Move over sports sedans, hybrid crossovers are the new hotness. Alright, so these two segments are completely unalike, but seemingly everyone wants an efficient crossover, to the point where the next generation of Toyota RAV4 will be hybrid-only. With that in mind, the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid is arriving pretty much right on time. Sure, it’s not the first electrified crossover in its segment, but if 2025 were a car, this would probably be it.
With electrified efficiency and mechanical all-wheel-drive, it definitely has a certain allure, especially if you carry your REI Co-op membership card in front of your driver’s licence in your wallet. However, is the Forester Hybrid as good on tarmac as it seems on paper, and will its price be a sticking point? I lived with one for a week to find out.
[Full disclosure: Subaru Canada let me borrow this Forester Hybrid for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it with a full tank of fuel, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Engine: 2.5-liter naturally aspirated Atkinson/Miller-cycle flat-four.
Battery pack: 1.1 kWh lithium-ion.
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission with two integrated motor-generators.
Drive: Full-time mechanical all-wheel-drive, electronically controlled center coupling, open front and rear differentials.
Output: 194 horsepower combined.
Fuel economy: 35 MPG city, 34 MPG highway, 35 MPG combined (6.8 L/100km city, 7.0 L/100km highway, 6.9 L/100km combined).
Body style: Five-door compact crossover.
Base price: $38,015 including freight ($50,490 in Canada).
Price as-tested: $44,715 including freight ($50,490 in Canada).
Why Does It Exist?
The Subaru Forester was genuinely one of the first modern crossovers, with a lineage stretching back to the 1998 model year. It’s older than me, an adult with a job who pays taxes, cleans his apartment, and all that jazz. It’s been around long enough that the world would be weirder if the Forester didn’t exist, and now that Subaru has a new hybrid system, it’s ready to go after all the electrified models in the segment that you don’t have to plug in. Stuff like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, and Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.
How Does It Look?
Like I noted when I drove the combustion-powered Forester, I reckon this generation is an aesthetic improvement over the previous generation, but that does come in the context that the only reason someone buys a Forester for its looks is because it looks rugged. Sure, Subaru’s made a handful of almost handsome Foresters over the years, but the overarching theme is a crossover wearing an Otterbox. With that in mind, Subaru’s gone and sharpened up the silhouette while eliminating the lobster claw look of the old one’s taillights and keeping the cladding chunky. If you wore Patagonia on your wedding day, this car’s for you.
Does the hybrid get any special visual touches? Technically, yes. The only way you’ll be able to tell a Forester Hybrid from a regular one on first glance is a wicked awesome set of e-Boxer Hybrid emblems shaped like a profile view of a flat-four’s rotating assembly. It’s a badge so good, I’d want one on my fridge, and tasteful touches like this really are the aesthetic way to go with hybrid variants. After all, the people want cars, not spaceships.
What About The Interior?
Climbing inside the Forester Hybrid, this spec of range-topping trim uses the trick of upholstery that isn’t black to lighten up the cabin, although the Forester has so much glass it doesn’t really need it. The moonroof is absolutely enormous for a conventional single-panel sliding unit, the windows are tall, and outward visibility is fantastic. I just wish the front seats were fantastic, because they can feel hard and flat after an hour in the saddle. Still, the armrests are shockingly fantastic since they’re padded like your granddad’s armchair, and the general driving position is good indeed. Alright, the sheer quantity of panel joins could be improved, and the lower spoke on the steering wheel being part of the horn pad can make for unexpected embarrassment, but hey, it’s a Subaru. The fans know what they want, and this is it.
Backseat passengers won’t be wanting for space or comfort, thanks to reasonably supple cushions, a roofline tall enough for your chapeau, loads of legroom, a USB-A charging port, a USB-C charging port, and no fewer than six seatback pockets. Cargo space is generous too, making the Forester a rather pragmatic proposition as a daily driver.
How Does It Drive?
