The 2025 Subaru Forester has a refreshed more boxy and upright look in 2025 than its outgoing model. Introduced in 1998, the new first year of the sixth generation has mostly cosmetic changes. The Forester still rides on the same Subaru Global Platform, but with 10 percent greater rigidity. The sport utility vehicle’s 2.5-liter engine is a carry over.

My test vehicle was the Sport Hybrid model, presented in Sapphire Blue Pearl with bronze accents and bronze wheels, a sharp combo with upscale looks.

Styling

Subaru didn’t try to reinvent the SUV. Styling is conservative, traditional, squared-off and functional — but attractive. The blue paint is particularly handsome. The bronze trim complements the body color and telegraphs the Sport theme without looking gimmicky.

Interior

The Sport’s bronze theme continues inside with bronze-colored fabric on the door panels and a bronze accent on the steering wheel and dashboard. It’s finished with bronze piping and stitching throughout.

The new Forester occupies a sweet spot in everyday usability. It’s the perfect height for easy ingress and egress. For a compact SUV, it feels roomy, especially in shoulder room. It’s often tight in this class.

One ergonomic quirk will impact taller drivers. The seating position is higher than the 2024 model. At 6-foot-3, my outward view was partially eclipsed by the rear view mirror. The seating position felt awkward. I repeatedly fiddled with the seat controls in attempt to lower the seat. I suspect this may be due to the battery packaging for the hybrid system. After a while, I got used to the seating position, so it’s not a deal breaker. But it may be bothersome for taller occupants.

Comfort and Controls

Ride quality is the Forester’s strength. I was consistently impressed with the comfort; it has near-luxury ride quality. It absorbs bumps and broken pavement with smoothness and competence.

The seats are firm and reasonably comfortable, but lack adequate thigh support. During a six-hour road trip I twice needed to stop to stretch my legs.

Controls are Subaru’s strength. Everything is intuitively laid out. Tech highlights include a large 12.3-inch full digital instrument cluster and an 11.6-inch multimedia touchscreen with navigation. Both are new for the sixth generation. The digital instrument panel is a welcome modern touch and fits the Forester’s new look well.

Infotainment

The big infotainment display is clear and easy to use, but prone to glitches. The infotainment system is frustratingly slow. At times, adjustments took 10 to 15-seconds to respond, and sometimes didn’t respond.

During my week with the Forester the infotainment system crashed several times. One quirk is the limited number of channel presets. With XM satellite radio now offering 1,000 channels, 12 presets is inadequate.

Behind the Wheel

The Forester feels soft without being undisciplined, with minimal pitch and roll. Steering is a bit numb, but the chassis has a buttoned-down feel, almost playful, while still riding like a luxury car.

Power delivery is a mixed bag. Around town it feels it almost feels athletic, but on the highway it falls flat. Merging into traffic on an uphill stretch of Interstate 80 in the Sierra foothills, with my foot planted, it took nearly 30 seconds to reach 75 mph. It’s lacking in power, but the excellent body control and comfortable ride partially make up for it.

Driver Assistance Features

Subaru’s EyeSight driver assistance tech is as much an annoyance as it is a convenience. It constantly warned me to keep holding the steering wheel, even though I had my hands on the wheel. With cruise engaged, it demands regular steering input, even when none is needed. It takes considerable effort to move the steering wheel off-center, so you’re forced give it a firm tug just to satisfy the system. Warnings escalate quickly: red alerts in the cluster, audio muting, and if not immediately acknowledged, even taps on the brakes.

Economy

The Forester’s hybrid system was co-developed with Toyota and is coupled to Subaru’s 2.5-liter boxer engine with a high-capacity lithium-ion battery, a carryover from the 2024 model. Total powertrain output is 194 horsepower.

The hybrid system is seamless. It runs mostly on electric power in urban driving. The transition is smooth when the internal combustion engine joins in.

Subaru claims 40 percent better fuel economy than the non-hybrid model. The Sport hybrid has a 16.6-gallon fuel tank. Subaru claims a range of 581 miles. In mostly highway driving, I observed 31 miles per gallon.

The Verdict

The Forester Sport Hybrid delivers what most people love about SUVs: Spaciousness, flexibility, and rugged build quality. The Sport Hybrid adds: Excellent ride comfort and strong fuel economy.

Visit: https://www.subaru.com/

_{Cover photo: 2025 Subaru Forester Sport Hybrid – Photo Copyright © John Berg 2026}