Subaru NZ outlines changes and price lift for mid-life refresh.

LATE September has been confirmed as the availability starting point for local availability of the updated Subaru Forester.

Detail and technical changes outlined by MotoringNZ.com on June 16, in wake of an international presentation by the brand, (https://www.motoringnz.com/news/2021/6/16/updated-forester-revealed) all appear confirmed for New Zealand.

Subaru NZ has confirmed it will retain five variants, all with current drivetrains (so, two with the 2.0-litre petrol-electric and the remainder in naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre, both with CVT) and prices from $42,990 for a base 2.5 through to $54,990, the latter buying a Premium hybrid. The most expensive 2.5 is also a Premium, $2000 below the petrol electric.

The new prices appear to present as $500 (base) to $3000 (Premium) increases on the full RRPs that attached to equivalent predecessors. Subaru NZ has not shared reasons for the increases, though obviously there is a technical update to consider.

Local boss Wallis Dumper says the car has become “simply more of a good thing” as result of its mid-life facelift.

The car is easily spotted as the front end has been refreshed with revised headlights, fog lights, front bumper and grille treatment.

As previously explained, it gains an enhanced Eyesight crash avoidance technology – with lane centring, lane departure prevention and autonomous emergency steering now added - and achieves a suspension retune, new engine mounts, a revised X-mode and hill descent and plus cosmetic refinements.

The altered X-Mode introduces ability to automatically re-engage once the vehicle speed drops to 35 kmh or less.

Foresters with driver monitoring System gain gesture-controlled temperature adjustment for the air-conditioning. It’s the first Subaru model to debut this feature, familiar to BMW drivers.

Dumper says Subaru is having a good run of sales and has warned that Forester supply will be limited.

News of this model ties into Subaru notifying it has built more than 20 million all-wheel drive vehicles since the technology debuted in 1972.

The first Subaru to have all-wheel drive was actually the first Japanese mass-produced AWD passenger car, which was the Subaru Leone 4WD Estate Van, released in September 1972.

It took another 17 years to introduce the system to the New Zealand market. The Subaru Legacy the first locally sold model with full-time AWD in 1989 and its popularity led to Subaru New Zealand going all but entirely (because, you might remember, it briefly had the BRZ) AWD in 1996.