New Subaru Forester 2021 detailed! Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 rival to swap 2.5-litre engine for 1.8-litre turbo from Levorg: report

According to a fresh report, Subaru has backflipped on its decision to not turbocharge the fifth-generation Forester, with the mid-size SUV to get the recently revealed second-generation Levorg’s new 1.8-litre engine next month.

Best Car Web claims the 130kW/300Nm 1.8-litre turbocharged boxer four-cylinder petrol engine in question will replace the Forester’s 136kW/239Nm 2.5-litre naturally aspirated unit, offering a little less power but a lot more torque for non-hybrid variants.

Speaking of which, the Japanese publication says the Forester’s eBoxer hybrid powertrain, which combines a 110kW/196Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with a 12.3kW/66Nm electric motor, “will remain almost unchanged”.

Either way, the Forester will continue to be mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system as standard.

No other major changes are expected for the Forester, which is just over two years into its current life cycle, one which Subaru previously said won’t feature a turbocharged engine option, like its 177kW/350Nm 2.0-litre XT predecessor.

Expect to find out more about the MY21 Forester soon, as Best Car Web reports it will be revealed in native Japan on October 22, so stay tuned for more details as they come to hand, including Australian availability.

For reference, the current Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 rival is priced from $34,690 to $42,990 plus on-road costs for petrol versions, while hybrid variants check in between $39,990 and $45,990.