The specs say that 2022 Subaru Forester There’s 28.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, or 26.9 cubic feet with the giant sunroof found on most trim levels. Those numbers are less than about 10 cubic feet Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson, the segment leader. It’s even behind one of the smallest members of the segment, Mazda CX-5.
However, something is a bit fishy. When this forester generation was launched for 2019, Subaru’s The published cargo capacity figures are 35.4 cu.ft and 33.0 cu.ft (without the sunroof). Although still a bit behind the big boys, those numbers are clearly more competitive. They are also much closer to reality.
The load floor certainly seems higher in the Forester than the floor of CR-VAT, RAV4 and Tucson. That could certainly contribute to its smaller paper-based cargo capacity (regardless of official measurement). However, the Forester has a more square and vertical hood line, which is sure to squeeze some space over its sleeker rivals. Also, as we’ve seen time and time again in these luggage tests, the boxy is better.
Note that the Forester being tested here is the new Wilderness, which includes a large spare tire. Its presence does not change the capacity. In fact, there is still room under the floor to store goods. This is a great, rare feature that means you can easily remove the cargo cover on the fly if you need to free up more space. It also means you don’t need to store your garage stuff somewhere.
So I don’t mind testing with and without the cargo cap in place. If you don’t have to worry about getting stuck with it in the car, the “with” test is a moot point.
OK, into the bag. As in every baggage test I do, I use two medium roller suitcases that need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two on-board roll-on suitcases that only fit the top (24L x 15W x 10D) and one roll on smaller ships that fit easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also included my wife’s favorite overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D).
There, everything fits in the blank. I don’t need to tightly tie them all together, but I want to show the remaining space. This is not as much as with Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-VA and Toyota RAV4. It might not even be as much Mitsubishi Outlander. It’s more Nissan RogueHowever.
OK, now let’s fill that void.
That will be a 38-liter cooler tucked in the back along with a blue duffel bag.
In short, these same items fit Tucson, CR-V, RAV4 and Outlander. Like the Outlander, there’s not much room left, but we’re talking about stuffing some shoes or something about the size of a pizza box or something.
So, yes, the Forester doesn’t have as much cargo room as the class president types, but for all intents and purposes its function is the same. Again, this is in line with the original, higher cargo capacity numbers of this generation of the Forester compared to the competition.
Now, to some other merchandise-related features.
An update for each of the 2022 Forester is the addition of these two cargo area roof hooks. They’re good for 6 pounds each.
A special feature of the Forester is the water-resistant and easy-to-clean surface for the back of the chair. All weather floor mats are also included.
As with most cars in its class, you can fold the rear seats down using switches on each side of the cargo area.
For anything that can’t or shouldn’t be stowed inside, Forester offers some of the best roof rails in the industry. The top left are the standard rails, while the top right are the Wilderness-specific tracks. Next to the exclusive gold border, note the second stanchion in the middle. Presumably, this is how the Wilderness roof rails can handle the extra weight: 800 pounds while parked versus 700, and 220 while in motion versus 176.
Even the base rails hold more than all competitors’ tracks, while even the base Toyota 4Runner good roof rails only 120 pounds.
This makes this a lot easier and safer…
Essentially, with ample interior space, an easy-to-load boxy shape, full-size spares, and handy roof rails, the Forester offers far greater cargo capacity than a single box. Simple cubic foot measurement.
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