SJ · 2012–2018
CVT, X-MODE, and EyeSight all arrive together.
Unveiled November 2012 at the Guangzhou Motor Show, this generation brought a CVT to most trims (replacing the manual/5-speed-auto era and reducing towing capacity to 1,500 lb), Subaru's X-MODE AWD terrain-control system, and the first-generation EyeSight stereo-camera driver-assist suite on top trims. The base FB25 2.5i made 170 hp / 174 lb-ft; the turbocharged FA20F 2.0XT is reported at 250 hp for 2012–2015 production and 268 hp for 2014–2018 production — an overlapping, unresolved year boundary flagged explicitly in the research corpus rather than picked.
Global; US debut at the 2013 New York show.
CoverageGeneration tracer-bullet · 23 July 2026
Powertrain
Engine options
| Engine | Years | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| FB25 2.5i | 2012–2018 | 170 hp | 174 lb-ft |
| FA20F 2.0XT Turbo | 2012–2015 | 250 hp | Not researched |
| FA20F 2.0XT Turbo (later tune) | 2014–2018 | 268 hp | Not researched |
Configuration
Trims and transmissions
Australia and STI jointly built a Forester tS special edition (June 2016) on this generation's XT Premium — standard 241 PS/177 kW turbo engine, but with STI-sourced chassis, suspension, and Brembo brake hardware rather than a bespoke engine. An unsourced lead claims only 300 units were built and Australia was the only non-Japan market to get a tuned Forester, but this wasn't confirmed within the directly-fetched source and is recorded as unconfirmed.
Identify & buy
Identification and ownership notes
A 2015 or 2016 model year 2.0XT sits right in the unresolved 250-vs-268-hp boundary — treat any specific power claim for those years as provisional pending a primary spec-sheet confirmation.