Ever try to be something you’re not? There are SUVs like that. They sport some rugged outdoor name, and are festooned with durable-looking plastic body cladding. They play to the aspirations that someday you’ll conquer some rugged mountain pass. In reality, you might just be slogging through the rain on the way to the Piggly Wiggly, as said unnamed SUV is little more than a front-wheel-drive station wagon with extra ride height. All icing, no cake.

What’s so refreshing about the 2025 Subaru Forester is that, name aside, everyone knows exactly what it is. It’s a tall wagon, with a healthy 8.7 inches of ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive. Sure, Subaru offers it with a black painted roof and snazzy wheels. But such dross isn’t the Forester’s persona. It’s about pure practicality, capability, safety and comfort.

While you might think twice about going boulder bashing with the Forester, during a recent test drive it did manage to surprise some Jeep Wrangler owners when it climbed a dirt hill steeper than the national debt. It happened at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area, south of San Francisco, a righteously fun place to exercise your SUV once the sidewalk ends. It revealed the Forester to be more capable than you might expect.

And it gets even better for 2025 with the availability of a hybrid driveline. With an EPA-rated 35 mpg in combined city/highway driving, it’s five mpg more efficient than the standard Forester. And increased fuel efficiency is something every Forester owner will appreciate.

As before, the Forester is powered by a 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine, mated to two electric motors. This results in 194 horsepower, 14 more than the standard Forester. A continuously variable automatic transmission is standard. But the hybrid equipment adds weight, so the Forester Hybrid doesn’t seem noticeably faster than its less powerful sibling. It’s a very smooth driveline with power flowing to all four wheels, so it’s an easy vehicle to drive smoothly.

You might think that possessing less than 200 horsepower would render the Forester one pokey puppy. And it isn’t — until you climb a hill. That’s when the transmission betrays its worst tendencies, as the engine moans loudly and progress slows. Passing ability is better, however. It’s well-mannered and easy to control, with some body lean during corners, but it’s not excessive. Bump suppression is good despite its firm ride, and road noise is noticeable by its absence. Once you leave civilization, you’ll find the Forester’s all-wheel-drive system and 72-inch width makes navigating trails simple. And kudos for what may be the industry’s most intuitive hill descent control system. It’s makes light off-roading far easier than you’d expect.

Given its compact length, its 106.6 cubic feet of passenger space is impressive. So is its 27.5 cubic-foot cargo area equipped with hooks and tie-down points, something that many automakers fail to include. Up front, its instrument panel features a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an 11.6-inch vertically-oriented infotainment touchscreen. As on other Subarus, the graphics have a loud visual vocabulary, and its lack of a clear hierarchy can make finding the right on-screen button difficult. But the system works quickly. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.

The Forester is about function not flash, usability, not vanity. And that’s perfectly fine. It’s what’s made the Forester the most popular Subaru in America, outselling every other nameplate in the lineup. And it’s easy to see why. With the addition of a hybrid driveline, the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid makes more sense than ever. After all, its honesty is refreshing in a field of off-road wannabes. It’s rational in a world that’s increasingly irrational.

2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid

Base price: $34,995

Powertrain: 2.5-liter DOHC horizontally-opposed four-cylinder and two electric motors

Horsepower: 194

EPA rating (combined city/highway): 35 mpg

Fuel required: Regular unleaded

Length/Width/Height: 183/68/72 inches

Ground clearance: 8.7 inches

Payload: 900 pounds

Cargo capacity: 27.5-69 cubic feet

Towing capacity: 1,500 pounds

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