Subaru Starlink Apple Carplay. That was one positive thing when comparing forester to rivals. Free shipping on qualified orders.
The subaru starlink system offers advanced connectivity with apple carplay & android auto standard on many subaru models. Starlink multimedia offers advanced connectivity through apple carplay ®, android auto™, and pandora ® integration. Ad shop devices, apparel, books, music & more.
When you purchase or lease a new subaru model, you can subscribe to starlink™ and enjoy full smartphone pairing through these applications.
Especially in winter and doesn't really cost as much (i paid $225 for a 5 year subscription). Subaru starlink so to answer your original question, yes, you can use car play without purchasing any starlink services. Same with map app, uses ios apple maps. Based on what i was seeing on this like, it makes it sound like if i have a starlink system which i believe i do, that it’s easy to upgrade to carplay: