2025 Subaru Forester

Is the 2025 Subaru Forester a Good SUV?

"The Forester continues to deliver the comfortable ride, spacious interior and real off-road capabilities that it's renowned for, but its redesign for 2025 seems strangely uninspired. Hardly anything has changed aside from the introduction of a larger touchscreen infotainment system. We like the new styling — the previous design was an acquired taste — but we wish Subaru had done more to set the new Forester apart. Nonetheless, if you like the idea of traditional Forester virtues in a handsome new wrapper, this Subaru's for you."—Ranked #7 out of 15 Compact SUVs

Which 2025 Subaru Forester Should I Buy?

MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 Subaru Forester that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.

1. 2025 Subaru Forester 2.5 AWD

• Base Price: $29,995
• MPG Combined: 29
• Drive Type: All-wheel drive
• Engine: 2.5-liter flat-4
• Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
• Transmission: CVT
• Horsepower: 180 
• Torque: 178 lb⁠-⁠ft
• 0-60: 8.3 sec
• Weight: 3,510 lbs
• Length: 183.3 in
• Towing Capacity: 1,500 lbs

The 2025 Forester shares its wheelbase with the outgoing 2024 model, and although its engine is technically not quite the same, it's a distinction without a difference. Acceleration — our primary complaint about the previous Forester — has not improved, although road noise while cruising is noticeably less intrusive. For all this, Subaru has boosted the Forester's base price by nearly $3k. Note that the Sport and Touring trims, which are the two with upsized 19-inch wheels, are deemed slightly less fuel-efficient by the EPA at 28 mpg combined (25 city/32 highway).

2. 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid (2.5 AWD)

• Base Price: $36,595
• MPG Combined: 35
• Drive Type: All-wheel drive
• Engine: 2.5-liter flat-4
• Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
• Transmission: CVT
• Horsepower: 194 
• Torque: N/A
• Weight: 3,873 lbs
• Length: 183.3 in
• Towing Capacity: 1,500 lbs

What do you need to know about the Forester Hybrid? It's about 350 pounds heavier than the regular Forester, for one thing, and it has marginally less headroom and cargo capacity. It's also nearly $7k more to start. So what's the good news? Well, the standard Forester was already quite fuel-efficient for an all-wheel-drive SUV, but the Forester Hybrid ups the ante with its 35-mpg EPA combined rating, putting it 6 mpg clear of the regular version's best number. It also makes slightly more power and presumptively more torque (Subaru doesn't provide a combined gas-electric torque figure), but with all that extra weight, don't expect a miracle on the acceleration front.