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Trims, Powertrain, and Fuel Economy

Subaru sells the ‘23 Forester in Base, Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited, and Touring trim levels. Under the hood of each is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that whisks out 182 hp and 176 lb.-ft. of torque. Every trim gets a continuously variable transmission (CVT), but the CVT in the Sport, Limited, and Touring has a seven-speed manual mode, while the Wilderness’s has eight speeds. As mentioned above, all-wheel drive comes standard.

According to the EPA’s official fuel economy estimates, the ‘23 Forester achieves 26 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. With its additional equipment, the Wilderness is the outlier, returning 25 city/28 highway. If you plan on towing, note that most trims can pull up to 1,500 pounds, except for the more robust Wilderness, which can tow up to 3,000 lb.

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Base

The Base trim has no shortage of standard comfort and convenience features, getting remote keyless entry, auto-on/off steering-responsive LED headlights, a power auto-up/down driver’s-side window, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, an overhead console sunglasses holder, automatic climate control, a 60/40-split flat-folding rear seatback, and a cargo area with an underfloor storage compartment for safeguarding valuables. Raised roof rails are optional. This trim also gets a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment stocked with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming, a four-speaker sound system, and a USB data port.

On the safety side, the Base comes with the brand’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology suite, which bundles a pre-collision braking system, pre-collision throttle management, lane departure and sway warning, and advanced adaptive cruise control with lane centering. Automatic high beams are standard as well.

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Premium

The Premium dials up the Forester’s appeal with standard raised roof rails plus proximity entry, fog lights, a roof spoiler, a panoramic moonroof, push-button ignition, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, an auto-up/down power passenger-side window, and reclining rear seatbacks with a fold-down center armrest and cupholders. It also eases the discomforts of winter driving with heated front seats, heated side mirrors, and a windshield wiper de-icer.

The Premium also receives a better infotainment system with HD radio, satellite radio (SiriusXM), a six-speaker sound system, an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot, and one more USB data port. These desirable features are made optional: a power liftgate, a color multifunction display, dual rear USB charge ports, and blind-spot monitoring with lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert.

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Sport

The Sport’s standard features list includes most of the Premium’s available features, minus the power liftgate (which remains optional). It also gets LED fog lights, side mirrors with turn-signal indicators, a stainless-steel exhaust port, a leather-wrapped shift knob, unique cloth upholstery with orange contrast stitching, paddle shifters, and a removable tray in the cargo area. It’s eligible to upgrades its infotainment array with an 8-inch touchscreen, voice recognition, and a nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. Reverse automatic braking is optional as an addition to the safety suite.

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Wilderness

The action-ready Wilderness receives the 8-inch touchscreen and reverse automatic braking system that are optional on the Sport. On top of that, it has a range of functional upgrades in the form of higher ground clearance (9.2 inches vs. 8.7 in. with the other trims), all-terrain tires, signature hexagonal LED fog lights, and upgraded roof rails that can support 220 pounds when moving as well as 800 lb. when it’s parked, making it ideal for campers who want to pitch a rooftop tent.

The Wilderness trim is also ready to take on wet passengers – human as well as canine – with water-repellent StarTex upholstery. Dual-zone automatic climate control, a one-touch folding rear seatback, and a 180-degree front-view monitor also join the list of standard equipment. The power liftgate and Harman Kardon sound system are still optional, but unlike the previous trims, the Wilderness is eligible for integrated navigation.

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Limited

The power liftgate is finally made standard in the Limited, as is genuine leather upholstery. That said, it loses out on some features of the Wilderness (the higher ground clearance, all-terrain tires, stronger roof rails, water-repellent upholstery, 180-degree front-view monitor and reverse automatic braking system, which can be added back as an option). In lieu of the hexagonal LED fog lights, it gets conventional non-LEDs fog lights. Its list of options contains a heated steering wheel, navigation, and the Harman Kardon sound system.

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Touring

At the top of the range, the Touring gets all those available add-ons as standard equipment. It also receives the LED fog lights, a power-adjustable front passenger’s seat, position memory for the driver’s seat and side mirror, heated rear outboard seats, and Subaru’s DriverFocus distraction mitigation system.