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2025 Subaru Forester hybrid's 35 mpg impresses despite pesky electronics

The 2025 Subaru Forester hybrid ratchets up efficiency with a 35-mpg combined city/highway fuel economy rating in a conservatively styled new model that should burnish the brand's reputation for durable practicality. The Forester is Subaru's second hybrid, following the subcompact Crosstrek. Expect the efficient drivetrain to proliferate across the automaker's lineup. In dealerships now, the Forester hybrid also has more power than the gasoline model, which also is on sale now. The Forester is new for 2025. Prices start at $29,995. Hybrids start at $36,595. I tested a nicely equipped Forester Sport hybrid that stickered at $39,595. All prices exclude $1,430 destination charges and tariffs. More: 2026 Toyota RAV4 goes all-hybrid as automaker warns tariffs threaten new-car affordability More: 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport hybrid: Mostly show, just enough go Subaru Forester trim levels and prices Base model: $29,995 Premium: $33,385 Sport: $36,105 Wilderness: $36,285 Premium hybrid: $36,595 Sport hybrid: $39,595 Limited hybrid : $41,010 Touring: $41,595 Touring hybrid: $43,295 Source: Edmunds. Prices exclude $1,420 destination charge and tariffs. Tough competition The Forester is Subaru's top-selling model, with 95,972 sales ― up 3.4% ― so far this year. It's one of the brand's cornerstones, alongside the subcompact Crosstrek ― 90,334 YTD ― and compact Outback ― 73, 257, and about to be replaced by a new model. The five-passenger Forester competes with compact SUVs like the Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4 and VW Tiguan. It's a crowded class full of excellent vehicles. The Forester's 183.3-inch length is a 6.8-inch improvement from the '24 models. The 2025's length is typical of the class. The Forester's styling hews close to the upright, conservative look that has made the SUV popular for years and helps differentiate it from Subaru's larger Outback. Key features of 2025 Subaru Forester Available hybrid model New 2.5L boxer engine Standard all-wheel drive 11.6-inch touch screen 8.7 inches of ground clearance Driving impressions The Forester hybrid gets 194 hp from its combination of a 2.5L four-cylinder engine and electric motor. That's up from 180 on the gasoline Forester. Subaru doesn't provide a figure for combined torque, but the hybrid's acceleration is adequate for city and highway driving. The all-wheel drive system's features includes a faster acting center differential for torque distribution, right-to-left torque vectoring and hill descent control. The EPA rates the Forester hybrid at 34 mpg in the city, 35 on the highway and 35 combined. Thanks to a 16.6-gallon gas tank, Subaru claims the Forest hybrid can go 581 miles on a tank, topping hybrid versions of the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson by 15 to 63 miles. The Forester hybrid can tow up to 1,500 pounds. What could be better? Several of the Forester's electronic systems could use refinement. Voice recognition was inconsistent and several people I called commented on poor quality. The 11.6-inch, portrait orientation touch screen had a cluttered home screen. On the bright side, primary climate controls ― airflow, fan speed, seats ― are permanently in place at the bottom of the screen. A handful of physical switches ― the only existing ones are volume, tuning and temperature ― might help. Or a bigger screen with less blank plastic trim around it. The steering wheel alert repeatedly told me to put my hands on the wheel when they already were. Why buy a 2025 Subaru Forester hybrid? The Forester hybrid improves a model that was already a favorite with buyers. The improved fuel economy ― 21% versus a gasoline-power Forester ― will save owners about $250 a year, according to EPA figures. That's at current prices, and if there's anything we should know by now, it's that gas prices go up over time. Factor in more power and the traditional Subaru values of standard all-wheel drive and advanced safety features and the 2025 Forester should find welcome buyers, unless tariffs raise prices severely. 2025 Subaru Forester hybrid at a glance All-wheel drive five-seat compact hybrid SUV Seats five Base price: $36,595 On sale now Model tested: Sport hybrid Price as tested: $39,595 Power: 2.5L horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, electric motor Total system output: 190 horsepower Transmission: Continuously variable automatic Wheelbase: 105.1 inches Length: 183.3 inches Width: 72 inches Height: 68.1 inches Ground clearance: 8.7 inches Passenger volume: 106.6 cubic feet Cargo volume: 27.5 cubic feet behind rear seat, 69.1 behind front seat Curb weight: 3,913 pounds Towing capacity: 1,500 pounds Assembled in Gunma, Japan Contact Mark Phelan: mmphelan@ Follow him on Twitter mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pesky electronics undermine 2025 Subaru Forester hybrid's appeal