The obvious draw of the Forester Hybrid is the efficiency of battery-assisted propulsion, but because it’s a Subaru, things are done a little differently than in the hybrids you might be used to. While models like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Mazda CX-50 Hybrid use an electric motor on the rear axle to drive the rear wheels, the Forester Hybrid places its motors upstream of a traditional all-wheel-drive system, sort of like on a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. The result is a crossover that drives like a normal all-wheel-drive crossover. No torque-steer, and you can rotate the car on corner exit using the accelerator pedal. The downside is that this setup isn’t as efficient as the one Toyota uses due to greater mechanical losses, so the only difference you’ll notice around town in nice weather is slightly less outstanding fuel economy. However, when you really need to put pedal to carpet, or if you’re in slippery conditions, this mechanical all-wheel-drive setup is worth the tradeoff.
Actually, it’s not that much of a tradeoff. Over a week of driving, I averaged 34 MPG, which isn’t bad considering the highway mix. Plus, because Subaru’s put the battery pack beneath the cargo area floor of the Forester Hybrid, you get a 16.6-gallon fuel tank for a real-world cruising range of nearly 600 miles. It’ll be a reasonably refined couple of hundred miles too, because not only does the hybrid powertrain feel a tad more urgent than the base all-combustion option, it loves to keep the engine speed low so you don’t really get the din of a flat-four coming through the firewall under light acceleration. Instead, you get an intensely smothered hum like an electric train moving a county over, and that’s about it. Mind you, it’s hard to get this thing to go into all-electric operation at highway speeds, although I was working the high-voltage air-con compressor hard.
Perhaps part of it’s the added weight of the hybrid system and part of it’s the tuning to match the revisions, but the Forester Hybrid also feels more confident on the road than the last all-combustion Forester I drove. Sure, the steering could be more responsive, and I want for better self-centering, but it carries a bit more weight, and body control’s been improved by leaps and bounds. Chasms in the tarmac are reduced to mere tire slap without the compromise of having the whole car pogo on its suspension like a leaping deer if you hit a series of high-speed mid-corner bumps. Once you drive a Forester Hybrid, you’ll wish all Foresters drove like this.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Since my Forester Hybrid press unit was an absolute top-of-the-range model, it came with all the toys, including a multi-view camera system, heated and ventilated power front seats, the lot. However, the overall tech experience is a bit previous-generation. For one, that tablet-style 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system is prone to washing out in sunlight, and can take a while to boot up. It’s also not the most responsive unit on the market, which can be annoying because your heated and cooled seat controls are in the screen. Likewise, while I appreciate the legibility of the information displayed on the Forester Hybrid’s digital instrument cluster, black levels and configurability could be better. Oh, and camera resolution on the multi-view camera system is a bit low.
As for the Harman/Kardon sound system on my test unit, it’s definitely V-shaped, but it bumps pretty hard for the segment. Plenty of bass, crisp highs without going shrill, I only really want for more clarity in the midrange. Still, it’s not like the Bose system in the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid or the JBL system in the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid will blow audiophiles away, so for the money, the branded system available in the Forester Hybrid doesn’t disappoint.
Three Things To Know About The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid:
- You can get nearly 600 miles on a tank if you take it easy.
- It has real mechanical all-wheel-drive.
- You’ll pay a pretty penny for hybrid power.
Does It Fulfil Its Purpose?
For the most part, yeah. Electrification has made the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid a better Forester, but it’s worth keeping in mind that not only does the Forester Hybrid carry a premium and start off with a not-truly-base trim, it’s also not alone. The least-expensive Forester Premium Hybrid trim carries a price tag of $38,015 including freight, a premium of $3,210 over the combustion-only Premium trim. That being said, the biggest price gap is on the Sport Hybrid trim, which carries a price tag of $41,015 including freight, a premium of $3,490 over the equivalent combustion-only Sport trim. According to the EPA, it’ll take nearly a decade of driving for the fuel economy benefit of the hybrid to pay back that initial premium, so if you’re in it for the long haul or live in an area with particularly expensive gas, the hybrid powertrain is probably only then worth it. That being said, the payback time gets shorter the higher up the trim walk you go. The Harman/Kardon-equipped Limited Hybrid carries a smaller $3,315 premium over the regular Limited, and the fully loaded Touring Hybrid commands just a $1,700 premium over the regular Touring. At the top of the range, the hybrid becomes a no-brainer.
