The Forester has always been Subaru’s most honest car. A capable vehicle designed to take the family off road, it has long maintained a sporting pedigree. Today, it’s still an all-wheel drive SUV, only now with a little more polish and sharper tech.
From the outside, the facelift is substantial but not radical. The Sport variant wears black metallic 18-inch alloy wheels, blacked out mirrors, roof rails and body trim, a stronger front fascia with LED headlights and cornering lamps plus subtle green accents everywhere.
Slim pillars and an upright glasshouse offer excellent visibility, with the Japanese car maker prioritising function over fashion. That’s oddly refreshing in a world with a bunch of different look-alike offerings from other brands.
Step inside and you’ll find a portrait-style 11.6-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with a 6-speaker sound system. Audio quality is decent, and crisp, but not over the top.
Thankfully, Subaru has maintained physical buttons and knobs to control things such as climate, radio and volume. It gives the dashboard some life and diversity. Just below that you’ll find a wireless charger and USB-C port.
Steering wheel controls are equally comprehensive. The left side handles all the media and phone functionality while the right side manages EyeSight tech. The buttons are nice and tactile, large enough to click them with gloves on.
The seats are wrapped in a nice water-repellent synthetic leather, which strikes a great middle ground between durability and comfort. This is ideal for kids, dogs or trips to the beach and pool.
For the colder days heated seats also come standard up front, and the cabin also comes with excellent insulation, offering better temperature regulation and road noise dampening. Storage is a huge plus too.
Big door bins, twin centre cupholders and a 498-litre boot capacity feature, with the latter expanding to 1174-litres with the second row folded. Tie downs and cargo hooks add usability.
Power comes from a tried and tested 2.5-litre naturally aspirated 4-banger boxer engine, delivering 136kW and 247Nm through a slightly disappointing Lineartronic CVT to all four wheels.
On paper, those specs aren’t earth shattering but it does make for a zippy, but somewhat lacklustre, combo. The transmission is a little underdone in terms of responsiveness and generates excessive noise at higher speeds.
Two dedicated power modes (Intelligent and Si or Sport), offer the opportunity for the car to decide what’s best, or a bit more punch – in the case of the latter. Looking past drivability, the Forester Sport boasts 1800kg braked towing capacity.
Fuel economy is a claimed 7.9-litres/100km, which is not too bad for a full-time AWD SUV. On the road, the suspension is composed and steering feel is good. It feels quite secure and balanced on the freeway, thanks to its trademark low centre of gravity.
Around corners, the Forester showed no mercy as it delivered plenty of grip and handled like a classic rally legend. Hit the dirt, and X-Mode steps in, managing throttle, braking and torque delivery for slippery or loose surfaces.
With 220mm of ground clearance, the Subaru had no issues venturing further down dirt tracks than most mid-sized SUVs either. And while it’s not athletic in the traditional sense, the CVT keeps things linear, rather than lively.
It’s predictable, and while that’s unexciting, it is good for a family car that’s built for the long game. Safety tech is among the best in the industry, with the latest version of EyeSight offering an array of driver assist technology (and a 5-star ANCAP rating).
The long list includes adaptive cruise control with lane centring, emergency steering assist, traffic sign recognition and the new emergency driving stop system that can bring the car to a halt if the driver becomes unresponsive.
The driver monitoring system watches for fatigue or distraction and even remembers your seat and mirror position based on facial recognition. Add a 360-degree camera setup, blind spot monitoring and reverse automatic braking, and you’ve got all your bases covered.
The Forester Sport comes with a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with capped price servicing for the same period. Additionally, Subaru has a “1 month health check and chat” program, this is a free follow-up visit soon after delivery.
It’s a nice small gesture that underlines Subaru’s confidence in it’s build quality. Priced from $53,990 drive away, the 2026 Forester Sport doesn’t try to reinvent a formula, it simply redesigns the existing one to suit today’s vehicle needs.
It’s a dependable everyday SUV that can still handle muddy driveways or gravel fire trails without a second thought. Its not fast, flashy or particularly new feeling under the bonnet, but it does what any good Subaru does, and that’s comfortable, reliable transport.
If you value stability, practicality and real world capability the Forester Sport nails the brief. You can find out more on the Subaru Australia website, or by talking to your local dealership.
To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by Subaru Australia for independent review purposes. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to test this vehicle.
