2022 Subaru Forester Review

The Subaru Forester can go places most compact SUVs cannot thanks to its higher-than-average ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive. It's also packed with standard safety features and offers a generous amount of cargo capacity. What it doesn't offer is anything in the way of quick acceleration, and we think it's more than a little underpowered.

For 2022, Subaru will be focusing on the Forester's off-road credentials. The new Forester Wilderness raises the ride height by 0.5 inch, giving the vital mechanical components underneath a little more breathing room in heavy snow, over larger rocks or while climbing steeper grades. You also get chunky off-road-friendly tires, underbody protection, unique transmission tuning, increased towing capacity (to 3,000 pounds) and increased weight capacity for the roof rails. Inside, bronze accents set the Wilderness apart from other Foresters.

We like the Forester for its adventure-friendly personality, standard safety features and comfortable interior, though it's not one of our top three compact SUVS. If you wish the Forester had a bit more off-road ability, then you might want to wait for the new Wilderness model, which will accompany the rest of the 2022 lineup when it debuts this fall. Check back with Edmunds to stay on top of updates on the upcoming Subaru Forester.