However, you can get into a base Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for $34,050 and a top Limited trim example stickers for $42,355. The Honda CR-V Hybrid with the option box ticked for all-wheel drive starts at $38,525 and tops out at $43,645, and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid starts at $34,960 and tops out at $42,790. In the face of such strong competition, the value of the Forester Hybrid is called into question. Sure, it’s good, but it’s awfully tempting to save a bit of money and go with a competitor.
In Canada, things are magnified. North of the border, the Forester Hybrid only comes in one loaded trim, which carries a starting price of $50,490 Canadian, including freight. That’s a hard pill to swallow if you aren’t set on a top spec, as models like the Honda CR-V Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, and Kia Sportage Hybrid all offer more affordable trims. Then again, I’d take this over a RAV4 Hybrid because I reckon the mechanical all-wheel-drive system is worth it.
What’s The Punctum Of The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid?
Electrification improves the Forester, provided you’re willing to pay the premium.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
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Good luck with the CVT valve body 😛
So I live in a state with cr@ptastic roads, I have snow many moons of the year (my mom: “it’s cold here 10 months of the year, and winter the other 2”), and I want something that is not a stupid behemoth. Tell me, what vehicle has ground clearance, a good greenhouse, a cabin that fits someone absurdly tall me like I am, and packs all my shit?
Yeah, nobody ur Subaru builds that these days. I wish there were choices, but no. There are not. Ours is literally the last manual that was on sale in Maine in 2019, and someday we will replace it with something else. If there’s PHEV version, I’m in. My needs are not normal in this nation, but in my state there are no other options.
I owned a ‘97 Outback and an ‘01 Forester many years ago. They were fun. Relatively spacious. Light. Tossable. Loved them.
My parents had a 2016 Outback with the H6 for a while. My brother and sister in law are on Subarus 4 and 5 (currently a Crosstrek and Impreza) and my best friend has a ‘17 Forester. I have driven them all, none have the same feel as my old Outback and Forester. Newer ones feel heavy, the CVT drones, the H4 is gutless with the extra weight. I wouldn’t buy a new ICE Subaru.
That being said, I would love the opportunity to drive a hybrid forester. It sounds like it might turn my perceptions around.
Is this consumer reports? I’m sure this is a practical bland invisible car but how about review some of the last manual cars all the commenters talk about on here!?
You can go read about those on Motor Trend or C&D, if I’m not mistaken. The Autopian will do as it does. Plenty of us like ‘bland’ cars.
I will never stop hating the Subaru touchscreen setup. So ugly and so cheap looking.
Why did you use a Ford Explorer for the lead image?
Considering the transmission uses a planetary gearset paired with a couple of electric motors instead of the belt and pully CVT of the non hybrid, this would be a great upgrade for the Wilderness models.
The question is it could handle additional power from a supercharged or turbocharged engine.
Either way, it’s a shame it’s not offered on the Wilderness.
That’s right, the tradeoff here isn’t just slightly better MPG. It’s a better driving experience and more power. Even at nearly $4k, the upgrade is worth it.
Glad to hear this about the CVT. Has Toyota trademarked ‘E-CVT”? Because some such simple nomenclature to distinguish a planetary unit from a pulley rig would be really helpful for those who value reliability. (Let’s see if this comment pulls Jatco out of retirement.)
While Toyota and Ford use ‘eCVT’ to denote that they’re using a planetary gearset CVT that involves an electric motor fundamental to its operation, Honda has also used ‘eCVT’ to refer to its series hybrid (engine->generator motor->drive motor) + 1-2 fixed gear ratio system, which has nothing to do with a CVT other than the fact that it can make the engine drone too. Not sure what Nissan calls their E-Power series hybrid in other markets, or what Mazda will call their upcoming system.
I didn’t realize Thomas was such a young whippersnapper.
Can you really “rotate the car on corner exit using the accelerator pedal” in a 3,900lb SUV with 194hp?
I drifted a 1st gen Explorer and thats only 160hp.
