2021 Subaru Forester
added to My List
2021

2021 Subaru Forester

8.5
/10
Original MSRP
$25,845–$35,945
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Features We Love
Car Mom Review

The Exterior

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First Row

Second Row

Third Row

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Trunk

Safety

The 2021 Subaru Forester Is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+

The 2021 Subaru Forester received an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award.

Front And Rear Outboard Seat Belt Pretensioners Are Included

The 2021 Subaru Forester includes seat belt pretensioners for the driver, front passenger, and rear outboard seating positions. These systems are designed to help tighten the seat belts during certain types of collisions.

Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist Technology Comes Standard

The 2021 Forester comes standard with EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, which includes features like Pre-Collision Braking, Lane Departure and Sway Warning, Lane Keep Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Rear Seat Reminder And Rear Vision Camera Are Standard

The 2021 Subaru Forester includes a standard rear vision camera and rear seat reminder to help families keep track of passengers and belongings in the back seat.

Steering Responsive LED Headlights Improve Visibility

The 2021 Subaru Forester includes Steering Responsive LED Headlights and High Beam Assist as standard equipment.

Car Seat Setup

The 2021 Subaru Forester has two dedicated sets of lower LATCH anchors in the second row outboard seats, plus three top tether anchors across the back row. This gives you flexibility for forward-facing installs across all second-row seating positions.

One important thing to know: the center seat uses a shared lower anchor setup between the passenger-side and center seating positions. Subaru specifies that only one set can be used at a time, so you cannot borrow anchors to create a dedicated center LATCH position while also using the passenger-side lower anchors.

The driver-side and passenger-side seats both have full lower anchors and tether anchors, which makes those positions the easiest for most car seat installations.

The center seat does not have dedicated lower anchors, but it does include a top tether anchor, so a forward-facing seat can still be installed there using the vehicle seat belt plus the tether anchor.

All three second-row seating positions include non-removable headrests, which is something to keep in mind depending on the shape and fit of your forward-facing car seat or booster.

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Community Reviews

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3.9 / 5

32 Reviews

Exterior Styling
3.2
Performance
4.1
Technology
4.5
Interior Design
3.8
Second Row Comfort
4.5
Third Row Comfort
3.6
Reliability Score
4.6 /5
82%
Would
purchase
again
12 Reviews with 3+ years of ownership
Kids
=
2 Kids
filters
Year

Danielle W

Community Voice
Mom of
2
2
July 28, 2026
4.3
stars
Owned
2021
Subaru
Forester

This car is two car seat friendly but not for very tall drivers. My husband is six feet and does not fit comfortably with either the infant seat or FF car seat behind the driver. I am 5’ 2” and I can comfortably sit with both seats behind me. It can easily fit a double Zoe stroller in the trunk with some space for other items. Drives well in the snow as I live in the Northeast so it has seen many snow storms.

Exterior Styling
5.0
Performance
5.0
Technology
3.0
Interior Design
5.0
Second Row Comfort
3.5
show more less

Theresa M

Community Voice
Mom of
1
1
July 15, 2026
5.0
stars
Owned
2021
Subaru
Forester

I love this car! It's been super reliable, with keeping up to date on scheduled maintenance, and it's so comfortable. The included safety tech, such as steering responsive headlights, emergency braking assist, blind spot monitoring, provides so much peace of mind when it comes to driving around my family! We have had a variety of child carseats in the back seat - Chicco Keyfit30, Graco Extend2Fit 3in1, Graco 4Ever DLX, Nina Rava, and Evenflo Revolve Extend - and they have all fit super well with easy installations. Additionally, trunk is so spacious and can fit a Baby Trend Navigator stroller wagon perfectly, with a little bit of room to spare. The details on this site for the 2021 states that the rear seat head restraints are not removable, but that is incorrect. They can all be removed to accommodate a forward facing seat if needed.

Exterior Styling
5.0
Performance
5.0
Technology
5.0
Interior Design
5.0
Second Row Comfort
5.0
show more less

Cynthia Jacobs

Mom of
1
1
July 9, 2026
4.6
stars
Owned
2026
Subaru
Forester

I love my Forester! Consumer reports "Driving Cars" has a podcast episode about the 2026 Forester that helped me decide on it. It is safe, reliable, and the perfect size for me.

Exterior Styling
4.5
Performance
5.0
Technology
4.5
Interior Design
4.5
Second Row Comfort
4.5
show more less

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Overall Rating
4.0
Exterior Styling
3.2
Performance
3.2
Technology
3.2
Interior Design
3.2
Second Row Comfort
3.2
Third Row Comfort
3.2
Kids
=
2 Kids
filters
Year

Danielle W

Community Voice
Mom of
2
2
July 28, 2026
4.3
stars
Owned
2021
Subaru
Forester

This car is two car seat friendly but not for very tall drivers. My husband is six feet and does not fit comfortably with either the infant seat or FF car seat behind the driver. I am 5’ 2” and I can comfortably sit with both seats behind me. It can easily fit a double Zoe stroller in the trunk with some space for other items. Drives well in the snow as I live in the Northeast so it has seen many snow storms.

Exterior Styling
5.0
Performance
5.0
Technology
3.0
Interior Design
5.0
Second Row Comfort
3.5
show more less

Theresa M

Community Voice
Mom of
1
1
July 15, 2026
5.0
stars
Owned
2021
Subaru
Forester

I love this car! It's been super reliable, with keeping up to date on scheduled maintenance, and it's so comfortable. The included safety tech, such as steering responsive headlights, emergency braking assist, blind spot monitoring, provides so much peace of mind when it comes to driving around my family! We have had a variety of child carseats in the back seat - Chicco Keyfit30, Graco Extend2Fit 3in1, Graco 4Ever DLX, Nina Rava, and Evenflo Revolve Extend - and they have all fit super well with easy installations. Additionally, trunk is so spacious and can fit a Baby Trend Navigator stroller wagon perfectly, with a little bit of room to spare. The details on this site for the 2021 states that the rear seat head restraints are not removable, but that is incorrect. They can all be removed to accommodate a forward facing seat if needed.

Exterior Styling
5.0
Performance
5.0
Technology
5.0
Interior Design
5.0
Second Row Comfort
5.0
show more less

Cynthia Jacobs

Mom of
1
1
July 9, 2026
4.6
stars
Owned
2026
Subaru
Forester

I love my Forester! Consumer reports "Driving Cars" has a podcast episode about the 2026 Forester that helped me decide on it. It is safe, reliable, and the perfect size for me.

Exterior Styling
4.5
Performance
5.0
Technology
4.5
Interior Design
4.5
Second Row Comfort
4.5
show more less

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