Predictably, the most favourable Subaru Forester running costs in terms of fuel economy belong to the diesel version. It returns a claimed average of 49.6mpg, compared with 40.9mpg for the lower powered petrol engine and 33.2mpg for the more powerful turbocharged option.

Diesel versions are the most popular and therefore possess stronger resale values on the used market.

The lower-powered petrol version has the lowest insurance group rating (23E) and the turbocharged petrol XT the highest (34A). The diesel sits in the middle in group 25E.

Interestingly, the lower-powered petrol has very similar CO2 emissions to the diesel. The petrol produces 150g/km in Lineartronic form, while the diesel produces 148g/km with the manual gearbox (158g/km with the auto ‘box). If you want the 2.0-litre petrol with the manual gearbox, emissions increase to 160g/km.

These figures are an improvement over the older versions of the same engines used in the previous Forester thanks to a long list of small improvements to the engines’ internals. Fitting a six-speed rather than a five-speed gearbox for manual versions has also improved fuel economy, as has the use of low-rolling-resistance tyres across the range.

The turbocharged petrol engine emits 197g/km of CO2 from its twin exhaust pipes and therefore pays a penalty for its extra performance with a higher road tax rate of £270 per year.

Subaru is renowned for its vehicles’ reliability and has one of the lowest recall rates of any car manufacturer worldwide.

The engines and transmissions are already proven in the previous-generation Forester and the Subaru XV, both of which have a reputation for robust build quality. As such, we expect Subaru Forester reliability to be very strong.