I didn’t discover the beauty of the 2025 Subaru Forester when I saw its all-new design on the grounds of the The Resort at Paws Up Ranch, about 30-minutes east of Missoula, Montana. Nor was it when I sat behind the wheel to experience its new interior with upgraded materials, redesigned seats, and improved electronics.
No, I truly came to understand the appeal of this compact SUV as I was sliding slowly yet inexorably towards a cliff at the edge of an icy Garnet Range Road. Snow had fallen a few days before and through the cycles of warming and freezing that snow had become about a 5 inch thick layer of ice covering the pavement. As I turned the wheel to negotiate a curve, our inertia overcame what little friction our all-season tires provided and the car kept going straight. It was at that point I took my right hand off the wheel, tapped the top of the 11.6-inch center touch screen, and engaged X-Mode. The resulting change to the full-time all-wheel drive system along with a light feathering of the throttle, provided the added traction we needed to have the front wheels find their footing and, much to the relief of my acrophobic passenger, saved us from what at best would have been extreme embarrassment or at worst life threatening injuries.
Needless to say this experience and the yeoman’s work Forester did climbing the rocky, rutted trails up the mountain to the ghost town of Garnet, gave me a new appreciation for a car that until that point I had mostly written off as a competent suburban mom-mobile.
Intellectually, I understand why 2.7 million people have made the decision to buy a Forester since its introduction in 1997, but I never really got its charm. I always found Forester to be a little dowdy and ungainly. With its tall greenhouse it just looked top heavy and and decidedly unsporting. So for 2025, Subaru set and to preserve everything people like about Forester while broadening its appeal. In doing so they made it better looking, gave it more standard features, and reworked the powertrain to improve its performance.
Subaru talked to Forester owners and found one of the things they like best about it is its compact dimensions which make it easy to maneuver around town and on the trails. All new for this year, Forester’s dimensions are nearly unchanged – the wheelbase, height, and width remain the same, while the car is just six-tenths of an inch longer. And yet, nearly everything else about Forester has changed.
More Rugged Styling
To start with, though the proportions are familiar, Forester has a much more confident and rugged look. Every body panel is new with flared fenders, chiseled wheel arches, and a slight taper to the roof line creating a more sporting look without compromising interior space thanks to the tall glass and upright tail gate. The character line at the bottom of the door anchors Forester to the ground. Up front the grille is wider, more upright, and integrated into the horizontal headlamps creating an illusion of width that gives Forester more presence. Each trim level has a distinguishing trim color and finish: matte black for base and premium, bronze for sport, metallic gray for limited, and gloss black for touring.
Upgraded Interiors
The interior of Forester has also been significantly refreshed starting with seats that are lifted from the 2024 Crosstrek. The redesign makes them more comfortable on long drives by keeping the driver’s pelvis more stable, which reduces the head and neck movements that cause fatigue. Surfaces have been upgraded for a more premium feel, especially at the higher trims, but even the base cloth looks nicely tailored. Other touches include the textured dash panel in front of the passenger seat and several Easter eggs throughout the cabin, like speaker grilles designed to look like topographic maps, paw prints in the floor mats, and soaring birds in the corner of the glass.
A Full Technology Stack
Technology receives all of Subaru’s recent upgrades. The base model features two 7-inch screens, with the top screen controlling smartphone integration, the radio, and rear vision camera, while the bottom screen provides controls for climate and vehicle settings. Every model from Premium and up (about 90% of all Foresters sold) gets a bold, bright 11.6-inch vertical touch screen, wireless charging, four USB ports, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Subaru does a good job of blending hard buttons and dials with the screen. And key HVAC functions like heated seats and temperature, while not physical buttons, are anchored at the bottom of the touchscreen so they’re always available. Touring models include the additional convenience of a smart rear view mirror that can be switched to camera mode when the back seats and cargo area are full obscuring your view through the car and a 360-degree surround view monitor to help those who find even a compact SUV hard to park.
The safety features we’ve come to expect are all there. Subaru’s EyeSight system has been upgraded with the addition of a third, wide angle forward camera offering a broader field of view. Standard safety features include forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, advanced adaptive cruise control with lane centering, lane departure warning, and lane departure prevention. Blind spot detection is optional, but in models where it’s present, you also get automatic emergence steering which helps avoid a collision at speeds less than 50 MPH.
A More Solid Foundation
Underneath it all, Forester is based on an updated version of the company’s global platform. Improvements include what Subaru calls a “full Inner frame construction” which means the unibody components are all welded before the body panels are attached creating a more rigid structure. The construction process also includes three times the amount of structural adhesive which reduces squeaks and rattles. Another improvement in NVH comes from the addition of more insulating materials in the firewall, front fenders, floor, and roof. The result is a car that is a significantly quieter and more pleasant place to be than its predecessor.
Refined Power
At the heart of Forester beats Subaru’s 2.5-liter boxer engine. The displacement and and familiar horizontally opposed cylinders are the same, a sixteen upgrades that include a new exhaust manifold, radiator, piston rings, camshafts, air guide and alternator make it smoother and more responsive. Engine output has been reduced from 182 HP to 180 HP, while torque increases by 2 up to 178 pound-feet. The big change is that max torque is now available at just 3,700 RPM versus 4,400 RPM in the previous generation. This puts less stress on the engine and makes it more drivable around town and in the mountains.
Even though I really wish Subaru would ditch the CVT transmission and replace it with a more responsive 8-speed automatic or DCT, it has been improved by using parts from the previous Wilderness model. It also has been given a wider gear spread which improves efficiency. The EPA rates Forester at 26 MPG city and 33 on the highway which is very competitive in the category. While there is some of that rubber band feel as the engine revs, if you have a Sport, Limited, or Touring model, you do get an 8-speed manual mode with paddle shifters that helps some. It’s not as sharp as a transmission with actual gears would be. All that said, several others in the category including Honda and Nissan use CVTs, and Subaru’s is better.
X-Mode Marks The Spot
What really sets Forester apart from its competitors is that symmetrical all-wheel drive system is standard on all models. It has an electronically managed continuously variable hydraulic transfer clutch that actively manages the torque split based on acceleration, deceleration, and available traction, transferring torque to the wheels with the best grip. Forester Premium adds X-Mode with Hill Descent Control, which optimizes control on slippery surfaces and steep inclines. Sport and higher trims feature dual-function X-Mode that tunes the performance for either slippery conditions like snow/dirt and deep snow/mud, as I happily found out.
The Bottom Line
Forester starts at $29,695 (plus $1,395 in destination charges). Subaru expects that basic model to comprise only 10% of the volume. The bulk of the sales will come from the Premium ($31,995), Sport ($34,495), and Limited ($35,995) models, while the fully loaded Forester Touring ($39,995) provides a premium experience. While that is a fair piece of change, it’s very competitive with comparably equipped products from Toyota, Honda, Ford, and Hyundai. And none of those have X-Mode, which my survival is proof that it’s worth every penny.
