If you rent a car from one of the major firms such as Hertz, Avis, Sixt and Enterprise, you will generally find a selection of current models, mostly with fairly low mileages, though in recent years, many have found that they can keep cars on fleet for longer than they used to without undue operational challenges, thereby getting a better return on the cash they spend sourcing the cars initially. So once a model has been out of production for a few months, chances are, you won’t be able to source a test example from at least the major rental fleets any more. I’ve missed a few significant cars over the years as a consequence of this, despite my best efforts to try not to miss out. The rental car business was badly affected by Covid and the associated lockdowns, and then found, as rental volumes started to increase, a second problem in lack of supply of new cars arising from the global chip supply crisis, so large rental fleets in 2022 do not always conform to the norms you used to see. In an effort to ensure there were enough cars to meet rising demand, the rental car companies have had to keep cars on fleet for longer and also have resorted to buying pre-owned vehicles as well as those from brands that would not usually feature in their fleets. So there is more variety than ever at present, with older models (often still with very low mileages), and cars in higher trim spec than usual. The car under review here comes in this category. It is a 2018 model year Subaru Forester, so four years old, and in posh Limited trim, which is near the top of the Subaru range, and is an example of the previous generation design. There are examples of the later model also on fleet and indeed I sampled one of these earlier in the year, but as this generation Forester had eluded when it was a current model – thanks to a combination of the relatively small numbers of Subaru on fleet and the fact that they are popular with customers, -I took the slightly unusual step of renting a car whose successor I had already tested.

The Forester first appeared in 1997, the production version of the Streega concept car, and it soon found a niche, providing more in the way of practicality, spaciousness and off-road capability than the similarly-sized Outback. Utility was definitely the priority here rather than being the latest in style and fashion, but this has proved to be exactly what owners wanted and the Forester has a very loyal customer base with a lot of owners unwilling to consider anything else. In the US, the model has consistently performed well in comparison tests, often coming out on top. In Europe the sales appeal has been limited by some odd choice in engines – very late to offer a diesel when this was the sine qua non option across the market, and now saddled with one choice which lacks power and low down torque, the Forester seems to have sold almost despite this handicap, but outside Switzerland only in very small numbers, albeit again with impressive levels of loyalty. The fourth generation Forester was launched towards the end of 2012 with sales starting around the world in 2013, as a 2014 model year car in the important US market. A cautious evolution of its predecessor, the styling had a very clear link to what went before so you may need a second glance to tell which version you are looking at (and indeed the fifth generation does not look that different, either) there were lots of detailed changes aimed at improving comfort without compromising on the essential elements of the car including the ability to handle rough terrain and bad weather that were what many owners valued above all else. A mid-cycle update was unveiled at the 2015 Tokyo Show and this included the sort of visual changes that need an expert eye to spot them, and further revisions to improve NVH and comfort as well as some tech upgrades. Production wound down in 2018 with the sales launch late that year of the new fifth generation based on the Subaru Global Platform. That means that my test car was one of the last of the fourth generation Forester models. How would it shape up?

The test car had the less powerful of the two engine options offered to US customers, a 170 bhp 2,5 litre four cylinder unit. Gone are the days when this makes a sound so distinctive that vou could identify the car as a Subaru long before you could see it. The engine note is as forgettable as that of most of other modern cars. A six speed manual is standard but the test car featured the optional Lineartronic CVT automatic transmission. This one proved to better than many of its genre and was smooth enough. Performance is on the leisurely side of acceptable, the Forester being well able to keep up with traffic but never feeling like it was rapid. It pulls quite well from lower speeds. Engine noise is quite well supressed but sadly there was a lot of road noise on some surfaces so this was not necessarily the relaxed freeway cruiser you might hope it would prove to be. I covered a total of 293 miles in my time with the car and it needed just 8.8 gallons to fill it, which works out at a reasonable 33.23 mpg US or 39.78 mpg Imperial.

