Why Buy the 2024 Subaru Forester

Why Buy the 2024 Subaru Forester?

Americans love SUVs, and some automakers have tailored their catalogs to align with that demand, cutting cars altogether in some cases. Subaru has long offered vehicles with the utility of an SUV but the maneuverability and performance of much smaller vehicles, though some of its models have grown over the years. Though it’s now considered a compact SUV, the Forester began life with more of a wagon shape. It’s a popular seller for Subaru, and the SUV enters 2024 with no significant changes to report. 

Subaru Forester Exterior Design

The Forester comes standard with 17-inch wheels, and Subaru designs in plenty of black plastic body cladding to protect it from bumps and bangs on the trail. A styling refresh back in 2022 brought sharper headlights, a larger grille, and a boxier shape, along with a new Wilderness trim that gets more ground clearance, beefier tires, and black exterior trim. That look hasn’t changed for 2024.

Stepping up to the Forester Sport trim brings 18-inch wheels and gloss-black exterior trim. Subaru also equips a black rear spoiler and roof rail mounts. Forester Wilderness models get 9.2 inches of ground clearance and 17-inch matte black wheels wrapped in Yokohama all-terrain tires. The Wilderness also gets an exclusive front-end design with a unique grille and front fascia.

Forester Limited models come with black 18-inch alloy wheels, and new fog light covers with geometric textures. The range-topping Forester Touring adds satin chrome exterior trim, LED fog lights, silver roof rails, chrome badging, and unique side valances.

Interior Design

Subaru listens to its owners, and its interior designs reflect that focus. Though not the most visually interesting space in the industry, the Forester’s cabin is spacious, comfortable, and usable. Depending on the configuration, the Forester offers rugged, durable materials that can stand up to abuse from people and pets, and they make the SUV a ready-made companion for outdoor adventures. 

Cloth upholstery comes standard, but Subaru offers synthetic and genuine hides in higher trims. The synthetic leather is water resistant, making it ideal for owners with dogs that use their Forester for camping, hiking, and other activities. Heated front and rear seats are available, and Subaru offers a heated steering wheel in higher trim levels. 

Technology

The base Forester gets a 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen running Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other standard features include Bluetooth, USB-A inputs, a 3.5mm auxiliary input jack, and more. The Premium trim adds HD radio, SiriusXM radio, and additional USB ports. Stepping up to the Forester Sport brings the option to add an 8-inch touchscreen with a Harman Kardon sound system.

Subaru’s infotainment interface is relatively easy to use, and the Forester’s display screens are decently responsive. The system offers a colorful interface with easy-to-understand menus and settings. Unlike many automakers, Subaru includes physical controls for climate settings and other features, which makes the Forester easier to live with and less distracting while driving.

Subaru Forester Safety Tech

All Foresters come with Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, which brings adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warnings, lane departure alerts, lane keep assist, sway warnings, and lead vehicle start alerts. Higher trims add blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts. Subaru also equips seven airbags. 

That safety equipment helped the 2023 Forester earn a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The IIHS rated it “Good” in most areas, but the SUV earned a “Marginal” score in the moderate overlap front crash test and an “Acceptable” rating in the new side crash test. The IIHS updated its testing criteria for 2023 to include more intense impacts for side testing, which emulates the heavier EVs and SUVs that dominate our roads.

If you’re looking for a go-anywhere SUV with weather-conquering all-wheel drive and plenty of interior space, it’s hard to beat the Subaru Forester. Its value and usability help it stand out in an increasingly crowded field of competitors, and its off-road attitude should place it high on the shopping lists of anyone who enjoys getting outside. Contact us today to schedule your test drive, and talk to us about our APR and lease specials to make a Subaru Forester home in your driveway.