Boxer Engine Meets Battery: Subaru's Boxy Beauty

Discover why the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid might be the perfect balance of city practicality and outdoor adventure capability. This week, we dive deep into Subaru's newest hybrid offering, exploring how it stands out in an increasingly crowded crossover market.

The Forester has long been a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts, but this new hybrid variant takes things to another level. With its distinctive boxy design, the Forester makes no apologies for prioritizing function alongside form. Depending on your chosen trim level—and there are plenty to choose from—the aesthetic ranges from sophisticated urban crossover to trail-ready adventure machine.

What truly sets this vehicle apart is its impressive efficiency without sacrificing capability. The 2.5-liter boxer engine pairs with electric assistance to deliver 194 horsepower through a CVT transmission, achieving a remarkable 35 mpg combined rating and 581-mile range on a single tank. With 1,500 pounds of towing capacity, you can easily bring along a small camping trailer for weekend getaways. The Premium Hybrid model we tested hit the sweet spot at $36,415—significantly below the industry average of nearly $50,000 for new vehicles.

Step inside to find comfortable, breathable seating, an intuitive 11.6-inch touchscreen, and thoughtfully designed cargo space with standard rugged floor liners. Whether you're commuting through city streets or exploring unpaved backroads, the Forester Hybrid delivers a well-sorted driving experience that honors its off-road pedigree while providing everyday comfort.

Ready to experience the versatility of Subaru's latest hybrid technology for yourself? Join us every Saturday morning at 11am Central for our live show to hear more in-depth vehicle reviews and automotive discussions.

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Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Speaker 2 0:00

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30-minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning at 11 am.

Speaker 1 0:09

Central. Let's do the car review. Did you want to do something else?

Speaker 2 0:12

No, I was looking. No, we'll go ahead and do what's on tap. Oh, your review. Okay, I'm sorry. Yes, sir, we could do that. I apologize, don.

Speaker 1 0:23

You're out, you, sir, you don't know what's going on over there, he just needs to go outside and chill or something.

Speaker 1 0:30

All right, here's my review of the 2025 Subaru Forester Final assembly. Location Gunma, japan. Never heard of it, but it's kind of like Goomba. But this is Gunma. It was down G-U-N-M-A, japan, down the street from Goomba yeah, goomba.

Speaker 1 0:52

Available trim levels and there's a bunch of them and I'll tell you why in a minute. Base premium sport, wilderness. Premium hybrid. Limited sport hybrid. Limited hybrid, touring, touring hybrid. I had the Premium Hybrid Nice.

Speaker 1 1:09

What Subaru does is they package all of the popular things that people like and they sell it that way. And you'll notice when I give you the price up here, that there's not much difference between the price and the option, because the options are included in the trim level. All right, small SUV seats. Five exterior changes from last model year, mostly new. Some trims carry over, particularly on the interior. So this is a transition year. Hybrids are new for 2025.

Speaker 1 1:46

What Exterior features? Boxy, upright greenhouse Looks tall if you're standing outside of it. Depending on the trim level, it can appear sophisticated or off-road, rugged, depending on the trim level. Attractive, proportionate-sized grille With high-mounted headlights. Nicely designed taillights with a not overdone hatch. That's always good. So many of these manufacturers dress the back end of it up. They overdo it. Chrome creases, all that sort of stuff. This is not that what I like. The overall marks of the overall vehicle look on the exterior gets high marks, very distinctive looking, what could use improvement. I don't know you either like it or you don't like it. The overall vehicle look on the exterior gets high marks, very distinctive looking, what could use improvement. I don't know you either like it or you don't like it. I liked it. Interior highlights Vertically mounted built-in infotainment screen with easy-to-understand functions. Comfortable, breathable seating. Some trim levels have updated dash designs, as I mentioned. Rugged floor liners included in the cargo area. Cargo room is large for this sized SUV, but I liked well-thought-out design and materials. Again, we could use improvement.

Engine Specs and Fuel Economy

Speaker 1 3:08

Not the engine is a 2.5 liter four-cylinder boxer-style engine. Horsepower total horsepower, with the battery helper 194 horsepower. Transmission is a CVT with a six-speed manual shift mode. Toe rating 1,500 pounds. This is perfect for a small camping trailer, one of those trailers that you put all your junk in. Yeah, yeah, for a small camping trailer, one of those trailers that you put all your junk in. 1,500 pounds isn't a lot, but it'll hold the tent, the chairs, swimsuits, whatever you got.

