New Subaru Forester for Russia - old engines, new price

As it became known, dealerships in Russia announced the start of accepting pre-orders for the new Subaru Forester 2021 crossover. The biggest premiere was the debut of the sports version of the Subaru Forester, which took place in Japan in October 2020. Such a modification got a turbocharged petrol boxer CB18 engine with a volume of 1.8 liters and a power of 177 hp. (maximum torque 300 Nm). Following the engine, the engineers completely re-tuned the suspension, thereby adding the sporty characteristics of the new modification.

Less than half a year later, at the beginning of November, representatives of the Subaru company announced the premiere of the sports modification of the Subaru Forester for the territory of the Russian Federation on the territory of Russia. To be more precise, the presentation took place on November 5, offering to evaluate all the charms and characteristics of the new Subaru Forester Sport, but here it was not without nuances.

The presented Subaru Forester Sport soon turned out to be under the sport version and differs very well in terms of technical characteristics from the original Japanese. The reason lies in the absence of a turbocharged engine and a standard chassis, although outwardly there is practically nothing different.

Digging deeper, it becomes clear that the Subaru Forester Sport modification, in fact, remained the same for the Russian Federation. Hidden under the hood is a 2.5-liter boxer naturally aspirated engine with a capacity of 185 hp. and 239 Nm of torque. The same unit is now installed on the sold conventional Forester modification. In tandem, a wedge-chain variator (Lineartronic) is installed to the engine, respectively, the drive is full.

The question remains, what is the Sport prefix in the new 2021 Subaru Forester? Actually, there is nothing special for the Russian Federation, the company decided to limit itself only to visual elements. The characteristic differences of the new Forester Sport 2021 will be orange inserts on the front and rear bumpers, the same inserts will be on the rails and sills, the radiator grill. The crossover is based on 18 ″ alloy wheels painted black. The edging for the front LED fog lights will be made in the same shade.

The salon of the new Subaru Forester Sport 2021 for Russia was also transformed. The interior gets orange stitching, orange inserts on the air ducts and orange edging near the transmission lever. For the upholstery of the front seats and door linings of the car, the designers used a water-repellent fabric. Another difference for Forester Sport in Russia is the presence of the EyeSight complex. With the updates, it is worth noting the driver monitoring system, which was previously not in all top modifications.

In case of drowsiness of the driver, poor condition or loss of consciousness, the system makes a decision and can completely stop the car. The advantage will be the Driver Monitoring System, which can remember up to 5 different drivers. Using the saved settings, the system recognizes the driver and restores the settings for the seat, side mirrors and multimedia system.

In addition to the "sports" Subaru Forester, the usual configuration of the Forester 2021 was also presented in Russia. As a sport version, the usual modification received the Driver Monitoring System, and a front camera was additionally installed. The buyer will be offered to choose a complete set, where the interior trim is made of brown leather. As before, the Standard, Comfort and Elegance trim levels received the same naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine (150 horsepower and 196 Nm of torque).

The Subaru Forester Elegance + and Premium trim levels for Russia received a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine. Regardless of the unit, only a variator and an all-wheel drive system are paired. Despite minor design changes, the price of the crossover has increased by 40,000-9,000 rubles, compared to the version currently on sale.

It is worth noting that the new Subaru Forester will be delivered to Russia from Japan, like other models of the company. According to the sales statistics, in the period from January to September 2020, dealers in Russia sold 3272 crossovers, which is 11% less than the same period in 2019. The Forester model is considered the best-selling model of the brand on the territory of the Russian Federation.

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