Following the start of order taking in September this year, the sixth-generation Subaru Forester has now officially gone on sale in Malaysia – the SUV was first revealed globally back in November 2023.
We’re getting the Forester in a sole 2.5i-S EyeSight variant which comes fully imported (CBU) from Japan. This is in line with what TC Subaru (TCS) announced last May after Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL) confirmed the end of complete knock down (CKD) operations in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia by the end of 2024 – the previous, fifth-generation Forester came from Thailand.
In terms of pricing, the Forester 2.5i-S EyeSight goes for RM221,500 before on-the-road costs and insurance, which makes it more expensive than the outgoing, top-spec Forester GT Edition EyeSight at RM188,800 (also retail price).
For the money, you’re getting a FB25 2.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine that delivers 185 PS (182 hp or 136 kW) at 5,800 rpm and 247 Nm of torque at 3,700 rpm. The petrol mill is mated to Subaru’s TR58 Lineartronic CVT and Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system (with Active Torque Vectoring), enabling a 0-100 km/h time of 9.7 seconds and top speed of 205 km/h.
The powertrain, which also features front MacPherson struts and rear double wishbones, is paired with an enhanced Subaru Global Platform that sees an increase in rigidity by 10% for better ride comfort. Body torsional rigidity is also up 30%, with the revised shape being 4,655 mm long (+15 mm compared to the previous Forester), 1,830 mm wide (+15 mm), 1,730 mm tall (unchanged) and a wheelbase that spans 2,670 mm (also unchanged).
For adventure-seeking buyers, the Forester offers 220 mm of ground clearance, hill descent control and dual-function X-Mode, the last of which comes with expanded functionality compared to regular X-Mode. Meanwhile, Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive) enables drivers to choose from Intelligent and Sport modes for engine response.
Styling-wise, the Forester appears similar to the outgoing model, but with bolder design cues like a larger grille with black inserts, two-tier front lighting, a more rugged-looking front bumper and squared wheel arches with accompanying black cladding.
Inside, the Forester’s redesigned dashboard is in line with other Subaru models, most notably the vertically-oriented 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen that integrates the climate controls that cuts down on the number of tactile controls on the dash. The steering wheel and gear selector remain familiar to those who have been in the older Forester.
As for standard equipment, the Forester comes with 18-inch wheels (225/55 profile tyres), LED exterior lighting (headlamps, front and rear fog lamps, taillights), rain-sensing wipers, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with brown stitching, leather seat upholstery, powered front seats (10-way driver, eight-way passenger), 60:40 split-folding rear seats, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a wireless charging pad.
The kit list continues with analogue gauges flanking a 4.2-inch multi-info display, paddle shifters, an electronic parking brake (with auto hold), Vehicle Dynamics Control (Subaru’s version of ESC), eight airbags (front, side, curtain, driver’s knee, front passenger seat cushion), a multi-view camera, a driver monitoring system, LED cornering lamp and steering-responsive headlamps.
The EyeSight system is the enhanced 4.0 version, which sees the use of a wide-angle monocular camera and stereo cameras to provide driver assist functions. These include pre-collision braking (AEB), autonomous emergency steering, adaptive cruise control, lane centring control and preceding vehicle adaptive steering control, lane departure prevention, pre-collision throttle management, lead vehicle start alert and high beam assist.
Colour options for the Forester include three newly developed hues called River Rock Pearl, Cashmere Gold Opal and Daybreak Blue Pearl. These are joined by Crystal White Pearl, Ice Silver Metallic, Magnetite Grey Metallic, Crystal Black Silica, Crimson Red Pearl, Sapphire Blue Pearl, Brilliant Bronze Metallic and Autumn Green Metallic. A five-year/100,000-km warranty accompanies each purchase along with five years of free service.
GALLERY: 2026 Subaru Forester 2.5i-S EyeSight
GALLERY: 2026 Subaru Forester official photos
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DOA. Anything TC touches turned into dust
221k…. subaru can fly kite and goodbye-malaysia already
Ain’t nobody going to spend RM200k on a car that looks below RM100k. Same goes with Innova zenix
This will be more rare than the Kia Sorento on our roads. Both overpriced models in a race to the bottom of the sales charts.
Bring it on, it’s a game changer
Well, this will suffer the same fate as Toyota RAV4 years ago. Before launch already dead in the water . Susah la JApann automakers .
The RAV4 is Toyota’s biggest selling SUV in higher income countries. It’s us Malaysians that are too poor to afford them.