The Forester is not intended to feel like a sporty car to drive and it certainly is not one. The steering is light but not overly so, which means that whilst there is not much in the way of feel, it is easy to cope with around town and manoeuvering it presents no problems. There are apparent benefits to the handling from the flat four engine in the way you would hope but it is all very safe and predictable and there is of course lots of grip. The Forester comes on 17” wheels. Combined with a more off-road-biased suspension and taller sidewalls, the Forester offers a smooth and relaxed ride over most surfaces. The trade-off lies in noticeable body roll that is more pronounced compared to most of its competitors. Also included is X mode for enhanced low speed traction, which is important as lot of Forester sales will be for people who live in the snow belt or who do want to take advantage of the fact that this car has more off-road capability than pretty much all of its rivals. With 8.7 inches of ground clearance, the Forester easily has the edge over other SUVs in this class. The driver selectable X-Mode includes hill descent control and the ability to shift power between the front and rear wheels to conquer slippery surfaces. There were no concerns with the brakes. Sign perhaps of the age of the design you get a conventional pull-up handbrake fitted between the seats. The relatively boxy styling means that visibility is as good as you get these days and there is the addition of all parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Subaru include a wide range of safety features. The Blind Spot Assist was certainly welcome, the Lane Keep Assist rather less so. At least you can easily turn it off.

Subaru interiors used to be well below par but every recent model has made significant strides on what went before and the Forester is no exception. The result is something whose quality is decent enough, though perhaps still emphasises practicality over the last word in soft touch plastics or the latest in design thinking. I was not a particular fan of the gloss black and matt metal effect inlays but manufacturers persist in using these elements to provide some contrast and variety and think that customers like them. The leather-wrapped steering wheel was not that nice, either. There is a simple instrument cluster with two large dials for the speedometer and rev counter and a much smaller bar chart style gauge for fuel level. Trip computer functions are presented in a driver information display, as Subaru calls it, which is in a separate pod on the top of the centre of the dash. Column stalks do the usual for indicators, wipers and lights. The steering wheel centre is busy with quite a lot of buttons, including among them the cruise control system which is inset of the spokes. The upper central part o the dash houses a small integrated colour touch screen for the StarLink system. This includes XM satellite radio and navigation featured, but disappointingly, even for 2018, it does not support Apple Car Play or Android Auto. The graphics on the screen are neat and crisp and it is quite responsive and easy to use. An increasing rarity is the CD slot which complements the audio options. The automated climate control operates from three rotaries in the lower part of the dash.

Limited trim includes standard leather upholstery, which was in a mushroom colour in the test car, nice and light, which when added to the airiness created from the massive glass sunroof, you might appreciate but which may not be the most practical colour if you use your Forester in the slightly hostile conditions for which it is designed. There is full electric adjustable for the seats including lumbar support and there is seat heating. I found that the seat cushion needed more support. That aside, even the seating position is quite high, there is a nice feeling of space here with more than ample headroom. There is a telescoping steering wheel, going in/out as well as up/down and the seat itself had a wide range of adjustment.

The rear seat area of the Forester is spacious for a car of this class, again with particularly generous headroom. The backrest angle can be varied. There is a drop-down armrest with cup holders in the upper surface and odds and ends are taken care of in the nets on the back of the front seats and pockets on the doors.

There is a large tailgate to access the boot. On the test car this had electrical assistance and there was a memory setting so you get it part open (or closed). The boot itself is spacious and is a nice regular size. Limited trim includes a load cover, which really ought to feature on all models, but US market do not seem to prioritise this in the way that European market cars do. The rear seat backrests are asymmetrically split and simply drop down to give a much larger cargo area, though disappointingly the floor area is not completely flat. Inside the passenger cabin there is a good-sized glovebox, a stowage recess in front of the gearlever, a small armrest cubby and there are pockets on the doors, which should prove ample of the needs of most people.

