Starts at $29,995
Rank
Pros
Cons
What's New for 2025?
Redesigned inside and out, the 2025 Forester hews closely to this popular model's traditional formula. Very closely. Acceleration remains underwhelming with the barely changed 2.5-liter flat-four engine, while the new Forester's dimensions are nearly identical to those of its predecessor. Perhaps the most notable upgrade is the 11.6-inch infotainment interface, which easily eclipses last year's 8.0-inch top offering while adding wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Overall, this looks to be one of the least impactful redesigns in recent memory, meaning you're giving up hardly anything by looking at lightly used older Foresters. In fact, last year's Wilderness trim continues to be sold brand-new along its next-generation brethren for 2025, carrying a slightly higher base price of $34,995, and its superior towing capacity and quicker acceleration make a good case for giving the newer Forester a miss.
2025 Forester Selector
2025 Subaru Forester
FAST FACTS
"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
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
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