The 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Still has the Same Annoying Flaw, but It’s too Good to Matter
The 2022 Subaru Forester is one of the best SUVs on the market. Pick a category, and the Soob will be at the top; safety, fuel economy, comfort, and customer satisfaction. If the Forester wasn’t good enough as is, the Wilderness Edition added a much-needed spark to the nameplate. However, the 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness still has the same single problem it always had. If you put your foot in it, the Forester’s engine hollers in a grating, nasal tone. Without this, the Forester would be tough to beat. Hell, it still is.
The 2022 Subaru Forester killed on Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports gave the 2022 Subaru Forester a 90/100. This is a phenomenal score from CR. However, just like the 2021 Forester, the only red mark the ’22 Forester got was for the harsh and annoying sound of the 2.5-liter boxer flat-four.
Consumer Reports has a bit of low tolerance for things like a harsh-sounding engine. It didn’t seem to affect their scoring of the Forester, but it was bad enough to make them point it out as the only con against a pile of pros.
What makes the 2022 Subaru Forester such a good SUV?
Despite its noisy engine, the Forester is an objectively great SUV. That scratchy 2.5-liter liter makes 181 hp going to a delightful CVT. The Forester is far from fast, but the power delivery and “gear shifts” from the CVT are smooth and pleasant. Everything happens when you expect it. It is a very predictable SUV to drive.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Forester is how pedestrian it appears on the road, but off-road, it can really hang.
Is the Subaru Forester any good off-road?
Subaru made its name on its killer all-wheel drive system. From many international rally championships to millions of customers who take their Soobs deep into the backcountry, Subaru knows how to get a small car or compact SUV out in it.
The normal Foresters have a great AWD system and enough ground clearance to navigate most mild off-roading scenarios. Now there is the Subaru Forester Wilderness Editon that adds tougher, taller suspension, grippier tires, body armor, and flashy styling that make the small SUV quite capable off-road.
In our Forester Wilderness review, we took the Forester deep into the snowy woods of upstate New York, where it marched unabashed through the snow, ice, and mud. The Forester was a joy to drive even in its more extreme off-road setup.
The craggy streets of Manhattan and the mushy trails both hit the Subaru in the same way, like water on the windshield. The Forester easily wicked away any scenario we threw at it. It was nimble enough to dart between taxis in the city and solid enough to crawl over a rut with one wheel in the air on the remote trail.
The only frustration or annoyance was saved for that dinky engine sound. Thankfully, there is an easy fix for the Forester’s only problem, the radio. Turn the music up and forget all about that whinny 2.5-liter boxer and enjoy the near-perfection of the 2022 Subaru Forester.