Mind it took rain to drift with the throttle. And a good way to end up on your side unless you unload the rear springs with smoothly.
So I expect the Forester is easy in comparison. Just might need actual front camber.
At low enough speed, maximum hybrid electric torque, and some slippery econ focused tyres, perhaps a bit.
This sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered. I’m sure it will please both the Subaru faithful and new customers. Especially Subaru’s decision to retain mechanical AWD. Note that Ford has also gone this route on every generation of the Escape Hybrid, as well as on related cars like the Corsair Hybrid and Maverick Hybrid.
194 horsepower isn’t a whole lot for a heavy crossover that’s pushing midsize. But hybrids do have different power delivery. Does it feel at least reasonably punchy at lower speeds?
If it has forced induction = Miller cycle
If it doesn’t have forced induction = Atkinson cycle
This doesn’t have a turbo or supercharger, so it’s Atkinson, or at least Atkinson-capable.
I have no love or hate for vehicles in this category. They are designed to provide as much utility as possible for the least amount of money, so judging them based on spreadsheet calculations makes sense. For most people, the differences between the Forrester, Rav4, CR-V, etc. are inconsequential. Just buy the one with the lowest cost per mile for your use case and move on.
I like the look of a lot of Subbies but most are a bit underpowered for my taste. If there was a Sport trim if this with 240HP, it would be on my list.
While ICE Subies have generally underperformed their HP numbers, the hybrid version has a genuine chance at feeling similar to a typical 240hp 2.0T in most situations outside of full throttle at high speeds. I’d give it a test drive to confirm.
I always thought of Subaru as Japanese Volvo.
I mean all the REI bullshit aside (I haven’t read a Subaru article that doesn’t have an REI crack in a long time – aren’t you guys writers? Dabble in cliches too much and you become a hack), the formula for Subie is:
A little more utility, a little more luxury, in a quirky package. I don’t personally own one, but I would say a good 60% of the houses in our neighborhood have one their driveway. My next-door neighbor has two identical grey Legacies in her driveway and the people across the street from her have two maroon Foresters of different generations.
Neither of them are outdoorsy, REI people. I think they might just be good, funky cars.
I’m on my 4th-5th Subbie and had to Google “REI”. Guess I’m missing out, although I don’t own a flat-brim hat either. (Or vape.)
I wanted to buy an Outback over our current XC-60, but got vetoed by the wife.
My ’19 Crosstrek does exactly what I want, and was relatively cheap when new. I got a Wilderness Crosstrek for a loaner and liked it but wouldn’t be until at least a few years when the GR Corolla is paid off.
GF is going to be in the market for a new small-ish SUV soon, she didn’t like the Crosstrek headroom.
Not everyone who owns a Subaru is from Vermont, but everyone from Vermont owns a Subaru. Like the square/rectangle thing.
The Forester has for a long time been the most interior volume you could get at it’s price point. Not necessarily the most luxurious, but you could pack it full of stuff (outdoorsy, or home improvementy, or dogs, or whatever).
This Forester also carries on the tradition or pricing hybrids in a way that indicates Subaru has no interest in selling them in volume.
Subaru have been the number one selling car brand in the Australian state of Tasmania at times as well. Even my old Toyota Tercel 4wd went there to enjoy a retirement with its fellow 4wd wagons.
I agree, but going further I think many Subarus are “classless” vehicles, as in you’re not likely to associate any particular net worth to the owner. Two people I know, one a union laborer, the other a retired tech CEO, both have only owned a string of subies.
I don’t know that they’re all that luxurious, although the “Nappa” leather in my ’22 Outback Touring XT was quite supple. But they definitely have more utility and their styling is quirky.
Correction on pricing: the Premium is the least expensive trim at $38,015.
The hybrids also each include as standard the option package that is available on the equivalent nonhybrid. Factor that in and the difference shrinks to ~$2k on a Premium, $1700 on the Sport and Limited, same as the Touring (which doesn’t have an option package). If that’s stuff you wanted anyway, it’s even less of a premium over the nonhybrid Forester.
