The Forester is finally a hybrid! // 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid review

We've been waiting for this one, the all new Subaru Forester Hybrid. You've been asking for more hybrids? We got more hybrids. Should I hold on, Andrew? You think I need to hold on? Well, Zach, it's pretty peppy. That's good acceleration right off the start for a hybrid. You've got a lot of questions about this, so make sure you stick around for questions, coffee and cars, and for the hot topic. Right now, we're gonna get into the mysteries under the hood. What's powering this thing? A 2.5 liter E-Boxer Hybrid. It's matched to a Lineartronic CVT and gets a combined 194 horsepower and maximum torque is coming in at 199 pound feet. It has a 1.1 kilowatt hour battery and standard symmetrical full-time all-wheel drive. All right, I'm gonna explain that in just a moment, kind of what's at work here. Right now, though, we're gonna get into, it's kind of frustrating, Andrea. Only one trim in Canada, four trims in the United States. Four trims. Let's get into the key standard features. This top trim comes with a 12.3-inch digital driver display, an 11.6-inch touchscreen with navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 360 surround view monitor, wireless charger, an 11-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, power front seats with driver's seat memory and lumbar support, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, panoramic sunroof and a hands-free power liftgate. Not all these features are standard in the U.S. because you do have more trim offerings. So if you're not aware, Toyota is a part owner of Subaru and they have done some major technical sharing with Subaru to get this hybrid up and going. It is not the same as a RAV4. It is not. Okay, the big difference is they're known for the raw wheel drive system. There is an actual mechanical connection between the front of the car and the rear of the car in the way of a drive shaft. And they put the electric motor between the front and the rear, where with Toyota, there is no drive shaft. They just have an electric motor at the back. So they've done it differently. And I think with, oh, I should ask you first. Have they done it with these kinds of results? Yes. Oh yeah. I mean, I am so impressed with this model. Look at, it is a new powertrain. So we're hoping it's going to be reliable, but always keep in mind, it's a new powertrain. Parts of it are borrowed though. Parts of it are borrowed, but it's still new. So I have to say it's refined. It's quiet. It's smooth. It eats up the bumps in the road. Like I'm surprised by the passing power on the highway. One other major difference is they use their regular transmission and they attach the electric motor. And so unlike the Toyota system that uses an ECVT, this has got more of a typical Forester drive to it, but they add the extra torque of the electric motor. So it's actually quite satisfying. It's really satisfying. I have to say, we saw this for the first time at the Chicago Auto Show. And when the specs came out and it had a combined 194 horsepower, I was a little bit concerned about the power, especially since the Crosstrek Hybrid is also getting 194 combined horsepower. So- Oh, wait a second. Just stop there for a second. So this powertrain is going to be in the Crosstrek. That'll be fun. I mean- Because it's small. It'll be fun. Yeah. I mean, it will be nimble and probably another good driving experience, but we'll wait to drive that one. So I was pleasantly surprised. I was thinking maybe this wouldn't have enough power. It does. And then you add in all the Forester goodness, which is a great seating position, outward visibility, all that kind of stuff. And it doesn't feel really sloppy in the steering department. It actually, and the suspension isn't soft. It's quite firm. I'm pleasantly surprised. So, you know, when it comes to that whole greenhouse effect in Forester models, people love it. That's why they buy a Forester. I can see everything. I know. They didn't take that away from this new model. I still have a great seating position. We're going to get into the seats with the interior. They are a bit firm, firmer than I thought. This Forester comes standard with SI drive, X mode, hill descent control, and EyeSight driver assist technology. Well, we've got a fun fact. You know, we love our fun facts here on the channel. It's fun for you, but this one isn't for us. You know what? The majority of you who watch our videos are not subscribed. And you may have watched our videos countless times and Google feeds them to you, but many don't hit that subscribe button. So what are we going to put it in, Andrea? You got to put it in, ask for a subscribe, and if you can hit that notification bell, you'll be notified when all of our reviews drop. And then we do this twice a week, the couple car review. The first one drops on Wednesday. We put another one out on Saturday. So make sure to like and subscribe. Okay, Andrea, we're at highway speeds now. Put your foot into it. Like, that just goes. Look at me pass all these people. No problem. Yeah, it screeches a little bit, but you put your foot in any car with a four-cylinder, it's going to make some noise. I have to say there is a little bit of wind noise on the highway, but not bad. Hold my finger, I'll give you some wind noise. Oh, thank you. All right, let's get into the looks of this. Really, the only way that you can tell this is a hybrid is it says E-Boxer on it. Other than that, this model was just introduced a year ago or so, and there was a lot of concern about the front looking a little bit like a Ford maybe, and a CRV maybe. Now that I see them on the road, I'm just like, that's the new Forester. You know what? I don't think that the old Forester was super attractive. So I actually like this design. I think that Subaru did a nice job with it, even if there are design elements from other brands. I just also