Our Subaru Forester Hybrid Was Comfy and Roomy, But Its Tech Was Subpar

• What's new: We spent a year testing the Subaru Forester Hybrid.
• Why it matters: A hybrid powertrain should add power and fuel economy to the Forester package.
• Edmunds says: Over a year of testing, our car was roomy and comfortable, but its tech and fuel economy were subpar.

What we tested

• 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Limited
• Price as tested: $42,586 (including $1,420 destination fee)
• EPA-estimated fuel economy: 35 mpg combined (35 city/34 highway)
• Edmunds observed fuel economy: 30.5 mpg

The Forester's interior is roomy, comfy and pet-friendly

"I've been comfortable in our Forester for long drives. Like, 10 or 11 hours on the road, and no issues. The seat has a nice mix of cushy padding and support in the right places." — Brent Romans

"The Forester is comfortable to sit in; the seats and steering wheel feel great. There's plenty of legroom in the back and it has great all-around visibility." — Brendan Thomas

"Surprisingly good audio from this Harman/Kardon system. A lot of cheaper cars struggle to produce lower frequencies, with boomy mids and inaudible lows. This system sounds rich and full, especially for a non-loaded compact SUV." — Duncan Brady

"The backseat doors open wide, so it's perfect for easily fitting my RuffLand crate for my 90-pound German shepherd. The Forester doesn't have a high liftover clearance and I don't have to do the wiggle dance to make the crate fit. Plus, this lets me have the trunk open for other things." — Amy Silliman

"I like our Forester's indicators for the blind-spot warning system. They are mounted on the inside part of the frame of the mirror, and when they light up, they are easier to notice in my peripheral vision than the more typical ones that are in the mirror itself. Also, the Forester will display an indicator in its gauge cluster for when a vehicle in a blind spot is detected. Combine those two elements and you've got a system that works quite well for helping you know when there's a vehicle lurking off to your sides." — Brent Romans

"I rode in the back of the Forester and was amazed at how comfy I was. I'm not tall — only 5 feet, 8 inches — but it's nice to be in a compact SUV that's this roomy. I could sit back here for hours without issue." — Steven Ewing

The infotainment tech needs an update — pronto

"When discussing the Forester with a co-worker, I noted the infotainment would have fit right in with a brand-new vehicle from 2018. Alas, it is 2025 and the Forester's center touchscreen is one of the worst I've used in quite some time." — Jake Sundstrom

"The infotainment system is slow to load and it's laggy to respond to inputs. There are times when I'll press on an icon — let's say, 'pause' — and it's so slow to respond, I'll press the icon again, but now it registers both presses, so my attempt to pause a song ends up with the song still playing, and now it takes a third press to actually pause." — Ron Montoya

"The center screen gets so much glare! I found it challenging at times, especially when I was driving southbound in the afternoon and the sun just blasted it. I tried to turn up the brightness to compensate, but even fully bright, the glare was pretty intense." — Chris Webster

"The digital instrument cluster in the Forester is such a wasted opportunity. There's one small customizable widget in the bottom left corner that shows tire pressure, trip odometer, fuel economy, very basic navigation and very basic media. The space between the digital dials shows a digital speedometer or it displays driver assist info, but you can't customize or change the gauges, can't change what's in the center of the screen between them, can't see maps, etc. I would have loved to see some clever graphics, off-road displays, a blind-spot camera feed or at least have it turn red when you put the car in Sport. The reason to add screens to a car is to add functionality, not just because it's something more to add to a feature sheet and (presumably) lowers manufacturing costs." — Duncan Brady

"The touchscreen makes the Forester a nonstarter for me. It's slow to boot up, slow to activate Apple CarPlay, slow to respond to inputs, and the menus are cluttered with information. The execution is so frustratingly bad that it mars the entire Forester experience." — Cameron Rogers

"It's really the worst infotainment you can buy in a small SUV today. The new system in the Outback is a complete game-changer, and Subaru can't add it to the Forester quickly enough." — Will Kaufman

It's not pretty, but it's purposeful

"This is a subjective thing, but I find the latest Forester's styling to be quite boring. There's really nothing about it that's memorable. That goes for both the exterior styling and the interior design. There's nothing here at all that makes you think Subaru tried to make something special. Now, there are definitely vehicles where the designers try too hard to make the vehicle interesting, and they end up being memorable in the wrong way. But most of the other top small SUVs have something about them that visually stands out. I think the previous-generation Forester was definitely more memorable." — Brent Romans

"The piano black around the shifter does not seem to be the best quality. When I first got into the car, I noted it already had a number of scuffs and scratches. Not the best material choice for an area that is a regular contact point." — Chris Webster

"Look, Subaru's never made a pretty car, but I think the Forester is pretty bad. It's not new Outback bad, but the styling is trying to be boxy and bulgy at the same time. Previous Foresters have had much more cohesive designs." — Steven Ewing

"Here's an upside to the Forester's design: a boxy cargo area! It came in handy over the holidays when I had to haul a bunch of Christmas-related stuff (artificial tree, decorations, etc.) from my storage unit back to my house." — Brent Romans

So much for that fuel economy ...

"I did a fair amount of highway driving with the Forester recently and I averaged 31 mpg across two fill-ups. I consider myself a fairly efficient driver — some people would say that I drive too slow. But it seems as though this hybrid is underdelivering on its promise of better fuel economy." — Ron Montoya

"I can add to Ron's observation that our Forester's fuel economy is underwhelming. Calculating my time with it, I drove it 1,778 miles and used 55.2 gallons of gas. That's 32.2 mpg. I drove a lot of highway miles, so I'll compare to the EPA highway estimate of 34 mpg highway. And considering California highway speeds are typically 70+ mph, well, it seems we're in the ballpark. But to Ron's point, is 32 mpg actually good? It doesn't seem much better than a regular Forester's fuel economy." — Brent Romans

But at least it was reliable!

This is the part where we'd usually list all of the various issues a car had during its year of testing. The Forester? Nothing to speak of. You'd be surprised how rare that is these days.

One-Year Road Test verdict: Little improvements would make a big difference

The small SUV segment is incredibly competitive right now, so little quibbles like the ones we had with our Forester can actually make quite an impact. The main issue is this SUV's tech: The infotainment system is simply unacceptable, and we know Subaru can do better, judging by the brand-new system found in our 2026 Outback. We're hoping an updated Forester rights this model's wrongs.

As it stands, the Forester Hybrid ranks 17th out of 19 vehicles in our small SUV category. It's a good pick if you want something affordable, reliable, spacious and rugged. But as an all-around SUV for you and your family? There are 16 better options from which to choose.