Subaru’s 2018 Forester is the rare crossover SUV that’s equally adept on-road and off-road – Kelley Blue Book
The 2018 Subaru Forester comes with two engine options. The standard one is a 2.5L Flat-4 engine producing about 170 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque, whereas it also gets an optional turbocharged 2.0L turbocharged Flat-4 engine, good for 250 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The 2.5L focuses more on efficiency and affordability while the 2.0L is all about performance.
The Forester handles surprisingly well for a tall SUV with the top end 2.0XT Touring getting Torque Vectoring too. The base and 2.5i Premium trims can be had with a standard 6-speed manual setup, or an optional CVT too. While the rest of the trims are offered with a standard CVT setup. Despite having the manual setup, the Forester still lags that fun-to-drive character.
Models |
2018 Subaru Forester |
2018 Ford Escape |
2018 Honda CR-V |
2018 Toyota RAV4 |
MSRP |
$23,710 |
$23,850 |
$24,150 |
$ 24,510 |
Engine |
2.5L Boxer 4 Gas engine |
2.5L Inline 4 Gas engine |
2.4L Inline 4 Gas engine |
2.5L 4-cylinder Gas engine |
Transmission |
6-speed manual |
6-speed Automatic |
CVT |
6-speed automatic |
Power |
170 hp @ 5800 RPM |
168 hp @ 6000 RPM |
184 hp @ 6400 RPM |
176 hp @ 6000 RPM |
Torque |
174 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM |
170 lb-ft @ 4500 RPM |
180 lb-ft @ 3900 RPM |
172 lb-ft @ 4100 RPM |
The CVT in the Forester does its duties well enough, and the lag in power witnessed is actually quite negligible. Coming over to the competition, the Honda CR-V, is yet again the most powerful SUV out here, even with a smaller capacity engine.
2018 Subaru Forester Acceleration
The 2018 Subaru Forester does the 0-60 MPH run in just about 8.7 seconds. This is with the base standard 2.5L Boxer engine. The more potent 250 hp turbocharged 2.0L version will surely bring that time down to less than 8.5 seconds. The quarter-mile with the same base engine is covered up in just 16.9 seconds. This is pretty respectable for a family-centric practical SUV.
Models |
2018 Subaru Forester |
2018 Ford Escape |
2018 Honda CR-V |
2018 Toyota RAV4 |
0-60 MPH |
8.7 sec |
9.1 sec |
8.6 sec |
8.3 sec |
Quarter mile |
16.9 sec |
16.8 sec |
16.7 sec |
17.0 sec |
Subaru believes, that all compromises in the performance criteria only aids in for the best results on the MPG front, and rightly so, even if the Forester is the slowest accelerating car in the segment, it more than makes up for it in the fuel economy sector. The 6-speed manual transmission is not of much help here too.
2018 Subaru Forester Ride and Handling
The 2018 Subaru Forester is surely on the practical side of the handling department, rather than on the sporty side. Nevertheless, having said that, the Forester does have a certain agile and nimble handling characteristic to it. Taking on corners is not that cumbersome, as the body roll is minimal. The steering response is also the best-in-class. Add to it the torque-vectoring system now available in the higher-end trims, and sharp turns are no more a difficult task. The famed Subaru AWD system, also allows the Forester to take on any terrain with ease. It certainly strikes a nice balance between ride comfort and stability.
2018 Subaru Forester Braking
The 2018 Subaru Forester is equipped with 11.6-inch brake rotors up front and 10/8-inch rotors in the back. All of this partnered with plenty of braking tech brings the Forester to a complete stop from 60-0 MPH in just about 122 ft. The brakes do feel confident and have enough bite in them for emergency stops.
Model |
2018 Subaru Forester |
2018 Ford Escape |
2018 Honda CR-V |
2018 Toyota RAV4 |
Brake pads-front(in) |
11.6 |
12.8 |
11.1 |
10.8 |
Brake pads Rear(in) |
10.8 |
12 |
10.2 |
11.2 |
Curb weight(lbs) |
3322 |
3552 |
3307 |
3455 |
60-0 MPH (ft.) |
122 |
112 |
117 |
122 |
The competition on the other hand, in this case, with the Ford Escape, has the largest brake rotors in the segment, and also is the heaviest crossover of the lot. Thus it comes to a stop quite easily and earlier than the other rivals.