USED BUYER'S GUIDE Subaru Forester Mk5

FROM £20,000 Subaru’s off-road estate is a left-field choice. Here’s what to look out for

- Richard Dredge

THIS year marks three decades since we had our first glimpse of the original Subaru Forester, albeit in concept form. It was at the 1995 Tokyo motor show that the Subaru Streega was unveiled, and the first-generation Forester went on sale two years later.

Always a left-field choice for those who can't decide between an SUV and an estate car, the Forester combines elements of both, with four-wheel drive as standard.

We're now on the sixth-generation Forester, which arrived in 2024, but here we're looking at the Mk5, which was Subaru's most popular model in this country when it was launched.

HISTORY

THE Forester Mk5 reached UK showrooms in November 2019 with one powertrain option. That was a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, backed up by a lithium-ion battery powering a 16bhp electric motor.

This set-up produced 148bhp, which was sent to all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission; no other powertrains would be offered throughout the life of this generation of Forester.

A facelift arrived at the end of 2022, with a Sport edition slotted in between the XE and XE Premium. There was a new front-end design, extra driver-assistance systems, and recalibrated suspension for a more comfortable ride.

WHICH SHOULD I BUY?

YOU don't have too many choices to make, because the model range was narrow and there aren't that many Foresters on the used market. You'll probably end up with the option of an XE Premium, or maybe a Sport.