Subaru Forester e-Boxer review

As with the driving experience, there are two sides to the story when it comes to the Forester e-Boxer’s interior. On the one hand, it feels very dated (there’s even a CD player, remember those?), there are too many cheap plastics and premium it ain't.

But on the other it’s all thoughtfully laid out, extremely easy to operate, and there’s a robustness that suggests it’d be an effective family companion.

The seats are comfortable enough and offer good levels of adjustment, while there’s plenty of space in the rear for backseat passengers to stretch out. We also liked how bright and airy it felt, with good visibility for all.

WHAT'S THE TECH LIKE?

In front of the driver sits a pleasingly old school analogue instrument cluster with a small digital display. Otherwise there are two screens, the first of which is a 6.3-inch multifunction display that sits in the centre of the dashboard and can be customised to show general vehicle information, hybrid system flow, satnav guidance, audio information, fuel consumption, clock/date and more.

It works fine but in truth adds to the dated feel, particularly as that information could easily have been integrated into the main infotainment display.

Speaking of which, that's an 8.0-inch unit: it works well enough, even if the graphics and OS leave a little to be desired (e.g. adjusting the volume results in a graphic that takes up the whole screen. Eh?), though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. So once you’ve plugged in you can leave things well alone. Plus, the physical climate control dials have been retained, a big thumbs up from us.

ANYTHING ELSE TO NOTE?

Well, the Forester e-Boxer’s biggest strength is undoubtedly its practicality. OK, it might not have the premium feel of rivals, but it’ll likely be more durable as a result, and it gets a good-sized and easily loadable boot. 

While the boot itself is quite shallow, you get 509 litres of space with the rear seats up, and 1,779 litres with the seats down. Plus a 1.98-metre-long loading area, which should come in handy for the dump run. Or just the weekly shopping run.