Vehicle

Subaru Forester

The compact SUV that carries most of Subaru's volume outside Japan, and mechanically an Impreza with more ground clearance. The EJ25's head-gasket history belongs to this nameplate as much as any — worth establishing before a coolant-temperature or misfire code is taken at face value on an older car.

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Subaru Forester — Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 (external)

Generations

SF 1997–2002

The first Forester on the Impreza's platform; the naturally aspirated EJ25's external head-gasket seep at the block face is the era's known fault.
- EJ (1.5–2.5)
Body styles

SUV · Estate

Platform

Subaru Impreza
Engines
2.0 flat-four — EJ20 · petrol

2.0 turbo flat-four — EJ20T · petrol

2.5 flat-four — EJ25 · petrol · 190–238 Nm (140–176 lb-ft)
Transmissions

5-speed manual · 4-speed automatic

Drivetrain

Symmetrical all-wheel drive
SG 2002–2008

EJ20/EJ25; the generation the head-gasket reputation was built on.
- EJ (1.5–2.5)
Body styles

SUV

Platform

Subaru Impreza
Engines
2.0 — EJ20 · petrol

2.0 turbo — EJ205 · petrol · XT

2.5 — EJ25 · petrol

2.5 turbo — EJ255 · petrol · XT
Transmissions

5-speed manual · 4-speed automatic · 6-speed manual

Drivetrain

Symmetrical all-wheel drive
SH 2008–2012

Taller, more SUV-shaped; EJ engines and a diesel in Europe.
Body styles

SUV

Platform

Subaru Impreza
Engines
2.0 — EJ20 · petrol · 110 kW (148 hp)

2.5 — EJ25 · petrol · 126 kW (169 hp) · 227–229 Nm (167–169 lb-ft)

2.5 turbo — EJ255 · petrol · XT

2.0 diesel — EE20 · diesel · 108 kW (145 hp) · 350 Nm (258 lb-ft)

2.0 H4 — FB20 · petrol · 110 kW (148 hp) · 188–198 Nm (139–146 lb-ft)

2.5 H4 — FB25 · petrol · 121–145 kW (162–194 hp) · 209–241 Nm (154–178 lb-ft)
Transmissions

5-speed manual · 6-speed manual · 4-speed automatic · 5-speed automatic

Drivetrain

Symmetrical all-wheel drive
SJ 2012–2018

FB-series and the CVT; oil consumption is this generation's caution.
Body styles

SUV
Engines
2.0 — FB20 · petrol

2.5 — FB25 · petrol · 126 kW (169 hp) · 235 Nm (173 lb-ft) · oil consumption is this generation's caution

2.0 turbo — FA20 · petrol · 205–400 Nm (151–295 lb-ft)

2.0 diesel — EE20 · diesel · 108 kW (145 hp)
Transmissions

6-speed manual · Lineartronic CVT

Drivetrain

Four-wheel drive
SK 2018–present

Global Platform, direct injection, and the e-Boxer mild hybrid in some markets.
- CB18 1.8 L
- FB (1.6–2.5)
Body styles

SUV

Platform

Subaru Global Platform
Engines
2.0 e-Boxer — FB20 · mild hybrid · 188–198 Nm (139–146 lb-ft)

2.5 — FB25 · petrol

1.8 turbo — CB18 · petrol · Japan
Transmissions

Lineartronic CVT

Drivetrain

Symmetrical all-wheel drive

Information, not instruction

CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.

Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.

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