In the US, the 2018 Forester range comprised six models: 2.5i, 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Touring, 2.0XT Premium and 2.0XT Touring. The 2.5i models come with a 2.5-litre engine, while the more expensive 2.0XT models use a smaller but more powerful turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. All-wheel drive is standard on every Forester. Subaru also offers a few option packages that help bridge the gaps between certain trim levels. As its name implies, the base 2.5i is powered by a 2.5-litre engine (170 bhp, 174 lb/ft) matched to a six-speed manual or optional continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Standard equipment includes 17-inch steel wheels, cloth upholstery, a height-adjustable driver seat, a 60/40-split folding rear seatback, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, a driver information display, a rearview camera, a 6.2-inch touchscreen with Subaru’s Starlink technology interface, smartphone app integration and a four-speaker sound system. Optional for the base 2.5i (with the CVT) is an Alloy Wheel package that includes 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails and automatic up-down front windows. Those items come standard on the 2.5i Premium, which further adds a panoramic sunroof, power driver seat, reclining rear seats, automatic climate control, larger 7-inch touchscreen, voice commands, Starlink Safety Plus telematics (emergency assistance, automatic collision notification and various remote services), and an upgraded six-speaker sound system with satellite radio. An All-Weather package with heated front seats and heated side mirrors comes standard on Premium trims with a manual transmission, but it’s an extra-cost option on CVT models. The All-Weather package opens the door to the EyeSight safety package, however, which adds adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and intervention, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking. A version of this package is available with foglights and an adjustable-height power liftgate. These options aren’t available for manual transmission models. The 2.5i Premium Black Edition bridges the Premium and Limited trims with 18-inch black-finish wheels, a black grille and exterior trim, and black cloth upholstery. The Black Edition also adds the CVT and All-Weather package as standard equipment, as well as X-Mode enhanced off-road traction, hill descent control, automatic and adaptive headlights with automatic high-beam control and foglights. The 2.5i Limited builds on the Black Edition features with a power liftgate, leather upholstery, an upgraded driver information display and a cargo area cover. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and 17-inch wheels are also standard. Optional for the Limited is a technology package that bundles navigation with an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. The Limited’s EyeSight package includes the upgraded sound system, navigation, all features from the Premium’s EyeSight package, adaptive LED headlights with automatic high-beam control and reverse automatic braking (to prevent collisions while backing up). At the top of the 2.5i line is the 2.5i Touring with 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, upgraded side mirrors with integrated turn signals, keyless ignition and entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, a heated steering wheel, driver-seat memory settings, an upgraded sound system, navigation and one-touch folding rear seatbacks. The EyeSight package is also standard. Black or Saddle Brown perforated leather upholstery is optional. If you want more power, there’s the Forester 2.0XT Premium. It has all the equipment of the 2.5i Premium plus a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (250 bhp, 258 lb/ft) paired with a CVT. Other XT-specific features include 18-inch alloy wheels, larger brakes, a sport-tuned suspension, additional selectable driving modes, shift paddles, the All-Weather package and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Note that the EyeSight package is not available on this model. The 2.0XT Touring offers the same upgrades as the 2.5i Touring and adds a power liftgate with adjustable height settings. Auto-dimming mirrors are optional for all Foresters, and all CVT-equipped Foresters can be ordered with a remote engine start feature.

If you like the Subaru proposition, which is all about practicality and utility, untroubled by trendy styling and the latest gewgaws, then the Forester will probably appeal to you. It drives nicely enough, though I suspect that upgrading to the more powerful 2.0 litre turbo engine may feel like money well spent especially if you regularly fill this roomy car up with people and stuff, and it scores highly for anyone who values its ability to cope with rougher roads and bad weather. The 2018 model year was the last for the fourth generation car, so the question also has to be asked as to whether there is a significant difference and benefit to be gained in looking at the newer fifth generation model. It is slightly larger which means a tiny bit more room inside, the base engine has a bit more power, the dash has been reworked and there is more tech included, with Apple Car Play and Android Auto finally supported, but in all other respects this is very much an evolution not a revolution.  Reading my conclusions from my test of a 2019 car, though, the findings could almost have been copied verbatim. So, if the budget will stretch to a 2019 car, then yes, it is almost certainly the one to pick, but if it won’t you’re really not missing out on much with the older model.