Car review: 2025 Subaru Forester

Posted 5 February, 2026 Dylan Campbell

The Subaru Forester helped launch the SUV craze in 1997. Since then, more than 300,000 Foresters have hit Aussie roads.

They’ve reliably shuttled around young couples, families, empty-nesters and, eventually, been handed down to new drivers – sometimes all within the same family.

In 2025, there’s a new, sixth-generation Forester. It faces stiff mid-size SUV competition from the best-selling Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and also a slew of new, cheaper and hard-working Chinese rivals.

Features

Can it keep up? Subaru calls it “all-new” but in reality, the latest Forester has had a heavy facelift with new styling inside and out and is slightly longer and wider. In big news, buyers can now choose a hybrid option.

Prices start at $43,490 for the non-hybrid base model and go up to $55,990 for the top-spec Hybrid Touring (before on-road costs). The internal combustion engine model used 8.3 litres per 100km during our testing – quite high for a vehicle this size.

The hybrid uses less, but its claimed combined consumption of 6.2 litres per 100km falls well short of the RAV4 Hybrid’s 4.8 litres per 100km.

Inside, there’s a smart yet robust, but not overly luxurious vibe. To an existing Subaru owner, it will feel familiar.

While plenty of functions live in the large 11.6-inch central portrait touchscreen, Subaru has mercifully used hard buttons and dials for controlling functions such as the air-con temperature and audio volume.

On the road

At 1830mm wide, the Forester is on the narrower side for a mid-size SUV and you do notice it a little bit inside. But at 4655mm long, there’s plenty of leg room in the front and rear, and the boot is a generous 496 litres (484 litres for the hybrid).

The non-hybrid Forester comes with a full size spare wheel, but the hybrid makes do with a puncture repair kit.

On the road, the Forester is one of those cars that feels right to drive even within the first five minutes. The controls feel spot-on, the active driver aids only intervene when you need them, and it’s comfortable and surprisingly quiet.

The Forester could, and would, invisibly blend into the background of your life. It’s quite good in the corners. For life or work, if you regularly find yourself driving in the Hills and are confident, the Forester’s impressive dynamics is where it outshines its Chinese rivals.

Final word

The Forester remains a solid option, and the $46,490 base hybrid is the pick of the bunch. It’s safe, spacious, drives well, and is, overall, a low-risk vehicle. Its interior continues to balance form and function sensibly, and while the hybrid isn’t as efficient as other hybrids, for families it will tick plenty of boxes over long-term ownership.