News
Gallery23
In the good old days, pigeonholing a Subaru owner was pretty easy… gumboots, a warm vest, and a rural address were de rigeur for drivers of Adventure Wagons and Brumbys.
Even though it’s still not hard to trace a line back to those humble beginnings with the current line-up, Subaru’s product has evolved and matured over its 50-year stint in Australia without losing its sense of identity.
The current Subaru range in Australia comprises XV, Forester and Outback SUVs, the WRX sports sedan, and the BRZ sports coupe.
Of some importance is the incoming Subaru Solterra, due locally in 2023, which is the brand’s first dedicated electric vehicle, and shares its underpinnings with the incoming Toyota BZ4X.
23
JUMP AHEAD
Crosstrek
Subaru launched the new Crosstrek nee XV earlier in 2023, with not a great deal going on in terms of new spec or powertrains.
This means a facelift or a revised version is still a good couple of years away.
You can currently buy a hybrid version of the Subaru Crosstrek, though the existing car will score an updated hybrid powertrain either as a model-year update for MY24 or MY25.
There is also a glimmer of hope that the Crosstrek could perhaps inherit the larger 2.5-litre four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine from the Impreza if the Wilderness variants are greenlit for right-hand-drive production.
Forester
Following in the footsteps of the Impreza and Crosstrek, a thoroughly updated Forester will be revealed this month ahead of next year's launch, according to the company.
The plan is to launch the next-gen Forester with two drivetrains – the existing 2.5-litre petrol flat-four and a “stronger”, more powerful evolution of Subaru’s relatively mild 2.0-litre petrol-hybrid flat-four, which will hopefully improve acceleration and efficiency.
Once the core 2024 Forester model range has launched, Subaru will turn its attention to the new-generation Forester Wilderness and the return of a turbocharged Forester XT to its lineup.
23
2024 Subaru Forester, imagined by Theottle | © Wheels Media
Thanks to the success of the Japanese-built turbocharged Outback XT developed specifically for Australia and New Zealand, Subaru Australia has significantly strengthened its case for future development of similar niche variants for our market, such as the new Forester Wilderness and Forester XT.
The new Forester XT, on the other hand, will share its drivetrain hardware with the turbocharged Outback XT that launched in Australia in 2023.
That means a 2.4-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol flat-four tied to a CVT transmission, with outputs expected to mirror the Outback’s 183kW and 350Nm.
23
Outback
The most recent Outback launched in late 2022 with new turbo power, and comes in two trim grades: Outback AWD Sport XT and Outback AWD Touring XT, effectively mirroring the middle and top-spec grades already offered with the existing variants.
In XT form, the Outback is blessed with a 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine producing 183kW between 5200-6000rpm and 350Nm between 2000Nm-4800rpm. It already makes up half of all Outback sales, according to Subaru.
Both numbers represent a significant step up from the 138kW/245Nm outputs offered with the cheaper, less powerful 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol models.
23
Expect the introduction of the Wilderness trim to be ushered in with the Outback's facelift that's due in Australia early in 2024, too, ahead of the launch of the sixth-generation Forester.
The US-spec Outback Wilderness is lifted by 28mm thanks to different, taller springs and heavy-duty dampers. It also boasts an improved 20-degree approach angle and 241mm ground clearance, matte black body cladding and underbody protection.
A set of 17-inch matte black alloy wheels wrapped in 65-series Yokohama Geloander all-terrain tyres complete the exterior changes.
Inside, there are plenty of active-lifestyle-friendly waterproof materials and contrast piping on the interior fabrics.
23
JUMP AROUND
23
Impreza
Get excited, people… the sixth-generation Impreza is expected to hit Australia in December 2023.
It will offer carryover underpinnings and a familiar engine, while the sedan has been deleted globally, leaving a hatch-only line-up.
As the base vehicle for the jacked-up Crosstrek, the Impreza will offer an identical range with three variants: 2.0L, 2.0R and 2.0S.
23
Compared to the current Impreza hatch, which launched back in 2016, prices are up between $4200 and $5200, and will start from $31,490 before on-road costs.
While the base range will offer only a 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine as a powertrain choice, the writing is on the wall for more choices to come.
The return of the Impreza RS with a 2.5-litre engine, as well as the release of a hybrid Subaru Impreza, are both on the cards for Australia but not until at least 2025.
23
WRX
The new-generation Subaru WRX launched in May 2022 in Australia, with prices starting from $44,990 before on-road costs.
Subaru offers the new WRX in both sedan and wagon bodies, with both versions available in three variants – a base model, an RS grade for the sedan and GT grade for the Sportswagon, and a flagship auto-only tS grade.
An update to the manual variants will provide them with Subaru’s EyeSight active safety suite, but no timeframe has been confirmed by Subaru Australia.
23
Despite a handful of limited-run specials debuting overseas, there seems to be little appetite from the local arm to push the barrow out too far with the current WRX.
This is in stark contrast to the brand’s treatment of the then-named Impreza WRX in its earlier iterations, with a variety of specials offered up to WRX fans.
23
BRZ
The only non-AWD in the Subaru family, the second-generation BRZ launched in late 2021.
It sports an uprated 2.4-litre direct- and port-injection naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine, developing around 173kW of power and 250Nm of torque – a bump of 18kW and 32Nm over the first-gen car’s 2.0-litre engine.
As with the WRX, the manual BRZ is set to pick up more active safety tech, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and reverse object detection, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lead vehicle departure alert, high beam assist, rear parking sensors and pedal misapplication prevention.
Subaru recently teased a sportier version of the BRZ using the tS badge seen across the model line-up. New rims, shocks, brakes and some interior tweaks aren’t accompanied by a turbocharger under the bonnet, sadly.
Subaru is yet to confirm an arrival date, but we’re betting it’ll be early 2024.
Electric vehicles
23
Solterra
It’s Subaru’s first EV and its most expensive model, but can the Solterra trouble big-name rivals that include the Tesla Model Y?
The Solterra has launched in Australia with a dual-motor all-wheel drive configuration that produces 160kW and 337Nm priced from $77,990 before on-road costs.
A 64kWh usable (71.4kWh gross) lithium-ion battery yields up to 466 kilometres of claimed WLTP driving range on a full charge. Recharging speeds are capped at 6.6kW AC and 150kW DC.
It shares the same Toyota-developed platform with the Toyota BZ4x and Lexus RZ.
23
2024 Subaru Forester, imagined by Theottle | © Wheels Media
Forester
An electric Forester also hasn’t been ruled out, based on Subaru’s commitment to introduce eight new electric vehicles by 2028.
Four of those EVs are set to debut by 2026, with an electric version of the sixth-generation Forester potentially forming part of that mix. We've imagined what the new vehicle may look like here.
Only the Sport Mobility Concept was present at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, giving a taste of a future all-paw electric sports car.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
COMMENTS