2026 Subaru Forester Touring Hybrid long-term review: Part one

The Drive garage is now home to Subaru’s first proper hybrid – and its answer to the RAV4 – the Forester Hybrid. For the next few months, we’ll be living with the range-topping Hybrid Touring, priced from $55,990 before on-road costs and almost $62,000 drive-away. 

On paper, it’s pitched as an economical medium-sized SUV with added off-road versatility thanks to its symmetrical AWD platform. That all-in-one recipe sounds promising, but only time – and our tests – will tell if it’s a genuine and polished all-rounder, or just an SUV balancing too many tasks.

It promises over 1000km of range on a full tank, utilising both the petrol engine and its 90kW electric motor. Luckily, the Forester is happy with 91 octane, which will help stretch your dollar further. If it delivers on its promises of fuel efficiency in the 6.2 litres per 100 kilometres range, it'll be competitive with other hybrid SUVs.

As with any new car, first impressions count. The Forester doesn’t stray far from Subaru tradition, wearing the brand’s signature boxy design. It’s more practical than it is sleek and stylish, though I admit the boxy body of the Suzuki Jimny is the cutest thing ever to me, so perhaps don’t take my word for it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway.

However, that squareness isn’t just for looks. The large windows provide excellent visibility all around, making city driving and parking far less stressful than I anticipated. For context, I regularly drive a small SUV, so a size-up in the Subaru Forester had me worried. It turns out, I needn't have been concerned.

All Subaru Foresters – regardless of whether they're entry-level or the best you can buy – come with an impressive list of inclusions from the outset.

Features include dual-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, roof rails, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, automatic, steering-responsive lights, and rain-sensing wipers.

With this variant we've got, the Forester Hybrid Touring, you get some extra love, including leather-appointed (with Ultrasuede inserts) seats that are cooled in the front row, lower-profile roof rails, 19-inch grey/silver alloy wheels, brown stitching for the seats, and a leather gear selector. 

When you compare the Hybrid Touring with the next-most-expensive variant in the range, the Hybrid Sport, there are only a few additions added with the $1000 increase in price – so we'll keep in mind to assess whether these spec items are really worth the extra spend over the next few months.

Up front, the Forester provides everything you could want from a modern SUV – space, features, and an impressive user experience. The 11.6-inch infotainment screen is, well… big. It dominates the dash, and it’s paired with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

What I really appreciate is the fact that Subaru hasn’t ditched proper buttons. There’s something satisfying about pressing a real button rather than stabbing at a touchscreen every time, and in 2025, that feels almost old-school.

Space-wise, the Forester nails the medium-sized SUV brief. The back seats are surprisingly spacious in terms of legroom. For reference, I’m 155cm tall, and still holding out hope for a growth spurt, but even so, with the amount of kicking space available behind the front seats, taller passengers shouldn’t have much to complain about. There is also nothing suppressive about the head room across the entire car.

The boot is a decent size (484L), though not quite as big as the RAV4 Hybrid (580L). I don’t have prams to juggle, bodyboards to haul, or other cool grown-up gear to lug around, but I can see how it would manage all of that without much fuss.

What I do have are three dogs and the paraphernalia that comes with them, plus my partner and I have committed to some long road trips towards the end of the year.

Here’s hoping the Forester makes it feel more like a holiday and less like an episode of Survivor. Stay tuned for that.

It’s still early days in our garage, and I am yet to have a proper play, so I can't pass too much judgment on the Forester, but I am looking forward to seeing how we get along.

Aside from the aforementioned road trip with three dogs in tow, we will put it to the test through off-road adventures, long weekends, everyday commuting, and every other test we can throw at it.

With all that in mind, the Drive team and I are going to work out if the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid finally has a challenger in the new Subaru Forester hybrid.