Leaked! New-gen Subaru Forester revealed days ahead of LA motor show debut

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With less than a week to go until its expected official reveal at the Los Angeles Auto Show, detailed images of the new-generation Subaru Forester have leaked online.

What appears to be official images of the sixth-generation vehicle were posted by an unknown user to Imgur, and are now doing the rounds on social media including on the Cars_secrets instagram profile and X.

Subaru had teased the reveal of an ‘all-new fully redesigned vehicle’ – widely anticipated to be the new Forester – to debut at the 2023 LA motor show from November 17th, however the public is now getting a full preview of what to expect in its new generation.

It’s important to note that the Forester seen here is likely for the American market, with Japanese-built models sold in Australia often differing slightly in design and will likely be revealed at a later date.

What’s new on the 2024 Subaru Forester?

Subaru has gone with an evolutionary take on the recognisably chunky Forester styling and proportions, similar to the recent update of the Crosstrek small SUV – formerly known as the XV.

The images show at least two model grades, labeled ‘Sport’ and ‘Touring’, each carrying a brand new design for the headlights with a wider new grille. 

The new wheel design mirrors those of the teaser image Subaru revealed last week, however we are now able to see them in full, in a variety of colour treatments including what appears to be a bronze pack for the ‘Sport’ variant of the car.

Overall the design of the new-gen Forester appears to take inspiration from the US-market three-row Ascent large SUV, with a more masculine appearance. Other small changes include WRX-style plastic wheelarches and new ‘symmetrical AWD’ badge on the D-pillar. 

It’s unclear how much the dimensions differ from the current-gen Forester, although the design of the new Forester does give the visual impact of a slightly longer vehicle as compared to the taller look of the current generation.

The rear of the vehicle showcases a cleaner design, with the rear lights now connected by a design strip running across the length of the tailgate. 

For the interior, the vehicle has adopted the current-generation Subaru design language with the new model sporting a huge 11.6-inch vertical tablet-style infotainment display – which will likely bring with it wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

However, like the Subaru Outback, the new car still has traditional analogue gauges for the instrument cluster as opposed to a fully digital display.

Powertrain and Australian lineup details unclear

No details have yet emerged around the powertrain, although a more efficient hybrid option has been rumoured. 

A turbo ‘XT’ variant is also possible given the success it has seen as part of the Outback lineup, however it’s highly likely Subaru will continue with a pure-petrol naturally-aspirated engine – potentially an updated version of the current 2.5-litre – in the new lineup. 

Not pictured is a ‘Wilderness’ variant which could also be on the cards, but we’ll likely see that at a later date. 

The current generation Forester went on sale in 2018.