The Subaru Forester has been given a minor update in
Japan, with sales of the “new” SUV set to begin in the country later in
mid-July. As far as changes go, they largely involve the model’s available
equipment, with no major revisions involving the styling or powertrain.
In the safety department, there’s now a Rear Seat
Reminder system, whereby the new feature will remind the driver to check the
rear seat before exiting the SUV. This is designed to prevent a child or a pet
from being accidentally locked and trapped in the vehicle.
The system won’t be physically able to detect the
presence of children or pets in the rear seat area, although it is engaged when
certain conditions are met. For instance, when the vehicle is started within 30
minutes after a rear door is opened and closed.
Other scenarios include when a rear door is opened
and closed when the vehicle is running and stationary, as well as when the
vehicle is turned off and back on again within 30 minutes while the rear doors
remained closed.
Elsewhere, all variants also receive LED lamps to
illuminate the license plate instead of bulb-type ones, and Magnetite Grey
Metallic is the latest addition to the Forester’s colour palette in Japan.
The Japanese carmaker also noted that the Advance
variant, which is a hybrid (Forester e-Boxer), accounted for 47% of Forester
sales in the country. The model is powered by a FB20 2.0 litre
naturally-aspirated flat-four petrol engine (145 PS/188 Nm), which is paired
with a Lineartronic CVT that features a 13.6/PS/65 Nm electric motor within it.
