2025 Subaru Forester

Embedded in a crowd of industry friends and colleagues, we watched Subaru roll the all-new 2025 Forester onto their stage at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Now half a year or so later and this sixth-gen Forester is arriving on dealer lots; so, ahead of our official Road Test, we figured it was best to give you the cliff notes in a MotorWeek First Look.

Of course, a next-gen model means updated styling, self-described by Subaru as “sleek and contemporary.” Beauty is up for you to decide, but what’s objective is the cold, calculating truth of mathematics and press release spec decks.

Overall, the Forester hasn’t changed much dimensionally, still a 105-inch wheelbase, with the body itself having grown less than an inch in length. Underneath is a 10-percent stiffer chassis, an updated Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, and the dual-pinion electronic steering rack from the WRX.

The Forester’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder BOXER remains, now producing 180 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque; and it’s all delivered through a standard continuously variable transmission.

Not standard, but available for the first time on a Forester, is Subaru’s 11.6-inch Starlink touchscreen, an upgrade over the dual 7-inch units. All new Foresters come standard with Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assistance suite, with more safety and convenience features available at higher trims.

Assembled in their Gunma facility in Japan, the 2025 Subaru Forester starts at $31,090 with delivery, working up to $41,390 for a top-trim Touring. No word on a new Wilderness trim yet, but we’re sure Subaru has something in the works, along with a confirmed hybrid model arriving in the not-so-distant future.

And that’s the short of it; we’ll have plenty more to share soon enough but until then, drive safe and stay tuned to MotorWeek.