Subaru is getting serious about hybrids. The plucky automaker has had a run of success in recent years. It builds just nine models, and a third of them made the list of the 25 best-selling cars in America last year. But it didn’t offer a single hybrid vehicle in 2024.
It just showed off its second in less than a month.
For 2025, the hot-selling Subaru Forester compact SUV will come with the option of a hybrid drivetrain. Starting at $36,415 including destination fee, the Forester Hybrid will precede the new 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid in Subaru showrooms. The Forester Hybrid reaches dealerships this spring.
It will use the same drivetrain as the already-announced Crosstrek Hybrid and will be the most powerful Forester currently on offer. Good for a total of 194 horsepower, this unit combines a new 2.5-liter boxer 4-cylinder engine with a pair of electric motors. Power goes through a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) to Subaru’s well-regarded symmetrical all-wheel-drive (AWD) system.
Gas-powered Foresters get 180 hp.
Subaru says the hybrid Forester should get 35 mpg on the highway and 34 mpg on city streets, with up to 35 mpg in combined driving. That beats the 29 mpg of base model gas-powered Foresters and the 28 mpg of upper trims.
Standard equipment includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 11.6-inch portrait-mounted touchscreen, and an upgraded version of the EyeSight safety system that “includes Emergency Stop Assist if the driver becomes unresponsive to warnings while using Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control.”
Subaru will offer an exclusive color on the hybrid Forester — Daybreak Blue Pearl. With certain colors, buyers can order a contrast-color roof in Crystal Black Silica.
