Subaru Forester Comes Again, Who Are the Competitors in Indonesia?

 Subaru marks its return to the Indonesian market by presenting the All New Subaru Forester. This Subaru global SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) product was introduced by PT Plaza Auto Mega and Subaru Corporation Japan at Plaza Subaru Alam Sutera, Wednesday (18/5/2022).

This fifth generation Forester offers a variety of technologies. Call it the Subaru Global Platform, Boxer Engine, Symmetrical All Wheel Drive with X-mode and the fourth generation Subaru EyeSight safety features.

The presence of the Subaru Forester has made the medium SUV market, which has been inhabited by several brands, increasingly crowded. Forester will face off against the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Peugeot 3008, and Toyota Corolla Cross. We try to compare several factors between this latest Subaru Forester with its rivals in the same class.

Price

Direct discussion about price because this is the determining factor. For Indonesia, the all-new Subaru Forester was introduced with 2 variants, the Subaru Forester 2.0i-L which was offered at a price of IDR 579.5 million and the Subaru Forester 2.0i-S EyeSight offered at a price of IDR 659.5 million. Both are in on the road status in Jakarta.

All of the all-new Subaru Foresters marketed through PT Plaza Auto Mega, are offered with a 3 year / 100,000 km warranty, 3 years / 50,000 km free service (depending on which one is reached first), as well as a 3-year Subaru Roadside Assistance, assistance service 24/7 emergency by Atlas Indonesia. 

The Peugeot 3008 model also comes with a choice of two variants. The first of the Active variants is offered at a price of Rp. 627 million. The Allure Plus variant is offered at a price of IDR 749 million, also with Jakarta on the road status. This price includes a 5 year warranty / 60,000 km free service and spare parts, 3 + 2 years / 100,000 km warranty for the Allure Plus variant, 3 years / 100,000 km warranty for the Active variant and 5 years Peugeot Emergency Roadside Assistance (ERA).

The Mazda CX-5 SUV is also offered in two variants. The price for the Elite variant is IDR 597.7 million and the Kuro variant is IDR 607.7 million. Both are on the road in Jakarta. Mazda warranty service is provided for 3 years / 100,000 km, and 24 hours 7 days Emergency roadside assistance. Mazda also provides a 5 year / 150,000 km warranty option where an additional 2 years / 50,000 km is provided in addition to the standard warranty. Mazda CX-5 users only need to pay Rp. 10 million.

The next model is the Honda CR-V. This SUV is offered in several variants starting from the 2.0L i-Vtec engine variant at a price of IDR 515.9 million, the 1.5L Turbo variant at a price of IDR 590.9 million, the Honda Sensing Prestige Turbo variant at a price of IDR 651.4 million and finally there is a 1.5L variant. turbo black edition at a price of Rp. 666.4 million. Honda offers an economical package for aftersales which consists of 4 years / 50,000 km, 8 years / 100,000 km periodic maintenance and free periodic maintenance services for 4 years / 50,000 km.

Lastly, there is the Toyota Corolla Cross which offers two variants. The first is a model with a conventional gasoline engine with spot order status at a price of Rp.463.510 million. Hybrid model at IDR 506.1 million. Toyota provides a base warranty of 3 years / 100,000 km and a battery warranty for the hybrid model of 5 years / 150,000 km.

The comparison above shows that Forester's price tag coincides with several rivals. Indeed, with a figure of Rp. 500 million to Rp. 600 million, the choice of SUVs offered is quite diverse and with an additional offer of after-sales convenience. Just adjust the funds and the desired taste.

Performance

Moving on to the discussion of engine performance offers. Forester offers one engine choice, namely the FB20 Boxer Engine, 4-cylinder, 2.0L Naturally Aspirated which produces 156 ps of power at 6000 rpm and up to 196 Nm of torque at 4000rpm. The engine uses a 7-speed Lineartronic CVT transmission and Active Torque Split AWD. This is for smooth power distribution and gearshift can also be done manually using the paddle shift. The Subaru Forester is also equipped with X-Mode aka driving mode to optimize the engine for various road conditions. In the EyeSight variant, there are Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes.

The Peugeot 3008 comes with a 1,598 cc 4 cylinder twin scroll turbo engine that produces 167 ps of power at 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm of torque from 1,400 rpm. This engine is paired with a 6-speed EAT6 transmission. The gear changes are also equipped with paddle shifts. Peugeot offers the Advanced Grip Control feature as a mode for traction control consisting of Normal, sang, mud, snow and ESP off modes.

Mazda CX-5 uses a 2,488 cc engine with Skyactiv-G technology. This engine produces power of 190 ps at 6,000 rpm and 252 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. Skyactive technology can disable cylinders from four to two to improve fuel economy. This engine is connected to a six-speed Skyactiv-drive transmission and uses two-wheel drive, aka 2 WD. The transfer of the transmission is also provided with ease with paddle shifts on the steering wheel.

The New Honda CR-V comes with a 1.5L VTEC Turbo engine with Earth Dreams Technology. This engine produces a maximum power of 190 ps at 5,600 rpm and a maximum torque of 240 Nm at 2,000 to 5,000 rpm. This engine is paired with an Earth Dreams Technology CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) transmission. The paddle shift feature is also present for the practicality of driving in transmission shifts. There are ECON and Eco Assist modes for fuel-efficient driving. The 2.0L engine variant comes with SOHC i-VTEC technology which produces 154 ps of power.

