Updated Forester to be arriving in ASEAN soon.
Subaru has recently given its fifth-generation Forester a mild mid-cycle nip-and-tuck. The 2021 Subaru Forester gets a turbocharged engine to replace the naturally aspirated Boxer unit that has been serving thousands of current owners since its arrival in May 2016.
will deliver 177bhp and an impressive 300Nm of torque. This 1.8L horizontally-opposed direct-injection turbo engine will further boost its appeal here in Malaysia against its immediate rivals. This new Boxer turbo engine with lean-burn technology balances acceleration and environmental performance at a high level. It also brings superior dynamic quality with its strong torque.
Not much will change in the interior of the already well equipped Forester Sport and on the exterior there will be minor design tweaks to encourage buyers back into Motor Image showrooms nationwide to look closer at this more powerful and sporty family vehicle.
To start, this Forester Sport will be introduced in Japan and it might take at least a year before it is launched in ASEAN nations. This is because the Subaru Forester is currently assembled in Thailand (its first factory in Asia outside of Japan which started operations in early 2019) domestic sales as well as export to Malaysia, Singapore and neighboring countries.
Coming three years after its original global launch, this update that debut on the Japan-market models brings with it a slightly updated face, a slightly posher interior and a slightly improved active safety suite.
Starting off with the slightly updated face first, the face-lifted Forester gains a redesigned hexagonal front grille flanked on either side by sleeker LED headlight clusters. A new bolder-looking front bumper makes an appearance too, featuring either round or vertical LED fog lights inset within it depending on the trim levels selected.
Moving further down the face-lifted Forester meanwhile, it becomes apparent that the term facelift here has been taken quite literally by Subaru, as there have not been any major exterior revisions made past the face of this revised SUV. The rear for instance is virtually identical to its pre-updated predecessors, though it is nevertheless worth noting that a new set of 18-inch wheel designs is on offer, as well as the availability of three new exterior hues: Autumn Green Metallic, Cascade Green Silica, Brilliant Bronze Metallic.
Much the same story could be repeated within the Forester too, as the only immediately noticeable updates made here are a selection of new upholstery and trim choices. Digging a little deeper into the spec sheets however reveals that Subaru has given its EyeSight active safety suite a wider angle stereo camera and better optimized software, as well as retuning the ride of this SUV for improved ‘suppleness and sportiness’.
As for the other three trim levels on the other hand, the Touring, X-Break and Advance variants are powered by Subaru’s e-Boxer hybrid powertrain, which consists of a 2.0 liter naturally-aspirated flat-four engine and an electric motor inset within its Lineartronic CVT. Outputting a combined power and torque figure of 145 PS and 188 Nm, the green credentials of these hybrid-engine Foresters is claimed to be further enhanced by the standard inclusion an active front grille shutter and e-Active Shift Control.
Pre-orders for these updated Foresters have already begun in Japan, with speculation of its international debut coming some time later this year. As to when it will arrive in Malaysia, seeing as Subaru Malaysia is now offering some hefty discounts on the current iteration, it therefore points to these face-lifted models landing locally in the very near future too
