Unfortunately this time my wife’s views may need to be taken into account ☹️Make yourself a list of all the Forester's qualities that you must retain and then a list of qualities that would be desirable to keep - the ease of access is a main reason for the popularity of CUVs and "soft-roaders".
Check out the Audi SQ5 - if you hanker for a ST or 130N, the ordinary Q5 would be too tame.