Price and Market Competitors

Speaker 1 3:41

Yes, it's made for you, that's what this is made for 35 miles per gallon in the city 34 highway for a combined of 35. I got 30 over 425.5 miles. What I like about it the mileage Over 425.5 miles. What I liked about it the mileage. 581 mile range on a 16-gallon fuel tank. That's pretty good, you're darn right. What could use improvement? The start-stop feature needs to go away on every vehicle known to man, including this one. Ride and handling nice, considering its off-road pedigree and capability. What could you use improvement? Nothing. This is a well-sorted vehicle If you're into a car that you can use in the city and take it off-road, go camping, go fishing with it. This is the one Base price for the gasoline version, which I did not have. But base price for the gasoline version $29,995. Price as tested $36,415. But remember where the trim level lies in this. I had the middle one Base model price $34,995.

Speaker 2 4:47

The $1,500 prompt is not for the actual accessories that come with the trim level.

Speaker 1 4:52

It's for shipping and handling Competitors to the vehicle. It's not for the actual accessories. It's for shipping and handling. Oh man, competitors to the vehicle the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid 35970,. The Honda CR-V, which is a fuel cell vehicle 51-350,. Or the Ford Bronco Sport gasoline model $30,995. When it comes to hybrids, there aren't a lot that compete against it and I think that that's where they kind of slid in there and they have the market on this. I think the range piques the interest.

Speaker 2 5:29

Absolutely.

Speaker 1 5:31

This is one of those vehicles that you can drive back and forth to work. You can go to the grocery store, go to church and then, if you've got a weekend off and you want to go hunting, fishing, go to church and then, if you've got a weekend off and you want to go hunting, fishing, camping, whatever, pull that little bitty trailer behind you with all your junk in it.

Speaker 2 5:44

You've got room for the family and the kids and their luggage inside and then put a Yakima rack on it, the colder, the luggage holder, all that stuff.

Speaker 1 5:52

Isn't that a beast, a wildebeest or something? Or Yakima?

Speaker 2 5:55

Yakima. It's up in Seattle or Oregon. It's up in Seattle or Oregon. They're made up there. That's a city, yeah, but they're made up in that area. Oh okay, yeah, that is from there. We put a Lillian Fowles note on all that stuff. I had a sister-in-law that had a Subaru. She loved it and somebody crashed into it and ruined it.

Speaker 1 6:11

That was the end of that, yeah 12.3-inch full digital instrument cluster, the 11.6 inch Subaru multimedia touchscreen with navigation. It's got a lot going for it. And the price remember now, this one was the middle of the road.

Speaker 2 6:27

You're in the 36-38 range. It's under $40.

Speaker 1 6:30

The average price for all vehicles today is just a tick under $50,000. That little Corolla thing that I've got out there, the GR, let me guess 52. 50. 50 is the sticker on it, I guess.

Speaker 2 6:45

I didn't win that one.

Speaker 1 6:46

You came close, you're close. Say what you will and you hear rumors going around. People call them names and all that sort of stuff. They've always had that reputation.

Speaker 2 6:56

Let's not forget, they had a thing called the WRX.

Speaker 1 7:00

I think they still have it WRX STI.

Speaker 2 7:02

It was one of the fastest production cars yeah, a four-door sedan.

Speaker 1 7:06

that was bad to the bone. It went real fast and it went around corners real fast. They know how to make performance, so you can't blow them out the water just because they make SUVs. Yeah, you can't ignore them.

Speaker 2 7:21

Yeah, exactly them out the water. Just because they make SUVs, you can't ignore them. Didn't BMW make a 731 or 731i? That was ungodly fast. I can't remember what year it was. I think it was like the 90s, maybe early 2000s. It was a monster race car, but it was a BMW 735, 731i I think it was. Correct me if I'm wrong, it's out there, yep, yep.

Speaker 1 7:45

All right, that's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, youtube Twitch and our InWheelTimecom website YouTube Twitch and our InWheelTimecom website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify Stitcher, iheart Podcast, podcast Addict TuneIn, pandora and Amazon Music. No-transcript.