2025 Subaru Forester First Look: Big Screens, More Tech, But No Hybrid

Subaru's compact crossover has a new look inside and out.

Andrew Ganz | 

Nov 16, 2023 | 3 min read

Subaru

Subaru at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show introduced a restyled version of its popular Forester five-seat compact SUV. There are small but noticeable changes inside and out — for example, the Forester finally offers the portrait-style 11.6-inch touchscreen that has been available in other Subaru models for a few years.

Let's dive in to explore what's new — and what's not — about the 2025 Subaru Forester.

Subaru

2025 Subaru Forester Sports a New, Rugged Look

While hardly a radical departure from the outgoing Forester, the new model has a blunt front end, standard LED headlights, and a tall greenhouse with large side windows. Chunky black fender flares give the small SUV an outdoorsy appearance.

When the Forester hits dealers in spring 2024, it'll be offered in five versions: Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring. Subaru says that new wheel designs and contrasting colors and exterior trim will help differentiate the versions. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 19 inches, and Subaru now includes alloy wheels and dark-tinted rear glass as standard equipment. The new Forester is only incrementally longer and wider than the outgoing model. It rides on the same 105.1-inch wheelbase.

The automaker has not unveiled a Wilderness version of the 2025 Forester.

Subaru

2025 Subaru Forester Gains Lots of Interior Tech

Most Forester trim levels add a new 11.6-inch touchscreen that incorporates infotainment and climate controls. The screen helps give the Forester's new interior a less cluttered look than before, in part because the central portion of the dash now only has a few buttons and knobs. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility also comes standard.

The base version of the Forester swaps out the tall touchscreen for a pair of 7.0-inch screens. All versions have dual-zone climate control. Depending on the trim, the Forester can be outfitted with heated front seats, built-in navigation, a surround-view camera, and a kick sensor-activated power tailgate.

All Foresters include the latest version of Subaru's EyeSight suite of crash-avoidance tech, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keeping assist, while the top Touring version adds a driver-attention monitor. Newly standard is a system called Emergency Stop Assist that can detect if the driver is unresponsive while adaptive cruise control is engaged. If so, it will bring the Forester to a halt, turn on its hazard lights, and unlock the doors before automatically calling emergency services.

Pricing for the 2025 Forester will be announced closer to its spring 2024 on-sale date.

Subaru

2025 Subaru Forester Lacks Hybrid or EV Tech

Don't look for an electric — or even an electrified — version of the 2025 Forester at first. The crossover instead comes with a 2.5-liter flat-four making 180 horsepower. That internal-combustion engine will be teamed with a continuously variable transmission and standard all-wheel drive. All but the base version feature paddle shifters on the steering wheel for added control.

Fuel-economy estimates will be announced closer to when the Forester goes on sale.

Subaru said in a news release that it stiffened up the Forester's structure and that it added a version of the electric power-steering rack used in the sporty WRX sedan to improve steering feel and response. The company also said it improved sound deadening to make the Forester a quieter cruiser at highway speeds.

Andrew Ganz

Andrew Ganz has had cars in his blood ever since he gnawed the paint off of a diecast model as a toddler. After growing up in Dallas, Texas, he earned a journalism degree, worked in public relations for two manufacturers, and served as an editor for a luxury-lifestyle print publication and several well-known automotive websites. In his free time, Andrew loves exploring the Rocky Mountains' best back roads—when he’s not browsing ads for his next car purchase.