REVIEW: 2019 Subaru Forester in Malaysia – RM140k

Last month saw the launch of the fifth-generation Subaru Forester in Malaysia, but prior to that, we were given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the SUV on a long distance drive from Penang to Bangkok, and we’re sharing our thoughts about it in this video review.

As a refresher, the latest Forester was first unveiled at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, and rides on the Subaru Global Platform (SGP) that also underpins the latest XV, Impreza and Ascent. While the overall shape remains familiar, the SUV does receive some changes to its design to give it more of a visual impact.

The new car is also 30 mm longer than before at 4,625 mm, with all of it going to the wheelbase that now spans 2,670 mm. Other dimensional changes include an increase in width that now measures 1,815 mm (+20 mm), and decrease in height of five mm to 1,730 mm.

Engine-wise, the Forester models we drove are Thailand-spec models, and all of them are powered by a FB20 2.0 litre naturally-aspirated direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine, which serves up 156 PS at 6,000 rpm and 196 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, paired with a Lineartronic CVT and Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. This is the same setup we have in our market, and it should be noted that our units are fully-imported (CBU) from Thailand.

We’ll prepare a full written review later on but for now, do enjoy the video and share your thoughts about the new Forester in the comments below.

2019 Subaru Forester 2.0i-S ES (Malaysia-spec)

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