Subaru Forester
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Subaru Forester review
Nobody has ever bought a Forester to impress anyone, and Forester owners will tell you that like it's a compliment. They're right. This is the most honest crossover in the mainstream segment: a box with windows, standard all-wheel drive, and a community that asks earnest questions like "how many miles do these go with good care?" and gets 107 comments of reassurance when a new owner wonders if anyone actually loves the thing.
The big news is the hybrid. For 2025, Subaru finally did what everyone told it to do for a decade: it borrowed Toyota's series-parallel hybrid system, bolted it to the 2.5L boxer, and made 194 combined horsepower with an EPA 35/34 mpg rating and up to 581 miles of range. That's up to 40% better city economy than the gas model, and it keeps the things Forester people actually care about — standard AWD on every trim, the fishbowl visibility, the square cargo hold, physical buttons. One YouTube reviewer called it the answer to the car's "one real weakness," which is almost right. The weakness is narrowed, not eliminated: in testing, real-world economy landed around 31 mpg, while the RAV4 Hybrid does about 39 and the CR-V Hybrid about 40. And 8.6 seconds to 60 is what engineers call "languid," which is what the rest of us call slow.
What's genuinely good: nobody else gives you real mechanical-feeling AWD standard at this price — Toyota's E-Four just electrifies the rear axle, while Subaru still drives all four wheels properly. Safety is elite (IIHS Top Safety Pick+, NHTSA five-star). The cabin is built for actual life — near-square rear doors for child seats, a low flat load floor, rear visibility no coupe-roofed rival can touch. Owners rate the 2021 and 2024 models a perfect 5/5 on CarGurus. And the hybrid powertrain is the highest-confidence first-year bet in the business, because the hybrid hardware is Toyota's and only the integration is Subaru's.
What's actually wrong: it's slow, and the CVT makes sure you hear about it. The AutoStop system is universally loathed — "is there anyway to permanently turn off AutoStop?" is a perennial group question. The infotainment has quirks (text notifications that never appear). Voice recognition is bad. The styling is a box that had a box's baby. The 5th gen's thermo control valve failed often enough on 2019–2021 cars that Subaru extended coverage — verify the TCV history by VIN on any 2021 you're considering. And the three 2026 recalls sound alarming until you read them: a hatch bracket installed upside-down at the factory (caught by Subaru, not customers), a moonroof bonding issue, a misprinted weight label. A bracket, a pane of glass, and a typo. None of it touches the engine, transmission, AWD, or EyeSight.
The social pulse is the warmest and least pretentious in this cluster. The Forester groups aren't arguing about 0–60 or posting show trophies — they're 23,000 people comparing highway MPG on road trips to Utah and welcoming fourth-time Subaru buyers back into the family. Threads has nothing but shopping threads. There's no hype to deflate because Subaru barely markets the thing. The hybrid's arrival was met with relief, not frenzy: finally, the box sips fuel.
Value call: the sweet spot is the 2024 — final year of the 5th gen, every issue known, 5/5 owner rating, averaging around $29,600 used. It's the same essential vehicle as the 2025 gas model for thousands less. If you want the hybrid, buy a 2025 built after the first production months, or a 2026 — the Toyota hardware removes most first-year fear, and the ~$3,200 premium over gas pays back if you drive a lot of city miles. Skip the 2021 unless the TCV paperwork is clean, and skip paying new-car money for a 2025 gas model when the 2024 exists. Against the RAV4 Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid: they win on efficiency and refinement, the Forester wins on standard AWD, visibility, safety ratings, and price — the hybrid starts around $34,700–$36,200, thousands under comparable RAV4 trims. If your winters are real and your ego isn't, the math favors the box.
The honest tradeoff: it's the slowest, squarest, most sensible hybrid crossover you can buy — and its owners wouldn't have it any other way.