The Subaru Forester has an incredibly loyal fanbase and an easy-to-understand position in the automotive world. It hits a sweet spot of capability and price. It’s an affordable way to get one of the more respected all-wheel drive (AWD) systems on the market. It’s a pleasant family car for your daily commute, it can handle snowy mountain roads with aplomb, and it’s at home with your kayak or mountain bike on the roof.
What it has never been, however, is a hybrid. For 2025, Subaru has entirely redesigned the Forester and introduced a Forester Hybrid with 14 horsepower more than the gas-powered version and six mpg more in combined city/highway driving.
Subaru loaned me one for a week. I spent it running errands around my Washington, D.C., home, including several long highway trips with a whole load of junk from a basement cleanout project to see how that extra power held up under a load.
Which Trim Level
Subaru sells the gas-powered Forester in Base, Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited, and Touring versions. It offers the hybrid in just four: Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring. My tester was the midpriced Limited Hybrid.
The Limited meant larger 18-inch wheels, StarTex faux leather upholstery, seat heaters, a panoramic moonroof, 11 Harman Kardon speakers, and a digital instrument cluster. Buyers have no choice of interior color. You get black with the gray exterior (sorry, River Rock Pearl), or a gray interior with some other paints.
It retails for $41,225, with the paint the only added-cost option ($395).
Favorite Feature
The 2025 Forester has perhaps the best visibility of any car I’ve tested in at least three years.
Safety experts say visibility is a growing problem with today’s car designs. A recent joint government-insurance industry study found that with higher hoods, thicker pillars, rising ride heights, and a penchant for boxy SUVs, today’s cars block your view of the world around you more than the cars of a generation ago.
Some of those changes make it more likely to survive a collision, but I worry we’re trading away the ability to avoid them in the first place.
The Forester’s high greenhouse, low beltline, and fantastic seating position let you see more of the road in every direction than most cars.
What It’s Like to Drive
If you’re reading a Subaru Forester review, the numbers tell us that there’s a good chance you’re considering replacing an old Forester with a new one. I’m happy to report that the fundamental character of the Forester has changed little with the Hybrid. The few changes that show up are improvements.
In case you haven’t driven one, the Forester is sure-footed. Its low-mounted boxer engine sits lower in the engine bay than most rivals’ inline engines. That architecture gives it a low center of gravity that makes it feel nicely planted. It won’t win races, but the steering is light, and the grip is firm.
The Hybrid offers 194 hp to the gas car’s 180 hp, but it feels like more than 14 have been added. The electric motor contributes mainly to acceleration at neighborhood speeds, where this feels a little zippier than the traditionally unhurried Forester. Nothing will make this a sports car, but the hybrid accelerates with enough confidence to match the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. It also has the segment’s tightest turning circle.
One odd note: The continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) emits a low, quiet whistle in an otherwise quiet cabin. With the radio on, you won’t notice it. With it off, more than once, I thought a siren was approaching a few blocks away before realizing the sound was coming from the car itself.
Interior Comfort and Technology
Beyond its excellent seating position, the Forester Limited Hybrid offers a well-rounded cabin that doesn’t stand out.
I’m a fan of high-mounted touchscreens that keep your eyes on the road when you check the directions. So I still dislike the low-mounted version Subaru uses in its gas-powered cars. But this one is large, at 11.6 inches, but responds slightly slowly to taps. You get used to it. But if you test drive a major rival, you’ll notice the lag in the Forester Hybrid.
The Forester Hybrid gives up a little bit of cargo volume compared to its nonhybrid counterpart. However, I still fit the remnants of my partner’s above-ground pool (a pandemic purchase too high-maintenance to keep), a broken-up twin box spring, and more in the back with room to spare.
Limitations
The Forester Limited Hybrid starts at $42,430, including delivery fees. An equivalent gas-powered Forester Limited starts at $39,510 — a difference of $2,920.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates you’ll save $250 a year on gasoline by buying the hybrid. You’d have to drive it for 12 years to start saving money on gas.
If you’re considering a hybrid to cut your carbon footprint and enjoy the added power, the hybrid model makes sense. If you’re considering one to save money, you probably wouldn’t.