- The mid-2025 arrival of the Forester Hybrid now puts it in the 2025 model year, not 2026
- The markings do not point to the charging port of this Subaru AWD hybrid
- The Hybrid system was developed with Toyota, and the Subaru bits are yet to be detailed
Subaru has tweaked the timeline for the upcoming Forester Hybrid, marking the first time a hybrid powertrain has been installed in the automaker's popular crossover SUV in the US.
Subaru announced the Forester Hybrid in late 2023 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Non-hybrid versions of the Forester went on sale earlier this year as 2025 models, while the hybrid was previously expected to arrive late next year as a 2026 model. But Subaru's website now lists it Forester Hybrid as a 2025 model once-with- to arrive in mid-2025.
2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Teaser
While selling the all-electric Solterra in the US, Subaru does not offer a hybrid in this market, and it hasn't since the Crosstrek Hybrid was discontinued after the 2023 model year. The Crosstrek Hybrid was essentially a plug-in hybrid, combining Toyota-sourced components with a Subaru boxer engine and all-wheel drive system.
Now it looks like the Forester Hybrid, prototypes of which have been spotted testing, it won't have a charging portbut it will use the “Strong Hybrid” powertrain that debuted earlier this year in the new Crosstrek Hybrid version for the Japanese market. In addition, the badge that has been teased by Subaru does not include “plug-in hybrid” in the same way.
Subaru Strong Hybrid powertrain
Subaru's home market version of this hybrid system also relies on Toyota motor hardware and a 1.1-kwh battery pack, which works with Subaru's 2.5-liter flat-4 and all-wheel drive system. Subaru has he confirmed that this program will have two engines and, like Toyota's long-running Hybrid Synergy Drive, or Toyota Hybrid System, it will have hybrid parallel and serial modes—though it's not yet clear how much of the system is advanced or likely to build now versus what might be. bought from Toyota.
AC power output for Subaru Strong Hybrid
In the Crosstrek Hybrid for the Japanese market, Subaru points to an AC accessory that can help cook at a campsite or power outdoor gear.
In that version, the petrol engine produces 158 hp alone while the electric motor system contributes 88 hp. Subaru said it expects a 20% reduction in fuel consumption for the Crosstrek Hybrid and a two-second drop in the 0-60 mph time. While it's unclear how much of that improvement might last, Subaru has only said the Forester Hybrid in the US will be faster than the non-hybrid.
2025 Subaru Forester
Subaru and Toyota will also continue to collaborate on EVs. In addition to the Solterra twin and Toyota bZ4X, the second jointly developed electric SUV will be launched in 2026, one of the four EVs Subaru has said it will launch by the end of 2028 when 50% of EV sales are by 2030.