Subaru Targets Class Leaders With 2025 Forester Hybrid
Subaru closed out 2024 with its 29th consecutive month of sales growth, and the Japanese automaker is looking to keep that momentum building. The Forester, its second bestselling model, is only barely eclipsed by the Crosstrek. It’s been wholly redesigned for the 2025 model year, with styling that moves it further from its awkward wagon-in-a-top-hat roots and closer to the typical compact SUV template, and the Forester will mimic the competition in another crucial way with its first-ever hybrid powertrain.
Related: 2025 Subaru Forester Review: Redesigned, But on the Same Not-So-Beaten Path
The Next Generation Can Share
Shared with the recently announced 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, the Forester’s gas-electric powertrain consists of a redesigned 2.5-liter flat-four-cylinder engine and two electric motors, one of which recharges the 1.1-kilowatt-hour battery and one of which helps drive the wheels. As with the rest of the Forester lineup, the hybrid will only be available with a continuously variable automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Between the gas engine and electric motor, the Forester Hybrid generates a total of 194 horsepower, an increase of 14 hp over the non-hybrid Forester. Subaru says the new powertrain will return up to 40% better fuel economy in the city than its gas-only counterpart and up to 25% combined. As the regular 2025 Forester with AWD is EPA-rated at a best of 26/33/29 mpg city/highway/combined, expect a city rating in the mid-30s and a combined figure nearing 40 mpg when official figures are released.
In Search of Volume
Hybrids are hugely popular in the Forester’s competitive set. For the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, hybrids account for about a third of RAV4 sales and half of CR-V purchases. In fact, the hybrid versions of Honda’s and Toyota’s SUVs outsold the Forester in its entirety in 2024. Between the redesign and the new hybrid powertrain, the Forester is positioned to make some big moves. We’ll see if it can capitalize soon: The all-new hybrid will arrive in dealerships in the spring. Information on pricing and equipment will be available closer to the Forester Hybrid’s launch.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Feb. 7, 2025, to reflect the correct model year.
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