Subaru is refreshing its Forester SUV for 2016 to maintain its status as the brand’s best-selling UK model.
The upgrades include extra soundproofing, interior enhancements and additional safety measures, as well as subtle styling changes.
Exterior alterations include a new wing-motif mesh on the hexagonal grille, a reshaped front bumper with L-pattern chrome trim, designed to accentuate the car’s low centre of gravity and wide track.
A black finish is applied to the base of the wraparound ‘hawk-eye’ headlamps, and new LED combination lamps fitted at the rear.
Inside there is a greater amount of soft-touch surfacing, new piano black and metallic trim, new cloth and leather upholstery options including brown leather, and a higher resolution to the TFT driver’s display.
The upgrades to the soundproofing include front door and quarterlight glass increased in thickness from 3.5mm to 4mm, rear door glass up from 3.1 to 3.4mm, and a more sound-absorbent material in the seals.
The dashboard gains extra soundproofing particularly where it meets the base of the windscreen and in the front passenger footwell to drown out noise from the engine and wind.
Safety upgrades include the availability of Adaptive Front Lighting on the LED headlamps.
Other changes range across updated suspension settings for improved ride comfort particularly over poor road surfaces, and a new steering gearbox with a quicker ratio.
The new Forester goes on UK sale in April 2016 with prices starting from £25,495 for the 2.0i XE. The best-selling variant, the 2.0D XC, costs from £26,995.