Subaru Is Selling Some Very Strange Forester Packages in Japan
America has the Wilderness, Japan has...
If there's something to be said about Subaru styling, it's either conservative or downright polarizing. On the one hand, you have models like the Crosstrek and Forester, and then you have the new Outback, which has drawn some, er, interesting comments. Either way, the company makes an effort to jazz up the look by introducing special trims.
In most parts of the world, including North America, there's a Wilderness Edition that beefs up the styling and adds off-road goodies. But over in Japan, Subaru goes far beyond that. In its home market, the Forester has several design packages that range from amusing to downright strange, at least in our eyes.
"STI" Goodies
We'll kick things off with the STI Performance Parts for the popular crossover. Right off the bat, we'll tell you that none of these add power to the Forester, so don't get your hopes up. The performance parts are compatible with both the hybrid (badged e-Boxer) and the Japan-exclusive turbo versions.
For that, there's an aero kit that adds a deeper front chin, side skirts, rear bumper diffusers, and a more prominent tailgate spoiler. Also available are various chassis upgrades, such as strut tower bars and a rear chassis brace. Exhaust kits can also be fitted to both turbo and hybrid models, and there's a selection of 18-inch STI wheels to spice up the most recent Japan Car of the Year winner. Think of this then as the opposite of the Wilderness Edition.
It Gets Stranger From Here
We won't shock you immediately by showing you the most shocking package, so we'll start with the mild Accent Color Package that adds, well, accents to some exterior bezels. After that, it's the Adventure Style decal package that, to the surprise of no one, slaps on decals all over the place. There's one on the hood, another set on the doors, and another on the tailgate. One can even put on mountain decals if that's still not enough.
Last but not least is the complete Adventure Style Package that gives the Forester a grille that's up for discussion, along with chunky door guards that are far from subtle. Subaru adds that those door guards can be used as a hanger of sorts. If that's still not enough, the package also includes headlight and taillight garnishes, said to be protective, as well as a roof edge protector. If we were to describe it as kindly as possible, we'd call it functional.. .to a degree.
What's interesting here is that these packages can be mixed and matched to the buyer's desire. That means you can get the STI Performance Parts and Adventure Style Package to create, er, something unique, which is exactly what we did in the configurator. That said, you can choose to get bits and pieces individually if that's all too weird.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 7:30 AM.