2023 Subaru Forester facelift officially launched - Basic Eyesight ADAS as standard, new front end, from RM174k

TC Subaru, the official distributor of Subarus in Malaysia has finally launched the facelift Subaru Forester, after quietly bringing it into the country last month.

The new Subaru is still the fifth-generation Forester, but the update on the SUV has brought some new life to the vehicle through an altered front fascia as well as updated safety features.

Four variants are offered with prices starting from RM174k. The variants and prices are:

• 2.0i-L Eyesight - RM174,288 
• 2.0i-L GT Lite Edition Eyesight - RM180,288 
• 2.0i-S Eyesight - RM184,288 
• 2.0i-S GT Edition Eyesight - RM196,288 

No matter which variant you buy, the Forester will come with newly redesigned headlights and glossy blacked-out radiator grille surround. The 2.0i-S and 2.0i-S GT gets a more sophisticated set of headlights, which feature auto high beam and steering responsive headlights.

The other big update is of course the inclusion of Subaru's basic Eyesight system as standard, but the top two variants get additional features in the form of pre-collision braking with autonomous emergency steering and rear vehicle detection. All variants get:

• Adaptive cruise control with lane centering
• Lane departure warning and prevention
• Lane sway warning
• Lead vehicle departure alert and pre-collision throttle management

Everything else is business as usual, which means the Forester is equipped with the same 2.0-litre flat-four unit with direct injection, which produces 156PS and 196Nm, mated to Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT and distributed to all-four wheels via the Symmetrical AWD system.

Other noticeable differences between the top two variants and the rest of the lineup include:

• Inclusion of 18" wheels
• Special X-Mode Vehicle Dynamics Control system

All prices are for Peninsular Malaysia, OTR w/o insurance, and come with a 5-year, 100,000 km warranty.