2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Review and Test Drive

Added efficiency and compelling capability make the Forester Hybrid an appealing package.

Tim Stevens | 

Apr 3, 2025 | 5 min read

Subaru's Forester is a favorite in the compact SUV segment and is the automaker's second-bestselling vehicle, right behind the Crosstrek. As more and more buyers look for electrified powertrains, Subaru has expanded the Forester's market by launching the 2025 Forester Hybrid. After a single day of driving one through the hills near San Francisco, I'm convinced it's worth the extra money.

The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid comes in Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring trim levels. Base prices range from the mid-$30,000s to the mid-$40,000s, including the destination charge for shipping the SUV to your local dealership from Subaru's Gunma, Japan, factory.

The Forester Hybrid I tested was the Sport trim. It had no optional equipment, so the manufacturer's suggested retail price was $39,415, including the $1,420 destination charge. Subaru provided the vehicle for this Forester Hybrid review and paid for airfare, lodging, and meals during the evaluation period.

Tim Stevens

Is the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid a Good SUV?

Subaru's Forester has long offered SUV practicality in a compact package with confident performance in challenging conditions. None of that changes with the new Forester Hybrid. This electrified version provides a substantial boost in efficiency, a touch more power, and some other upgrades for a modest price increase.

Tim Stevens

What's New for the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid?

The Forester, which went on sale late last year, gets most of its shove from a horizontally opposed 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.

But the big story here is the newly electrified powertrain, a hybrid system that relies on two electric motors. The motors not only help with acceleration, I believe they provide an improved start/stop experience, especially when I compare the driving experience with non-hybrid Subarus I've been in. Power is sent to all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission.

The system's net output is 194 horsepower, up from the base Forester, but by only 14 ponies. Subaru doesn't quote a combined torque figure for the system. Improved power aside, fuel economy rises to 35/34/35 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. That's up from 26/33/29 mpg in the non-hybrid models. During my test, I netted 27.3 mpg, but that included some extended stretches of aggressive driving on twisty roads.

The other significant change is the new 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. It's similar to the unit in Subaru's new WRX tS, and gives the redesigned 2025 Forester lineup some modern flair.

Tim Stevens

The Forester Hybrid Has More Power and Great Drivability

With just 180 horsepower on tap, the non-hybrid 2025 Subaru Forester isn't exactly leading its class in terms of acceleration. Do the Hybrid's 14 additional ponies and electric motors help? I'm sorry to say the Forester Hybrid doesn't feel dramatically different when accelerating. The hybrid system offers more response off the line and throughout the rev range, but it still falls well short of feeling zippy, like a plug-in hybrid or a fully electric vehicle would.

But then, the Forester is a standard hybrid. Accelerate away from a stop sign — even with very light pressure on the accelerator — and the gasoline engine spins up early and often. That transition, at least, feels close to seamless. There's no jerky behavior or awkward surges in acceleration as the SUV eases from electric assist to internal combustion.

Crucially, braking is just as good. In some hybrids and EVs, regenerative braking can make for awkward, inconsistent performance from the brakes. When the Forester Hybrid utilizes regenerative braking, however, the brake pedal is consistent and firm. It provided a reassuring feeling during my test drive and made it easy to bring the SUV to a smooth stop.

Tim Stevens

On wet and dry roads, the Forester Hybrid demonstrated excellent poise and grip over smooth pavement and rough trails. The all-wheel-drive system uses an active center differential that can send the combined power of the electric motors and gasoline engine to all four wheels, ensuring the SUV supplies impressive traction in slippery conditions.

Despite the lack of power, I think the Forester Hybrid is engaging to drive. Steering feedback is surprisingly good, and the balanced handling displays a nice mix of compliance and responsiveness. I had far more fun winding it through the hills west of Silicon Valley than I expected.

Tim Stevens

Improved Refinement and Tech in the Forester Hybrid

While making room for the electric motors and lithium-ion battery, Subaru's engineers also took the time to layer on some additional sound-deadening material for the current-generation Forester. That's on top of substantial revisions to the vehicle's chassis.

The result is a quiet SUV with a composed ride on broken asphalt, gravel roads, and the uneven terrain that Subaru owners love to seek out. It doesn't offer the levels of quietude you'd expect from an EV, and the engine sound is more of a drone than a delight. Still, I found the Forester Hybrid pleasantly refined under casual acceleration and when cruising.

The digital driver's display, arranged in a dual-gauge-cluster layout found in other Subarus, is a nice addition. But, by toggling the thumb controls on the left side of the steering wheel, you can bring up a full-screen map display or a third page with information about EyeSight, Subaru's advanced driver-assistance system.

Tim Stevens

This is a big step up over last year's smaller inset display between the analog gauges.

It also pairs nicely with the 11.6-inch central touchscreen, introduced with the 2025 Forester. While I've generally found Subaru's software experience a bit dated and sluggish, the vertically oriented screen provides plenty of room for climate-system controls along the bottom, additional data and drive-mode information above, and a media experience in the middle.

It's all functional enough, but most drivers will likely want to use the wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality and skip the native navigation experience.

Tim Stevens

While Subaru didn't change much with the 2025 Forester Hybrid, it didn't need to. The freshly redesigned SUV is already popular, and the increased efficiency for a modest cost may prove irresistible.

Tim Stevens

Tim is a freelance automotive and technology journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He is a frequent contributor to major domestic and international online, print, and broadcast news outlets, sharing his insights and perspectives on everything from cybersecurity to supercars. Tim also serves as a juror for the World Car Awards and regularly acts as speaker and moderator at major industry events such as CES, Web Summit, SXSW, NAIAS, and AutoMobility LA. He formerly served as editor-at-large and vice president of content at CNET. Before that he was editor-in-chief of Engadget and editorial director at AOL Tech.