Edit: Hyundai is also adding base hybrid trims on the Tucson and Santa Fe for 2026. Tucson pricing isn’t out yet but that will move it even more into a value leader position like its Sportage sibling. Whether or not they are any more available is another thing though.
Reminds me of something actor Sam Elliott said about the limited range he’s showed in roles over the years. . . paraphrasing, “Nobody is better at being Sam Elliott than me.”
Robert Smith had a similar, brilliant quote about his guitar playing. He said something along the lines of “I’m not a great player but no one else sounds like me”.
Harsh. Funny. True-ish.
I genuinely, unironically like this car and might buy one in a couple of years. I understand some of the critiques journalists have for it-which usually include the fact that the hybrid won’t save you much money unless you keep it for a long time, that the equivalent CRV or RAV4 hybrid is cheaper, etc.
That being said, there’s a very important X factor with this…it’s a goddamn Subaru. People care about the brand and are fiercely loyal to it. And what it fulfills better than any of its competitors is that it’s good at being a Subaru. The mechanical all wheel drive/soft roading/snow capability remain intact, there are an assortment of hard wearing interior options, it has neat quirky details like the boxer hybrid badge, etc.
And it has some semblance of a soul. While I think the current CRV is a great car and I never hesitate to recommend it, there’s just something sad about buying an appliance that almost everyone has. The Subaru is also an appliance, but it’s a fun loving one that wants you to take it on adventures, has a more cheerful design, etc.
Also-the demographic that will buy these wants the hybrid as much for the environmental benefits as the money they’ll save, if not more. They’ll have a cleaner conscience operating one of these than the pure ICE one. The actual environmental benefits of an individual choosing an hybrid Forester over an ICE one are infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things….but the vibes? They’re excellent.
Edit: these also aren’t selling for MSRP. All the ones around me have money on their hoods, which mitigates some of the price concerns.
Plus nowadays hybrids just outright drive better than their gas-only counterparts. Pushing the gas pedal to hear a wheezy four-banger CVT combo around town is dismal, but it’s marginally offset when you can set off smoothly and silently—not to mention way better stop-start thanks to the electric motor. With that mindset it really is a ‘premium’ option, and any improved MPG is an extra bonus on top of better driving characteristics.
Exactly, and Subaru knew this and added more sound deadening material to the hybrid Forester. I think it’s 100% worth the premium.
Right. I know that when I was buying a ’22 Outback Touring XT back in the summer of ’21, Subaru was one of the only brands not marking up the cars (the other was Mazda). Granted, Subaru had nothing on the lot and I ultimately had to put my name on an incoming car, but they weren’t going over MSRP. I also got them to take $1,000 off and waive their $499 doc fee just by asking.
Allegedly, Subaru’s regional management had put the kibosh on marking up the cars somehow. The dealership where I’d bought mine was marking up only the Outback Wilderness, and by $1,500, but even that stopped.
I think something a lot of people are missing right now with hybrid pricing is that they are the upgrade engine, like what a 3.0L V6 would be over a the base 2.2L I4. You’re not necessarily paying extra for the fuel economy, you’re paying for the extra refinement and more effortless power output. A V6 or 2.0T would typically never pay itself off outside of resale value because they get worse mileage; why does a hybrid necessarily have to?
I think this attitude is a relic of the not distant past where most hybrids cost a lot more than while having similar power to the base engine, because there was also a V6/2.0T power option in the lineup; the only reason for the hybrid to exist was for fuel savings, so it had a small ICE. Nowadays very few hybrid models in this class have ICE power upgrades to compete against: the Ford Escape’s 2.0T, Mazda CX-50’s 2.5T, and the recently replaced Camry’s V6. The upgrade engine has mostly disappeared in the segment and has only been partially replaced by hybrids.
I’ll look forward to seeing these crawling along at 45mph on a 70mph Interstate with a terrified-looking driver hunched rigidly over the steering wheel
Or blasting down I70 in an ice storm at 75mph on all seasons, but it’s fine because it’s a Subaru.
There is no in between. (Disclosure: I daily an Outback)
This is the dichotomy of all cars on all roads now. Nobody can drive.