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Experiencing The 2025 Subaru Forester In Victoria, BC
Subaru has played it safe with the 2025 Forester, with a new generation that sees evolutionary changes instead of a clean slate do-over. It maintains key attributes buyers have loved – like the expansive greenhouse, spacious cargo hold, and roomy interior – but the Forester becomes a sleeker and more refined this time around.
Subaru’s Forester has now entered its sixth generation with this new 2025 model, although it has evolved at a nearly glacial pace. It’s not a criticism since Subaru has appeased its loyal and active customer base by gradually honing and refining the Forester while upholding the key tenets of ruggedness and usefulness that have made it a success for more than a quarter century. Images by Jeff Wilson
Its tall glass area and boxy shape have been hallmarks of the Forester, preventing it from winning many beauty pageants over the years. But that profile has kept the Forester resolutely practical with sensational outward visibility and a usable interior that has endeared the Subaru to pragmatic buyers. Images by Jeff Wilson
The new model has grown up somewhat, becoming slightly more elegant than before. Some of the granola-and-hiking boots persona has been gussied up with a wider grille, flatter headlights, and the FORESTER script now spanning the width of the stern, giving it a more contemporary appearance than before. Images by Jeff Wilson
Its profile looks squatter, but thanks to the side glass scooping down into the body sight lines are actually improved. The fenders have been stamped to bulge, and present a hexagonal shape repeated throughout the lights to the molded plastic accents that are painted bronze on the Sport trim models. 19-inch wheels are available for the first time on both Sport and top trim models. Images by Jeff Wilson
All this visual erosion has resulted in a Forester that’s lost some of its distinctiveness, now looking from some angles, as if it rolled out of a Ford studio, especially with both brands utilizing a blue-oval logo. With so many models for sale, maybe we’ve now seen all the ways it’s possible to reskin a compact crossover. Images by Jeff Wilson
Anyone comfortable with Subarus from the last few years is likely to feel at home in the new Forester’s cabin. The spaciousness and sensation of airiness carries on, enhanced by re-shaping the seats to provide more space between them and to access the rear seats from the front, when, say attending to kids or a pet back there. Images by Jeff Wilson
While base trims receive dual 7-inch screens for climate and infotainment, every other Forester trim gets the now-familiar 11.6-inch touch screen system with Subaru’s STARLINK system. There’s wireless CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, SiriusXM and a subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot system, and it generally works swiftly and smoothly in our experience, including on this first drive. Images by Jeff Wilson
Subaru has also maintained the Forester’s accessible cargo hold with its usefully square opening, and while the overall volume only increases by a single cubic foot (30 L), the space is longer to allow more flexibility when stashing one’s loot, and there’s more clearance for taller folks under the opened liftgate. Images by Jeff Wilson
The latest iteration of Subaru’s celebrated EyeSight safety suite is standard on all Foresters, including the wide-angle mono camera complementing the twin-view cameras. In addition to the typical automated braking and lane departure mitigation systems, the Forester now also get an Emergency Stop Assist that can detect an unresponsive driver when the adaptive cruise control is active, and will stop the SUV, activate the hazard lights and call emergency services through STARLINK. Images by Jeff Wilson
On paper, many of the new Forester’s mechanical specs appear to have changed at a glacial rate. Most will view the loss of two horsepower as a step backwards (it’s now a modest 180 hp), and the increase of 2 lb-ft of torque as inconsequential. But the peak torque arrives with 700 fewer revs, making the Forester more engaging than before. Plus, the host of incremental changes throughout the engine are also meant to improve not only driveability, but long-term durability as well. Subaru claims at least 80% of the transmission components have been modified, and while we still don’t love CVTs, this company is doing them better than anyone else. Images by Jeff Wilson
Mated to the 2.5 L Boxer engine, it’s well-matched with expanded ratio coverage resulting in far less of the rubber-band feel typically associated with these transmissions while keeping revs low at speed for efficiency. For the vast majority of buyers, this drivetrain will provide a decent blend of peppiness, refinement and efficiency, but there will always be a niche group of enthusiast weirdos like us who pine for a modern Forester XT with the WRX’s turbo engine and stick shift. (sigh). Images by Jeff Wilson
Driving each Sport and Touring (Premier) trims on Vancouver Island’s lightly traveled and twisty roads, the Forester’s handling is true to what we’ve come to expect from Subaru with a slight bit of initial lean before taking a set and clinging to the pavement when cornering. Subaru’s storied full-time all-wheel-drive system ensures there’s no delay in engaging the rear drive wheels as in competitive models – they’re already actively involved in the drive. Add to that steering, that while lacking some road feel, is nicely weighted and carves corners with impressive precision, highlighted by a stiffer structure overall. The brakes give solid, smooth performance, too. Images by Jeff Wilson
Sport models get different Stablex dampers meant to improve stability and reduce vibrations sent to the cabin. When driven back-to-back against the more luxurious Touring trim, the Sport is incrementally more playful and precise. Thanks to more insulation and thicker front side glass, wind and road noise is decently hushed, and engine noise is surprisingly quelled, contributing greatly to that overall sensation of refinement Subaru is claiming. Images by Jeff Wilson
Official fuel efficiency figures haven’t yet been released, but we’re told they’re only slightly improved versus last year’s model. For those seeking bigger fuel savings (and likely more power), a Forester Hybrid is on the horizon that will utilize Toyota electrification married to Subaru’s boxer engine Images by Jeff Wilson