Subaru Forester Made An Impressive Run But Comes Up Short

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The Subaru Forester almost pulled off an impressive feat. See what happened with the Forester compact SUV to finish the year. 

Which Subaru model took the top sales spot in 2023? The Forester was working on its top-seller status for the sixth consecutive month. The compact SUV would make a serious run for number one. But fell short of finishing in first place the year. Here are the results. 

As I reported in Subaru's year-end report, the 2024 Subaru Forester was the second-best model in December and was the top seller for five consecutive months until the hot Crosstrek barely slid by. 

photo credit: Tucson Subaru

The next-generation 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was on fire in December. It was the best-ever December and the best year ever for the new Subaru Crosstrek. It's a most impressive feat.

The Forester was the second-best performer by volume in December, with 15,653 model sales compared with 13,526 sales in December 2022, a 15.7 percent increase. Forester finished 2023 up 33.7 percent, the second highest of any Subaru SUV. Subaru of America delivered 152,566 Forester models to customers in 2023, remaining in third place to finish the year.

But the Forester compact SUV nearly caught up with the Crosstrek subcompact SUV and Outback midsize SUV. Forester's 152,566 model sales were only 6,627 behind the Crosstrek (159,193) and 9,248 model sales behind the number one-selling Subaru Outback.

Should you buy the 2024 Subaru Forester or wait for the all-new, remodeled 2025 Forester?

New compact SUV shoppers will have a few months to buy the 2024 Forester. The all-new, remodeled sixth-generation 2025 Forester arrives later this spring. 


My Take

I believe there are two reasons customers should consider buying a 2024 Subaru Forester. 

1. Reason number one. 

Customers may want to get the 2024 Forester now. According to an updated Consumer Reports ranking I covered previously, the 2024 model is one of the most reliable compact SUVs and Subaru's second most reliable model. 

The 2025 Subaru model's reliability could drop with the change in the new model because of its latest technology. It's always wise to wait a year until the automaker works out the new model issues. 

2. Reason number two. 

The 2025 Subaru Forester will get a significant price increase. Subaru of America has yet to release pricing, but it will increase. Subaru will likely offer special financing on 2024 models to make room for the next-generation 2025 Forester. 

It could be the best time to buy or order a 2024 Subaru Forester. As I will cover tomorrow in a report, the Forester has a 4/5 customer satisfaction rating and is ranked #1 of 21 Compact SUVs. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the Subaru Forester story. See you tomorrow for my latest Subaru Report.

For additional articles related to new Subaru models, here are a few of my top stories you may enjoy. 

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I am Denis Flierl, a 12-year Torque News senior writer with 20+ years of Subaru and automotive journalism experience. I enjoy bringing you, the Subaru fans and customers, the most up-to-date Subaru news, reviews, and new model information. You'll find the latest Subaru stories on the Subaru page. Follow me on my The Dirty Subaru website, Dirty Subaru blog, SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

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photo credit: main image Tucson Subaru