Kingston Industrial Garage (KIG), local dealers for the Subaru line, launched its latest model, the 2026 Forester sport utility vehicle, on Saturday, October 4, at the Spanish Town Road showroom.

“The Forester is very important to us. The Subaru brand is an iconic brand for KIG. The Forester is one of our two models that is best in Jamaica for our terrain,” Jeffrey Panton, managing director, KIG, told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.

The all-new Forester begins with a redesigned exterior with a bolder design philosophy to deal with the use cases that make Subaru popular with the active lifestyle crowd.

In Subaru’s own language, the new look is to inspire a sense of peace of mind and stability. There’s also a bit of fun as various symbols, such as hummingbirds and paw prints, are tucked away across the car.

The new car keeps Subaru’s sizeable glasshouse for maximum visibility from inside the cabin. The front seats have been redesigned for safety, comfort, and access to the rear sections of the vehicle. The rear tailgate is now powered and opens to a reshaped cargo area that allows easier loading.

Driver instrumentation is now all digital, with a 12.3-inch cluster. The vertically mounted infotainment screen is 11.6-inches, containing the common connectivity features, USB, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, etc. A 10W wireless charger is available.

The Forester has migrated to a further evolved Subaru Global Platform, giving it more safety, chassis dynamics, and technology over the outgoing model. Two of these new improvements are the switch to a larger 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and a dual-pinion electronic power steering for a natural driving feel.

What has not disappeared is Subaru’s legendary symmetrical all-wheel drive system. Already renowned for delivering safe driving under any road surface conditions, it has been further refined. Safety is at the forefront of any Subaru, inherent in the design process. Beyond the passive safety elements are the active electronic systems, such as Vehicle Dynamics Control and EyeSight. EyeSight, now using a wide-angle monocular camera, increases its ability to recognise objects to include two-wheeled vehicles and pedestrians.

Panton expects the reputation of the Subaru brand to navigate the new model Forester through the current automotive market climate.

“KIG has been steadily maintaining our sales goals. We haven’t seen a huge effect where the Chinese brands are concerned, and customers have been sticking with the proven Japanese brands that have been in the marketplace for decades. Subaru’s reliability and technology have been proven and have been the better choice for customers,” said Panton.

In late 2024, KIG announced that it would be expanding to Montego Bay with a new showroom.

“The expansion is going well. Right now we’re about to break ground on our new showroom in Montego Bay, so it should be complete by the end of 2026,” he shared.

The 2026 Subaru Forester is an all-new design while continuing to build on the elements that make it a popular choice for brand loyalists.(Photo: Rory Daley)

The 2026 Subaru Forester now includes a 2.5-litre direct-injection naturally aspirated engine as standard, connected to the Symmetrical AWD system.(Photo: Rory Daley)

The cross-sectional shape of the instrument panel and trim of the 2026 Subaru Forester have been designed to maintain its class-leading interior. (Photo: Rory Daley)