In typical form for the PR machine of a modern automaker, Subaru has released the briefest of shots showing a rig they promise to introduce at the upcoming L.A. Auto Show – and we have a pretty good idea what it is.
Yeah, we ended a sentence with a preposition. You’ll live. The image heaved this morning by Subaru onto the Internet shows only a left-front wheel, one adorned with the Exploding Galaxy logo and brightwork spokes tempered with textured back features. It’s easy to pick out the Bridgestone brand stamp, suggesting at least the trim at which we are looking isn’t a Wilderness model (those have received Yokohama Geolandar tires in the past). That stepped bodyside cladding on the teaser car’s lower door edge is a Forester design cue.
Another clue this image is of a Forester is the realization of a total dad joke, one which only happens when a person clicks through to Subaru’s official information page for the L.A. Auto Show – it leads to a page featuring a raft of, erm, forest videos. Hey, get yer chuckles where you can these days, kids.
The Forester isn’t Subie’s best-selling model, but it’s close. So far this year, the model has found 121,824 buyers, just a handful behind Crosstrek and top-dog Outback, the latter of which sold 135,277 units through to the end of October. As a percentage, the Forester has accounted for nearly one-quarter of the 520,995 vehicles sold by Subaru during the first ten months of 2023. But taking the month of October by itself, the Forester was indeed the best-seller, marking the fourth consecutive month it achieved this feat according to the company.
Assuming this teaser shot does portend a new Forester, it’ll very likely be a 2025 model since pricing for the 2024 was revealed back in August. The car now starts at $26,895 plus fees and is presently offered in a half-dozen trims ranging from Base to Touring. Buyers tend to like its better-than-most-crossovers ground clearance (8.7 inches or 9.2 for Wilderness) though the single-engine option of a 2.5-liter boxer making 182 horses could use an update; perhaps that’s in the hopper for L.A. as well.
Promised as an “all-new fully redesigned vehicle”, the machine teased here will make its global debut in Los Angeles on November 16.
[Image: Subaru]
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