2022 Subaru Forester

What kind of SUV is the 2022 Subaru Forester? What does it compare to?

The 2022 Subaru Forester fits like the cross-trainer of crossover SUVs. A mid-size five-seat wagon with standard all-wheel drive, it’s spacious, safe, and serious competition for the likes of the Ford Bronco Sport, Toyota RAV4, and Honda CR-V.

Is the 2022 Subaru Forester a good car?

Review continues below

It’s useful beyond compare, and it’s a great bargain, too. We give it a TCC Rating of 6.8 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

What’s new for the 2022 Subaru Forester?

Subaru adds a Wilderness trim level to the lineup, which also includes base, Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring editions. A new front end stamps its face with more grille, and some versions get free automatic emergency steering.

Otherwise, there’s little changed to one of our most highly rated family vehicles, and a prior two-time Best Car To Buy winner. The Forester’s outfitted simply, with a wagon body dressed in interesting details like the brown-butter leather in Touring versions and the Fila-esque trim on Sport models. 

It’s built for work, though its 182-hp flat-4 and CVT don’t conspire to inspire much off-the-line speed: It accelerates adequately, with a fair amount of noise. It’s the ride and the resilient behavior on and off road that draws us to the Forester. It’s tuned to cruise through corners as if it were warming up with deep knee bends; it ambles over rocky dirt paths with X-Mode traction controls and up to 9.2 inches of ground clearance without feeling wobbly. It’s a mud slugger, but it’s anything but profane on the street.

It’s ready to meet your friends, too. Subaru reserves five seats inside, lifts the roof to open up all kinds of head room, and installs hinges to fold down the rear seats to open up the cargo hold to more than 75 cubic feet of things—from mountain bikes to Welsh dressers.

It does it all with nearly faultless crash-test scores and exceptional outward vision—which helps us understand why blind-spot monitors remain an option on base trims.

How much does the 2022 Subaru Forester cost?

It’s $26,320 for a base Forester with 17-inch wheels, cloth upholstery, and a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We’d buy the $29,320 Forester Premium for its bigger touchscreen, power driver seat, and available power tailgate and blind-spot monitors.

Where is the 2022 Subaru Forester made?

In Lafayette, Indiana.