2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid

Is the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid a Good SUV?

"The Forester Hybrid gives Subaru a fighting chance in this increasingly popular segment, but that 35-mpg fuel economy puts it well behind most of its talented rivals. Moreover, the Forester Hybrid's roughly 350-pound weight gain should neutralize its modest 14-horsepower bump relative to the standard Forester. You lose a bit of headroom and cargo capacity, too, compared to the regular model, although there's still ample space on both fronts by class standards. Overall, we wouldn't rule the Forester Hybrid out, but it's facing an uphill battle on the merits. Shame Subaru wasn't able to give it a real injection of power to set it apart, because leisurely acceleration is one of the non-hybrid Forester's biggest shortcomings."—Ranked #9 out of 11 Compact Hybrid SUVs

Which 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Should I Buy?

MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. There's only one standalone version of the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid, and here it is, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.

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.