KBB Says Subaru Now Has 5 New Models That Are The Lowest Cost To Own

Are Subaru vehicles expensive to own? According to Kelley Blue Books 2023 5-Year Cost to Own Awards, Subaru has five new models that score best in class. Check out the one newcomer to the list.

Subaru of America cleaned up this year in Kelley Blue Book's (KBB) 2023 5-Year Cost to Own cars, trucks, and SUV awards. KBB says the 2023 Subaru Outback, 2023 Forester, 2023 Ascent, 2023 Subaru BRZ, and 2023 Impreza score among the best in category new vehicles you can buy.

What does it mean for SUV shoppers?

KBB adds up all costs associated with a vehicle for five years to generate this year's winners. Costs such as fuel, maintenance, repairs, financing, insurance, and one of the most significant factors of all, depreciation, are all factors that affect a vehicle's total ownership costs.

KBB says the 2023 Forester, 2023 Outback, 2023 Ascent, 2023 BRZ, and 2023 Impreza retain their value better than all other SUVs and are the lowest cost-to-own models in their category.

Forester is the best Compact SUV, Outback wins the Two-Row SUV segment, Ascent takes home the Three-Row Midsize SUV trophy, 2023 BRZ is the best Sports Car, and the 2023 Impreza is now the best Compact Car.

The Subaru Forester, Outback, and Ascent were category winners for the 2021 and 2022 model years. The BRZ wins its category for the second time, and Impreza gets its first award.

2023 Subaru Forester

KBB predicted the 2023 Forester to have a 5-year cost-to-own of $37,367 (including the purchase price), which is $3,635 less than the compact SUV segment average.

What is the price of the 2023 Subaru Forester?

The 2023 Forester comes in six trim levels; The Base Forester starts at $27,620, Premium ($30,620), Sport ($32,190), Limited ($34,300), Wilderness ($35,245), and Touring ($37,720). Pricing includes dealer fees ($1,225).

What is the fuel mileage of the 2023 Forester?

The Forester gets an EPA-estimated 26/33 city/highway mpg and 29 combined mpg. The EPA rated the new Forester Wilderness with an estimated 25/28 city/highway mpg and 26 combined mpg.

2023 Subaru Outback

KBB predicted the 2023 Outback to have a 5-year cost-to-own of $41,222 (including the purchase price), which is $8,772 less than the Two-Row SUV segment average.

What is the price of the 2023 Subaru Outback?

The 2023 Outback comes in nine trim levels for U.S. customers; the base trim is priced from $29,620, Premium ($31,920), new Onyx Edition with a 2.5-liter engine ($34,720), Limited ($36,520), Touring ($41,070), Outback Wilderness ($39,670), Onyx Edition XT ($39,820), Limited XT ($40,920), and Touring XT ($43,520). Pricing includes $1,225 destination and delivery fees.

What is the fuel mileage of the Outback?

The EPA says the new Outback Wilderness gets an estimated 21/26 city/highway mpg and 23 combined mpg. The Outback XT with the 2.4-liter turbocharged engine gets an EPA-estimated 22/29 city/highway mpg and 25 combined mpg. The Subaru Outback with the non-turbocharged 2.5-liter Boxer engine gets an estimated 26/32 city/highway mpg and 28 combined mpg.

2023 Subaru Ascent

KBB predicted the 2022 Ascent to have a 5-year cost-to-own of $47,833 (including the purchase price), which is $5,087 less than the Three-Row Midsize SUV segment average.

What is the price of the 2023 Subaru Ascent?

The 2023 Subaru Ascent base starts at $35,120, and Premium trims begin at $39,180. The Ascent Onyx Edition starts at $42,520, the upper Limited starts at $42,820, the new Ascent Onyx Edition Limited is priced at $47,520, and the top-trim Touring has a starting MSRP of $49,420. Pricing includes destination and delivery fees ($1,225).

What is the fuel mileage of the 2023 Ascent?

The Subaru Ascent base and Premium trim levels get an EPA-estimated 20/26 city/highway mpg and 22 combined mpg. Because they are slightly heavier, the Ascent Limited and Touring trim levels get an EPA-estimated 19/25 city/highway mpg and 21 combined mpg.

2023 Subaru BRZ

KBB predicted the 2023 BRZ to have a 5-year cost-to-own of $39,908 (including the purchase price), which is $16,519 less than the sports car segment average.

What is the price of the 2023 Subaru BRZ?

The 2023 Subaru BRZ comes in two trim levels with two transmission options. The BRZ Premium with a 6-speed manual gearbox has a starting price of $29,615. BRZ Premium with an automatic transmission starts at $33,115. The Limited (6-speed manual) has a starting MSRP of $32,115. The Limited with an automatic transmission starts at $33,255.

What is the BRZ fuel mileage?

The EPA rates the 2023 Subaru BRZ with a 6-speed automatic 21/30 city/highway mpg and 25 combined mpg. The 2022 BRZ 6-speed manual gearbox model gets an EPA-estimated 20/27 city/highway mpg and 22 combined mpg.

2023 Subaru Impreza

KBB predicted the 2023 Impreza to have a 5-year cost-to-own of $31,041 (including the purchase price), which is $1,936 less than the compact car segment average.

What is the price of the 2023 Subaru Impreza?

2023 Impreza comes in Base sedan ($20,815), Base hatchback ($21,315), Premium sedan ($24,215), Premium hatchback ($24,715), Sport sedan ($25,615), Sport hatchback ($25,015), and Limited hatchback ($28,415). Destination and delivery ($995) are included in the prices above. Models with a CVT automatic transmission add about $1,300 to the prices above, depending on the trim level.

What is the Impreza fuel mileage?

The EPA says the 2023 Subaru Impreza gets 31 mpg combined city/highway and 28/36 city/highway mpg in the non-Sport CVT trims. The Impreza 4-Door sedan gets 26 combined city/highway and 23/31 city/highway mpg in the non-Sport CVT trims. The Impreza 4-Door sedan with the 5-speed manual gearbox has the same fuel mileage.

Note: The 2023 Subaru Impreza models may be sold out, and the next-generation 2024 Impreza hatchback models arrive this spring. Check the pricing and new Impreza model guide here.

Subaru has five segment winners in KBB's 2023 Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own Awards. The 2023 Subaru Forester, Subaru Outback, Subaru Ascent, Subaru BRZ, and Subaru Impreza ranked best for fuel mileage, maintenance and repair costs, financing, insurance, and one of the most significant factors is depreciation.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report, where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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