Used 2023 Subaru Forester

Fresh from a revamp last year, the 2023 Forester carries on doing what it does best — providing safe, sure, solid transportation along with strong value. That’s a winning formula.

We count the Forester among the best SUVs. It’s also been a multi-year recipient of the KBB 5-Year Cost to Own Award for its class.

It’s safe to assume that most Foresters are going to be family vehicles, in which case there’s more good news. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has made it a Top Safety Pick+ and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave it a maximum overall score of five stars.

There are other sides to the Forester, though. The Wilderness model is for the more intrepid among us, while the Touring version leans toward the indulgent. With six trims to choose from, the 2023 Forester merits close inspection.

We think the Forester drives just fine. It’s not as buttery smooth as the ultra-refined Honda CR-V, for instance, but that’s in keeping with the Forester’s more rugged character. Most owners may ask nothing more of their 2023 Forester SUV than reliability, half-decent fuel economy, and the reassurance of standard all-wheel drive. On these counts, the Forester will deliver.

With a full load of passengers and cargo going up a mountain road, though, it might be time to press play on that long audiobook. It could take a while. Because engine power is not what we’d call plentiful and the slow-acting automatic transmission (of the continuously variable kind) doesn’t help the driver extract the utmost performance.

Before we get to the other plus points, the lane-keeping assistance system can be too eager to activate. And the engine stop/restart function could be smoother. Fortunately, both can be turned off.

Right, more positives. A comfortable ride quality is one. Active torque vectoring is another. This standard feature makes the outside rear wheel turn quicker than its inside counterpart when tracking through a corner. It’s an efficient method for tackling turns.

Large glass areas provide excellent outward vision, helping the 2023 Forester’s 5-passenger cabin to feel spacious and airy at the same time. Actually, it doesn’t just feel roomy, it really is.

Rear legroom is as generous as some midsize sedans, so four adults will fit in this compact SUV with ease. The only thing to be aware of is that the optional moonroof reduces headroom and cargo space a touch, if such considerations are important.

It’s easy to forgive the occasional bit of cheap plastic in the Forester’s cabin and concentrate instead on things like the comfortable seats and the storage areas. Cargo space goes from 28.9 cubic feet (rear seats up) to 74.2 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down.

Adding a little more visual interest, the adventure-oriented Forester Wilderness has more ground clearance (9.2 inches, compared with the usual 8.7 inches), extra side cladding, a skid plate, and matte-black alloy wheels wearing Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires. This model also has the strongest roof rails of the lineup, able to handle up to 800 pounds when parked — ideal for a rooftop tent.

1. All-wheel drive
Reassuring in slippery conditions, optimizing traction in the dry, every new Forester SUV comes with all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard. Yet prices remain competitive against rivals with front-wheel drive.

2. Large liftgate opening
The practicality of a large aperture to access the cargo area shouldn’t be underestimated or under-appreciated. Measuring 51.2 inches at its widest point (49.5 inches at the lower area), it’s one of the best in its class.

3. Premium trim
For an extra $3,000 over the base 2023 Forester, this trim level adds several desirable features like heated front seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, plus eligibility for blind-spot monitoring and a powered liftgate.

4. A choice in the Wilderness
The Wilderness model adds extra bells and whistles to its all-wheel-drive system. There are driving modes to deal with snow and mud, plus a low-speed/low-ratio setting for descending steep slopes.

5. Gesture control
An exclusive feature in the top Touring trim, the driver can adjust the automatic climate control’s temperature with the wave of a hand.

6. Perforated leather seating surfaces
Available in black or saddle brown. Another Touring-only feature, but a nice touch of luxury.

Two pairs of cylinders opposing each other horizontally, instead of the more common “all four upright and in a line” approach. That’s the flat-4 (or boxer) configuration, which is a Subaru hallmark.

Not that it has any specific advantage in terms of power. Devoid of any turbochargers or superchargers, the 2.5-liter unit in every Forester SUV takes regular gasoline and turns it into a relatively modest 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque.

For context, the Toyota RAV4, hardly the wildest thing in its class, makes more.

Engine output goes through a continuously variable automatic transmission to a standard all-wheel-drive system. The Wilderness version has its all-wheel-drive hardware set up with extra off-road abilities in mind, so it uses a little more fuel.

3-year/36,000-mile Warranty

Warranties for the 2023 Forester are a basic 3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever occurs first) along with 5 years or 60,000 miles for the powertrain.

Maximum towing capacity for most of the 2023 Forester range is 1,500 pounds. The Wilderness model, however, can handle up to 3,000 pounds.

2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine
182 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
176 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 26/33 mpg, 25/28 mpg (Wilderness)