want to add, Zach, that the E-Boxer badging is only for Canada. In the U.S., you actually get hybrid badging. Go figure. And they also get four trims, and we only get one. Yeah. What's with that, Subaru? Terrible. Subaru, what's with that? You know, we saw that with Honda, with the one trim when they brought out the Honda CRV hybrid. Now they have added more trims, but it took some time. So I'm hoping for Canada, Subaru will do the same. Here's a little foreshadowing. At the end, we do our likes and dislikes. That might make the list. It'll make the list. All right, so on the outside of this, not too much to distinguish it from the other one, except for the badging. Let's go through the key features on the outside. This gets 8.7 inches of ground clearance and comes standard with an active grille shutter, body-coloured door handles, black accents, LED steering responsive headlamps, LED combination tail lamps, LED fog lamps, 19-inch wheels, and a tire repair kit. The battery is stored under the floor in the cargo area. So there is no room for a temporary spare tire. I know some of you are disappointed about that. Well, Andrea mentioned the batteries under the floor in the cargo area. And then another difference between this and Toyota is Toyota puts theirs under the rear seat, which allows them to put a spare tire in. So there are differences between these models. And even the CRV hybrid has a tire repair kit as well. All right, so let's get into the interior of this. You know, years ago, Subaru interiors were kind of like, like not that attractive. The last gen Forester, I thought they did an excellent job mixing up the materials. And with this latest one that came out about a year ago, I think this looks as good as most in this class. Yeah, I think it's really well done. A lot of soft touch materials. There is a little bit of piano black, not a ton, but you'll see some at the centre console and on the doors. But overall, I think it's a really great effort. What you see in this model is what you get in Canada because there is only one trim and it's the top trim. This is leather with ultra suede inserts. And I like it a lot. Well, it should look nice because as Andrea mentioned, only one trim, it's got everything in it. I'd like to see the cheapest one they have in the States to see what you get. Maybe foreshadowing, doing foreshadowing again. We could get that in Canada. Well, I have to say that premium base model in the US, some people will just be happy to get away with the features. I mean, it actually comes well equipped. We went over all the standard features for Canada at the beginning. But in the US, you also get this standard 11.6 inch touchscreen and the 12.3 inch digital driver display, panel roof, cloth upholstery and a power liftgate as well as a power driver seat. What's not power operated is this. So if you're not very tall and you don't have long arms, you're going to have to reach for that. I actually like this, the manual sunshade, but it is, it says, keep your eyes on the road. It is far back, just so you know. Storage is pretty good in the door pockets. This isn't, I mean, it's deep, but it's not big, but it's fine. I don't think you'll have a problem with that. Cup holders are in a good position. I know that some like them side by side instead of diagonal. Doesn't bother me. Yeah, wasn't there one model they came up with where they changed it because people didn't like this? I think it was the Wilderness. Yeah, they changed the center console to accommodate different cup holders. OK, one thing we haven't touched on yet. Is this the textured sort of material on the crash pad here on the dashboard? See, these are simple things. Some might like it, some might not. I think it's just a nice textured difference. And these are simple things that a brand can do to break up the interior. Yes, Toyota, we're talking to you because they don't really do this sort of thing. Subaru goes that extra measure, nice stitch materials, contrast, as Andrea mentioned, you've got different grades of vinyl, the Alcantara, some gloss black. But I think it's a nice complement. And you're right, this geometric pattern just breaks things up in here. One thing we are finding, and I didn't notice this when we drove the Forester gas model, these seats are a little bit firm. So it's something that you've got to try to make sure that you kind of enjoy this feel. They are a little bit short, but not like the CX-50 short. Yeah, so that's why I would like to try one of the lower trims or see what it's like, because we have found in our research extensively week after week, if you get a cloth seat, we find cloth seats are more comfortable. The leather is firmer, just something to take into consideration. OK, this is where I jump into the backseat. First of all, I just want to talk about look how wide and large the doors are. So getting into the backseat is really a breeze for everybody. Once you're in, there's good legroom. There's excellent headroom. How does this stack up? Comparing the Forester hybrid to the CR-V hybrid, the Forester has 43.3 inches of front row legroom, which is two inches more space than the Honda. Second row legroom at 39.4 inches is 1.5 inches less than the CR-V. Top trim, power liftgate. It opens up to a really useful cargo space. It's quite deep and wide. We already talked about there's no spare tire. How does this stack up? The Forester's cargo space behind the second row is 27.5 cubic feet, and overall cargo space is 69.1 cubic feet. Both areas do fall short to the Honda. Time now for questions, coffee, and cars. Your Forester hybrid questions from Instagram. This vehicle will be a hit. The only thing I could say as a negative is the big center screen isn't my favorite. This revamped Subie with a very trusted partner providing the hybrid. This thing will sell. You know, we get a lot of complaints about the screen, don't we? I don't mind it. Just hold my coffee, Andrea. This, I don't