Finally, there is the Corolla Cross which offers a 1,798 cc four-cylinder in-line 16 valve DOHC dual VVT-i engine that produces 140 ps of power at 6,400 rpm and 171 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The Hybrid model carries the same engine that produces 98 PS of power at 5,200 rpm and 142 Nm of torque at 3,600 rpm. The electric motor produces 72 PS of power and 162 Nm of torque. Especially for the Hybrid model, there are driving modes namely ECO, Sport and EV.

From the list above, the latest Subaru Forester engine is not too superior, especially when compared to rivals that use turbo engines. But on the driving side, Forester is the only one that offers AWD drive with a fairly complete selection of driving modes.

Dimensions and Exterior

The Subaru Forester offers dimensions of 4,640 mm in length, 1,815 mm in width and 1,730 mm in height with a ground clearance of 220 mm. The lighting is already using LED projector technology with adaptive driving beam and responsive steering headlight. 17-inch two tone rims with 255/65/17 tires for the 2.0i-L variant and 18-inch 5 spoke rims with 225/55/18 tires for the EyeSight variant. There are eight exterior colors, namely horizon blue pearl, crystal black silica, crimson red pearl, crystal white pearl, magnetite gray metallic, autumn green metallic, ice silver metallic and brilliant bronze metallic.

The Peugeot 3008 model offers dimensions of 4,510 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width and 1,662 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,730 mm. The lighting is already LED projector with auto leveling for Allure Plus, DRL, and 3D LED on the back. The size of the rim is 18 inches with a cross model. There are two exterior color choices, namely Nera black and pearl white.

Mazda CX-5 offers dimensions of 4,575 mm in length, 1,845 mm in width and 1,680 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. Ground clearance as high as 193 mm. The lighting is already using LEDs with automatic leveling, DRL, rear combination LED on the back. The rim size is 19 inches with 225/55 R19 tires in metallic black.

Honda CR-V offers dimensions of length 4,623 mm, width 1,855 mm and height 1,657 mm with a wheelbase of 2,660 mm. The lighting is already using LEDs with auto leveling which is equipped with a sequential LED turning signal. The back also uses LED lights. Regarding the size of the legs, the CR-V uses a two-tone 18-inch alloy wheel. There are four color choices, namely platinum white pearl, lunar silver metallic, meteoroid gray metallic and crystal black pearl.

Finally, there is the Toyota Corolla Cross which offers dimensions of 4,460 mm in length, 1,825 mm in width, 1,620 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,640 mm. The lighting is already using LEDs with 18-inch dark gray chrome rims and 225/50 R18 tires. The Corolla Cross is offered in attittude black metallic, platinum white pearl, metal stream metallic, red mica metallic, graphite metallic, celestite gray metallic, and nebula blue metallic colors.

Features and Convenience

We come to the last discussion about features and convenience. In this discussion, both Forester and rivals do not want to lose in presenting the latest features as a modern SUV. Anything?

In the Forester, the interior features are 500 liters to 1,740 liters of luggage, an 8-inch head unit, a 9 speaker 576 watt Harman Kardon audio system, the use of nappa leather, a front side view monitor and a sunroof as an offer for potential customers. There is also the Subaru All Round Savety feature which consists of auto vehicle hold, vehicle dynamic control system, hazard avoidance, responsive steering headlight, 6 SRS airbags, high beam assist, and rear vehicle detection. Don't forget the Subaru EyeSight technology, which is the latest ADAS feature on the Forester. It consists of a pre-collision braking system, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, pre-collision throttle management, and lane departure prevention.

On the Peugeot 3008 there is the convenience of a 10.1-inch touch screen on the Allure and 8 inches on the Active, premium black claudio leather, panoramic sunroof, 12.3-inch digital head up cluster. Safety features include 6-point airbags, hill assist descent control, electronic stability program, ABS EBD and BA as standard, anti-skid regulation, dynamic stability control. speed limit recognition, and tire pressure sensor. There are also features such as driver attention alert, active lane keeping assist, and a blind spot information system.

Mazda CX-5 offers luggage capacity of 458 liters with a maximum volume of 1,303 liters. Comfort comes from an 8-inch head unit, wireless smartphone charger, Bose 10 speaker audio system with Centrepoint 2 and AudioPilot 2, 7-inch TFT meter cluster, 360-degree screen and leather seats. Safety features consist of ABS EBD and BA braking, dynamic stability control, traction control system, hill launch assist, G-vectoring Control Plus, 6-point airbags and sensors in front and rear. The i-Activsense features consist of blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, smart city brake support, smart brake support and forward obstruction warning, radar cruise control, cruising & traffic support, lane departure warning system, lane keep assist system, and pedestrian brakes. forward.

On the Honda New CR-V, comfort comes from the panoramic power sunroof, 5-inch TFT meter cluster screen, dual zone auto AC, 7-inch head unit with 8 speakers throughout the cabin, remote engine start, and multi angle view camera. The safety features consist of driver attention monitor, electric parking brake with auto brake hold, hill start assist, emergency stop signal, walk away auto lock. Not to forget the CR-V has Honda Sensing features which consist of the Collision Mitigation Braking System, adaptive cruise control with low speed follow, lane keeping assist system, road departure mitigation and auto high beam.

Lastly, the Toyota Corolla Cross offers comfort with the presence of a power moonroof, 9-inch head unit, leather for some parts of the cabin, 6-point airbags and a parking camera. There is a hill start assist feature, ABS, EBD and BA braking features, vehicle stability control, and back and corner sonar.

That was the discussion of the Subaru Forester, a newcomer to the SUV segment, when compared to its rivals. Subaru offers a variety of features that are considered attractive for potential customers with a capital of IDR 500 million to IDR 600 million. At this level, the features and features are competitive enough to compete in its segment