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A 'strong hybrid' version of the Subaru Forester has been unveiled with a Toyota-sourced electric motor and battery – while the new-generation Wilderness off-road edition has also debuted.
UPDATE, 3:00pm: Subaru Australia has confirmed the new-generation Forester will launch in mid-2025 with petrol and 'strong hybrid' powertrains, following the latter model's reveal in the United States overnight.
The local division is still to officially confirm if Australia will receive the off-road-focused Wilderness edition – while the Forester will be the first Subaru model in Australia to feature a digital instrument cluster, available "on selected variants".
"We remain very interested in Wilderness editions for our market and are working closely with Subaru Corporation on future opportunities for Australia," a Subaru Australia spokesperson told Drive.
More details on the 2025 Subaru Forester mid-size SUV will be confirmed closer to its Australian launch.
2:22pm: The 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid has debuted in the United States as the brand's long-awaited rival to electrified versions of the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V – along with the next-generation Forester Wilderness off-road edition.
The 'strong hybrid' model is expected to be offered in Australia when Subaru launches its new-generation Forester range, with the 2.5-litre system – also coming to the smaller Crosstrek – replacing the existing 2.0-litre 'e-Boxer' hybrid system.
Real-world testing by Drive of the e-Boxer system found in the current Forester – and available in the new model for the European market – revealed it delivered negligible fuel savings over the non-hybrid 2.5-litre model.
Australian timing for the new Subaru Forester is still to be officially confirmed – including non-hybrid versions – however it is due in local showrooms before the end of 2025, following its global debut in the United States in November 2023.
Drive has contacted Subaru Australia for comment on the new-generation Forester, including the Hybrid and Wilderness models.
Subaru says the new Forester Hybrid has a 25 per cent fuel efficiency improvement on the US EPA test cycle for combined city and highway driving – while it delivers an almost 30 per cent improvement in lower-speed urban environments.
Its 35 miles per gallon combined fuel consumption (6.7 litres per 100km) compares to 39mpg (6.0L/100km) for an AWD RAV4 Hybrid in the US – on a different test standard to what vehicles sold in Australia use, where the mentioned RAV4 uses 4.8L/100km.
A 935-kilometre driving range is claimed for the United States.
Its series-parallel hybrid powertrain uses a combination of Subaru and Toyota technology, pairing the standard model's 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine with a Toyota-sourced electric motor and high-voltage battery for a 145kW total system output.
It is matched to an electronic continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) automatic and retains a mechanically-linked all-wheel-drive system – rather than an electric motor powering its rear wheels on-demand like an all-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
The Forester Hybrid keeps the off-road X-Mode system, hill descent control, and active torque vectoring from the non-hybrid Forester.
Unique to the Forester Hybrid in the US is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with Apple Maps integration when using CarPlay, along with animal-free StarTex leather-accented upholstery, a Daybreak Blue Pearl exterior paint colour, and hybrid badging.
In the US, the electrified model is priced from $US34,995 ($AU56,000) – $US2885 ($AU4500) more than an equivalent petrol-only grade – with a market launch due by the end of May.
Also unveiled overnight was the petrol-only 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness, a follow-up to the off-road edition of the outgoing Forester which debuted in 2021 – three years after the standard model launched.
The new model follows a similar formula with several off-road upgrades, including suspension improvements, a higher ground clearance, unique front and rear bumpers, all-terrain tyres, tweaks to its CVT automatic transmission, and underbody protection.
Subaru Australia said almost 12 months ago it is "working hard" to bring the Wilderness line-up here – including the Outback Wilderness and Crosstrek Wilderness – with the new-generation Forester Wilderness likely to be the first model offered locally.
"We now are looking more to the new-generation models for Wilderness to be coming to market, watch this space. But we're still working hard to bring that here," then Subaru Australia managing director Blair Reid – who is now an executive for its Inchcape distributor – said in March 2024.
The new Forester Wilderness has a 236-millimetre ground clearance – 1mm more than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, 3mm more than the outgoing Forester Wilderness, and 15mm more than a standard 2025 Forester.
There are improved 23.5-degree approach, 25.5-degree departure and 21-degree ramp breakover angles, up 4.5 degrees, 0.9 degrees and 1.4 degrees, respectively, over a standard Forester.
Subaru says the Forester Wilderness has 10 per cent stiffer torsional rigidity over a standard model with stronger welding techniques and additional structural adhesive, along with an uprated transmission cooler and a rear differential temperature sensor.
Compared to the outgoing version, the Forester Wilderness has a faster centre differential lockup and reduced wheelspin when off-roading
Other additions include Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tyres, 17-inch alloy wheels, a shorter final drive ratio for its CVT automatic "for better low-speed off-roadability", and an advanced X-Mode dual-mode system with snow/dirt and deep snow/mud off-road modes.
The brand has also applied more copper accents inside and out over the standard Forester, along with "water-resistant and easily cleanable" StarTex leather-accented upholstery and LED hexagonal fog lights.
A 1.6-tonne braked towing capacity is claimed for the Wilderness – up from 680kg for standard Forester variants in the US – while its standard roof rails have a 363-kilogram load capacity when the vehicle is stationary, and 80 kilograms when it is moving.
The Wilderness also receives the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster found in the Forester Hybrid, adding exclusive Wilderness graphics.
The 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness will launch in the US between September and November 2025, following the current model-year Forester Hybrid due to launch in the country by the end of May.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
