Aiming to add some zest to its AWD specialty lineup, a new Subaru Forester variant is in the pipeline and it’s called the Forester GT Wild Lite edition. For those interested in getting their order in early, the brand has even set up a dedicated Registration of Interest (ROI) page for the new model on the Subaru Malaysia website. Such a subtle move can only mean one thing—that this particular model is expected to land in showrooms within the next few months.
The new bodywork incorporates a tougher off-road, go-anywhere appearance by adding a number of stylish touchups. A Subaru “Hill Decal” has been applied to the side of the GT Wild Lite edition, and a second “anti-glare” sticker has been fitted to the bonnet. In addition, the package comes with bespoke 2-tone alloy wheels that are fitted with Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tyres.
As you’d expect, this special AWD edition gets a CVT transmission that’s mated to the current model Forester’s 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated boxer engine generating 156 hp and 196 Nm of torque.
On the safety side, Subaru’s industry-leading EyeSight 4.0 ADAS suite is also standard on all models and provides Level 2 semi-autonomous driving tech as well as an improved field of view thanks to a new set of stereo cameras.
On the dedicated website page, the GT Wild Lite spec and its bespoke parts are listed as non-standard accessories which can be officially installed at selected Subaru dealerships. Therefore, we predict that GT Lite consumers will have the choice of purchasing the GT Wild package, or it will be available as a separate, similarly priced variant.
We’ll have to wait and see, however, some dealer ads claim that the GT Wild Lite variant/kit will go on sale in May 2024.
Debuting last May, the Forester is fully imported (CBU) from Thailand and currently offered in Malaysia in 4 variants including the 2.0 i-L EyeSight from RM 173,500, the 2.0 i-L EyeSight GT Lite starting from RM 179,500, the 2.0 i-S EyeSight at RM 183,500 and the 2.0 i-S EyeSight GT Edition from RM 195,500.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Slated to go on sale in May 2024, the new GT Wild Lite will offer Subarists that extra off-road design accent that we must admit really suits this brand, especially those funky wheels. Even though it’s just a lightly dressed-up version, we feel it will resonate among Subaru fans wanting something keenly priced and a little different from the stock standard AWD models.