initialisation for its technology (as if we didn’t have enough around electrification already): this is an SHEV, or “strong hybrid electric vehicle”.
Subaru held a preview of the new model for New Zealand and Australian media this week, ahead of its public debut at Melbourne Motor Show today and tomorrow (April 5-6).
So we’ve looked, we’ve touched and we’ve sat in it. But despite the presence of Tadaki-san and a number of other Japanese and Australasian executives at the reveal, painfully few technical details were shared for this model, which is due for launch in NZ mid-year.
What we know about the 6th-gen Forester so far
The key takeaways on the day were that the strong-hybrid Forester has a larger petrol engine and much more powerful electric motor than the outgoing model; it retains a mechanical AWD system and 220mm ground clearance, meaning it’s four-wheel drive all the time and designed to be pretty capable off-tarmac. The chassis has been strengthened by 10% and the hill descent control (HDC) now works in both forward and reverse.
Power, torque, fuel economy, EV-mode range, Kiwi-market specification? All in the “we’re not sharing that at the moment” category.
Not to worry. We know what we (think) we know from other sources, so let’s dig a bit deeper. The previous Forester hybrid was still a full hybrid with an electric motor, but had a few shortcomings in terms of performance and fuel economy; the latter was only a few tenths of a litre better than the standard petrol car.
The strong hybrid moves up from the previous 2.0-litre engine to a new 2.5-litre flat-four: same capacity as the ICE model, but the e-Boxer SHEV engine runs on a combination of Atkinson and Miller cycles.
Both increase the expansion ratio and reduce the compression ratio compared to standard (Otto cycle) engines, which reduces fuel consumption but also provides less power low-down – which is why both technologies work well in combination with a hybrid system, because the instant torque of the electric component fills in the power-delivery gap. Toyota in particular is a big fan of Atkinson.
How Subaru's new 'strong hybrid' engine is different
The previous Forester hybrid had a 110kW/196Nm petrol engine and 12kW/66Nm electric motor; Subaru never quoted a combined power figure. Based on Forester SHEV specification in other markets, the new powertrain makes a combined 145kW, but more importantly the electric traction motor alone has almost quadrupled in size to 88kW; our understanding is that the motor is sourced from Toyota, which uses the same unit in the RAV4.
On the surface that seems like a big change in emphasis, from a petrol engine with a little bit of assistance from the electric system, to a super-thrifty petrol (no power/torque figures for the engine-alone have been forthcoming) that relies much more on a grunty electric motor for propulsion.
Subaru is claiming a range of up to 1000km on a full tank – admittedly using the Australian ADR test cycle as a guide, which is much less stringent than the 3P-WLTP regime we use in NZ. But based on that and a 48-litre fuel tank, we’re talking about 4.8l/100km, or nearly 2l/100km better than the previous model.
When Subaru of America released the Forester SHEV, it claimed the hybrid is up to 40% more economical than the ICE model in the city and 25% better overall. Very promising.
Subaru’s SHEV is a two-motor system: there’s a motor-generator for the 1.1kWh battery and the separate traction motor. The electric drive comes from within the gearbox, rather than sitting directly on the axle (unlike Toyota’s E-Four system, for example). Subaru is very firm on SHEV being a no-compromise system for off-tarmac driving; the car retains a full-time physical AWD connection to both axles: it’s on all the time, rather than simply reacting to slippage.
Electric power is “enhancing, not replacing” the mechanical AWD system, says Tadaki-san.
Up close and personal with the new Forester SHEV
The Forester wheelbase hasn’t changed and the new model is just 15mm longer and 7mm wider, so the footprint hasn’t changed a whole lot. But the new car has a lot more presence all the same; traditionally a very understated SUV, the 6th-gen car has gone all chunky with lots of off-road-appropriate styling detail.
There’s substantially more character inside too, the standard 11.6in portrait touch screen bringing the dashboard design into line with the latest Outback and Crosstrek. Although the Forester ups the game again, with a nice range of textures right across the fascia, including a quilted-look finish on the passenger-side. The higher-end hybrids have a fully digital instrument cluster.
It feels surprisingly spacious front and rear and the signature Forester large-glasshouse continues. Subaru says the cargo area is not impacted by the hybrid hardware and even larger in this new model. By how much? Sorry, don’t know. Yet.
Another unknown is the NZ lineup, although it’s obvious it’ll be a contraction of the extensive range announced for Australia. For the petrol model, there’s a standard Forester, Premium, Sport and Touring. The hybrid follows the same sequence, but drops out the Premium.
Equipment rises up the range of course, but standard on all models are X-Mode for off-tarmac driving, 9 airbags, new-gen EyeSight, the new Emergency Driving Stop System (which can slow and stop the car if the driver becomes unresponsive), panoramic 360-degree camera system, 11.6in touchscreen with wireless phone projection, and a wireless charging pad.
The Sport model is a visual highlight, with lots of bronze detailing around the body and bronze alloy wheels.
What will the NZ Forester lineup look like?
There are currently 6 models in the Kiwi Forester lineup, including two e-Boxer hybrids.
Where Subaru of NZ will go with this new one is yet to be announced, but we’ll put in our pitch right now: given the bronze bits are a must, the hybrid will sell at a premium over pure-petrol and buyers tend to go high-end when a new model is announced anyway, we’d say Sport and Touring e-Boxer SHEV to kick off for the electrified Kiwi lineup. But your guess is as good as ours.