think, is going to last forever. When the Forester is updated again, they're probably going to move to the new screen we saw in Outback. So this isn't forever, but if you want the hybrid, you're going to have to take this. I don't know why people dislike it. It's integrated into the dash. So here's the option. You do the tablet sticking up. People don't like that. And then they integrate it, and then people don't like that. I would say most people are going to be fine with this. I have to say the processing time on this is better. It's still a little bit slow, but it's better. So I don't know if they've done a software update on this particular model, but it does seem better. Does it make the Toyota hybrid sound? It doesn't make the Toyota hybrid sound. It has its own sound. I was outside the car, and Andrea was driving by as we were getting our shots. And I said, because we're connected through a fabulous phone system, that I said, you know, it doesn't sound like a RAV4. It has a sound because it has to by law, but it doesn't have that spaceship sound. It doesn't sound like that at all. Yeah, the CR-V has a little bit of that sound too. This one, I can hear a little bit when I'm driving it, but it's very little. I mean, nothing like the RAV4. Of course, that's the current generation RAV4. Who knows? Maybe the new RAV4 won't have much of that sound. But we have driven other new Toyota hybrids, and they still have that sound. So we wait and see. If you want to get a question in for a future segment, make sure to follow along on Instagram. It's MotorMouth underscore Andrea to see what's going on also behind the scenes. For me, it's MotorMouth underscore Otto, and the links are below the like button. How does a ride and quietness compared to the Korean twin? You know, Hyundai and Kia have done such a great job with the Tucson and Sportage when it comes to quietness and refinement. Is that the same as the Sportage, Andrea? It certainly is. So quiet. This isn't as quiet, but boy, it still is quiet. Okay, so the Koreans, I think, are still at the top of the list. And RAV4 is kind of noisy. The current model, we'll have to wait for the new one. Hopefully, they've worked on insulation because that's a major complaint we had. Also, the interior, they didn't seem to do much with that. But there you go. So this is very quiet in our opinion. And now it's time for our hot topic. What's this one, Andrea? How do you guys like it compared to the standard car? Noticeable oomph? Okay, Andrea, I'm going to oomph it up. That's foot to the floor. And that's pretty damn good. I mean, if you consider what it is, it's an economy compact SUV. I mean, you're supposed to get good fuel economy. You know, if you're going to take a look at the Forester and the Subaru lineup, this is the one I would get. I would buy the hybrid. I just feel like it doesn't struggle. The powertrain is very good. It feels refined and it's quieter than the Forester gas model. You get that little boost of torque from the electric motor. And we did explain earlier that it is different from the RAV4 system. It has more immediacy. The rubber band kind of feel of the Toyota RAV4 isn't as prevalent in this one. So take it for what you will. If you're putting your foot into the floor, you're not going to get the greatest gas mileage. We found that if you cruise in this car, that's where it seems to do its best work. And we're going to talk about the EPA numbers coming up, but we basically were getting the EPA numbers. So if you drive it the way you should drive a hybrid, I think you can achieve those EPA numbers. Well, you're teasing it, Andrew. Let's get into all of that now and our vital stats. Let's start with pricing. We'll do Canada first and then move on to the U.S. Pricing includes freight, PDI and fees. The Premier Hybrid starts at just over $51,000 in Canada. And in the U.S., the base model starts at just over $36,500. The Top Touring Hybrid is just over $43,000. Well, fuel economy is important. This is rated at 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 7 on the highway. That's 35 miles per gallon city, 34 on the highway. This Forester Hybrid can tow 1,500 pounds. The warranty is three years, 60,000 kilometres for 36,000 miles. So you like the idea of a compact SUV that's a hybrid. There's the King, which is RAV4 and others. What else can you consider? For your consideration, four vehicles for you to consider. First up is the Honda CR-V Hybrid with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder, a combined 204 horsepower and a starting price over $49,000. The Kia Sportage Hybrid with a 1.6-litre turbo 4-cylinder, 226 horsepower and a starting price of almost $42,000. The current generation Toyota RAV4 Hybrid with a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder, a combined 219 horsepower and a starting price of almost $40,000. The Mazda CX-50 Hybrid with a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder, 219 horsepower and a starting price of almost $46,000. So there are four hybrid SUVs for you to consider. We talked about it earlier, Andrea, lightning round. Two things we like, two things we'd like to see improved. All I can say is Subaru nailed it with this Forester Hybrid. This is one we'll recommend. Pleasantly surprised. I'm disappointed there's only one trim and it's the top trim in Canada. See, you got to go first, but I said I was going to do it. Well, you can agree. How about that there's no... You know what? I'm going to do mine, Andrea. You want to know what it is? What? I wish that we had more trims in Canada. How come you get four in the United States and you get one in Canada? That's really the biggest gripe about this car. Yeah. Availability and accessibility for people who can't afford the top trim. So there it is. It's the all-new Subaru Forester Hybrid E-Boxer. What do you guys think of that? Thanks for watching and if you like what you see, make sure you subscribe. We'll see you next time.