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New models–Subaru Forester

Prices up on MY23 Subaru Forester - with cars ordered now for Christmas

 BY THE GOAUTO TEAM

SUBARU Australia has secured stock of the 2023 Forester, which can now be ordered for delivery during the fourth quarter of 2022.

With MY22 Foresters selling out after being subject to delays of up to fi ve months, buyers of the mid-size SUV can now order the MY23 mode that comes with a barely noticeable update including the addition of an auto-dimming rearview mirror to 2.5i Sport AWD, 2.5i-S AWD and Hybrid S AWD variants

Sapphire Blue Pearl replaces the Dark Blue Pearl option for 2.5i Sport AWD.

The MY23 Forester is otherwise identical to the current facelifted model that fi rst went on sale in October 2021 – but like almost everything else at the moment, prices are up, Subaru blaming costs associated with production and logistics.

Entry-level pricing has risen by $1900, with the 2.5i variant now priced at $37,890 before on-road costs.

The mid-spec 2.5i-L and Hybrid L are also up by $1900, while customers will pay $1950 more for the 2.5i Premium, while the addition of the electrochromatic mirrors to the 2.5i Sport, 2.5i-S and Hybrid S is off set by the price jumping $2150, meaning the petrol-electric range-topper now priced at $49,350 before on road costs.

It is worth noting the Forester was unaff ected by price rises in May 2022, which saw the rest of Subaru’s SUV range rise by $800, because it was no longer available.

At the time, the Subaru Australia website told potential customers the MY22 Forester was currently unavailable for purchase, with a company spokesperson admitting it was sold out.

Interested customers were encouraged to speak to their local Subaru retailer about registering their interest for the upcoming MY23 Forester.

The Australian Subaru website has since been updated to refl ect the model-year changeover, with interested customers told to visit or contact their local Subaru retailer to purchase the MY23 model.

The car they will be buying includes features that were new to the MY22 Forester, such as a more comprehensive EyeSight safety and driver-assist technology suite as standard on the facelifted Forester and bigger touchscreens in lower-spec variants.

Middle and higher-spec Forester variants come with adaptive headlights, and gesture-controlled air-conditioning, with a redesigned instrument cluster fi tted to mid- and high-spec petrol variants.

Available powertrains include a 136kW/239Nm 2.5-litre fl at-four petrol engine, and 110kW/196Nm 2.0L petrol e-Boxer hybrid featuring a 12.3kW/66Nm electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack.

Respective Combined fuel consumption ratings are 7.4 litres per 100km and 6.7L/100km.

2023 Subaru Forester pricing*:

Forester 2.5i (a) $37,890 Forester 2.5i-L (a) $49,290 Forester 2.5i Premium (a) $43,090 Forester Hybrid L (a) $43,290 Forester 2.5i Sport (a) $44,840 Forester 2.5i-S (a) $44,840 Forester Hybrid S (a) $49,340 *Excludes on-road costs

Elvis – 4 Stars

The mile-a-minute, never let up pace of the fi lm (along with the myriad OTT Baz Luhrmann stylistic choices) may not be for everyone, but Austin Butler delivers an utterly convincing, enthralling take on the King that screams “a cinematic experience that can’t be missed”.

THE film charts Colonel Tom Parker’s (Tom Hanks) shepherding of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) through his life and career; from making him a star, to his eventual run on the Vegas Strip. It also focuses on the toxic relationship between the two characters, which ultimately led to Elvis’ demise.

Elvis, much like some of Baz Luhrmann’s other recent work, is incredibly stylised, with the fi rst one and a half hours of the fi lm feeling like a never-ending trailer. It’s a chaotic, messy, at times sloppy, introduction to the fi lm.

It’s also absolutely enthralling.

The absurdity of the edit also has the fantastic benefi t of making this seem like no other biopic you’ve ever seen. It’s story fi rst, performance second, and despite the fact that we get the full gamut of classic Elvis tunes, it never feels like the fi lm is slowing down to accommodate them.

Austin Butler is utterly convincing as the King. It’s tough to overemphasize how incredibly good his performance is. It’s a star-making turn for the young actor, and his work holds the movie together through its stumbles.

Elvis is not going to be a fi lm for everybody. But it’s sort of like being driven around a racetrack by a rally car driver; while you’re in it, you can’t do anything but grit your teeth and hold on for dear life. Once you’re out of it, it’s an experience that will stay with you forever.

Reviews by Jacob Richardson Creative Director | Film Focus www.filmfocusau.com

Lightyear – 3 Stars

Lightyear tells the story of Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans), the fi lm that inspired the toy in the world of Toy Story.

The ‘real life’ Buzz is a space ranger, whose galactic travails hit a sticking point when he crashes the colony’s ship trying to escape a hostile planet. Now he, and his whole crew, are stuck on the planet, and the only way off requires him to work out interstellar travel.

The only issue is every time he tries, he slows down relative to time. His fi rst four minute mission has him off -world for four years by his crewmates timelines. By the time he solves the conundrum, with the help of his cute therapy cat, he is less than a year older than when he landed, but his captain has married, had grandkids and died.

When he does solve the problem, Buzz returns to fi nd the planet besieged by robots, led by a fi endish gigantic robot known as Zurg (James Brolin). To stop them, he has to team up with an eclectic crew, including clumsy Mo Morrison (Taika Waititi), ex-con Darby Steel (Dale Soules), and the granddaughter of his old captain, Izzy Hawthorne (Keke Palmer).

Lightyear is an intriguing proposition, eff ectively taking the toy character from a three movie iconic series and translating it into a movie about the same character, but also not about the same character. It’s a movie that tries really hard to justify the existence of the reboot, and takes a curious way of doing so.

At its base level, Lightyear succeeds at that. The fi lm is an interesting story, the action hits, and there is a general sense of not knowing where the fi lm could be going. That’s a great success for a reboot, and it truly crafts a piece that feels fresh, new and fun.

The issue is the whole concept of using Buzz Lightyear in this way. There is literally no reason why this movie has to use Buzz as a character in any way. The story is new, and interesting, without the forced callbacks to the toy version of the character, or his famous catchphrase. The endless nostalgia vibes, just feel fl at, cynical and ultimately diminish what otherwise is quite a fun, enjoyable animated fi lm.

Oh, and Chris Evans is no Tim Allen.