Strong sales tipped for Subaru Forester Strong Hybrid

Finally armed with a competitive hybrid system, Subaru is confident the Forester is no longer bringing a knife to the medium SUV petrol-electric gun fight.

As a result, the brand is forecasting the new 2025 Subaru Forester ‘Strong Hybrid’ will drive an uplift in sales for the sixth generation of what’s traditionally been its most popular model.

The latest Forester is now on-sale in Australia and signals the start of a major product offensive by Subaru designed to expand interest and reverse a recent sales decline as Chinese brands chomp into the territory of legacy brands.

The previous Forester, which included a mild hybrid powertrain, bumped along in seventh place in Australia’s most popular new vehicle segment in 2023 and 2024.

In the first six months of 2025 however, it has slipped to eighth overall.

But with the advent of the new 145kW petrol-electric hybrid system, Subaru is expecting to reverse that.

Led by the top-selling Toyota RAV4, almost every major seller in the segment now has a plugless hybrid on offer, and/or a plug-in hybrid.

The Mazda CX-5 is the only omission and that won’t be rectified until at least 2027.

“Our mild hybrid Forester didn’t have too much success in that segment,” admitted Subaru Australia general manager Scott Lawrence.

“It obviously is an aging tech in that car. What we are finding with the newer tech is a much greater uptake of hybrid, which traditionally we’ve not really been able to grasp.

“So hybrid will give us a part of the segment we’ve not been able to get volume in.”

Subaru has also argued the set-up of its hybrid all-wheel drive system – with a mechanical link to the rear wheels – is an important sales strength.

And the brand is confident enough in the hybrid sales opportunity to expand the model line-up from two to three variants and drop the petrol boxer offerings from five to four.

It’s also given the Sport version of the hybrid its own firmer shock absorber tune and uprated it from 18-inch to 19-inch alloy wheels in a further attempt to boost interest in the petrol-electric models.

“What I would expect as time goes on [is] hybrid becomes the even larger mix of the sales rate,” Lawrence predicted.

“I think it’s reflective of broader segment trends.

“I think hybrid is viewed as the latest tech, which it is, and that is pulling a lot of people into that segment.

“So there is an element of environmentally minded people, but I also think hybrid is the biggest, newest tech to hit the segment and that will just draw people in.”

But Lawrence also predicted the orthodox 2.5-litre petrol Forester would still have a strong audience despite what, on-paper, appear to only be minor refinement enhancements with no increase in power or torque.

The petrol boxer is also rated as being significantly thirstier than the hybrid at an average 7.9L/100km versus 6.2L/100km.

“The petrol is a step up, much greater than what the spec sheet would suggest. It’s more refined,” argued Lawrence.

“So I would expect a volume growth in our petrol models as well.”

That lift would come despite quite significant increases in pricing for the Forester range.

The entry price has risen almost $5000 for the cheapest petrol Forester, while the hybrids cost another $3000-$6000 extra over their petrol equivalents.

Subaru defends the increase, pointing to new equipment and technical upgrades compared to the old model – that seems more justifiable for the new hybrid with its Toyota-sourced e-motors and battery than the orthodox petrol models.

However, Lawrence pointed out the entry-level Forester AWD gains equipment compared to its predecessor.

In addition to upgrades across the range, including some mentioned here, this includes safety gear such as driver monitoring, a front view monitor, reverse automatic braking, a side view monitor and traffic sign recognition.

The old entry level models also missed out on SI drive modes and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. There has also been an alloy wheel upgrade from 17 to 18 inches.

Also suggesting the price rises are being absorbed by buyers, Lawrence reported the most expensive Touring was topping the order rates for both powertrains.

As a Strong Hybrid the Forester Touring’s priced at $55,990 plus on-road costs, translating to more than $60,000 on the road.

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