Subaru Forester v Toyota RAV4 hybrid all-wheel stoush!

Subaru is setting up an intriguing technology contest with big brother Toyota by touting the advantages of its new Forester Hybrid’s all-wheel drive system compared to rival petrol-electric medium SUVs including the top-selling RAV4.

The sixth-generation Subaru Forester makes its Australasian debut at the reborn Melbourne motor show tomorrow (Saturday, April 5).

On-sale mid-year, it will comprise seven models, all of them using the usual combination of a boxer engine and all-wheel drive that has been synonymous with the Subaru brand – bar the rear-wheel drive BRZ – for decades.

Four models will retain the unassisted 2.5-litre boxer four-cylinder, while three will be powered by an overhauled hybrid system.

This includes an engine upsized from 2.0- to 2.5-litres and battery and electric components supplied by Toyota, which owns a 20 per cent share of Subaru Corporation.

As per Toyota’s hybrid system, one 88kW electric motor focusses on boosting the petrol engine, while a second is focussed on regenerating the 1.1kWh battery.

But the new Forester retains a mechanically linked all-wheel drive system, while the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid employs a third e-motor on the rear axle to deliver AWD that removes the need for a propellor shaft.

At a media preview ahead of the show this week, both project general manager Katsuro Tadaki and Subaru Australia general manager Scott Lawrence cited mechanical all-wheel drive as a clear advantage of the new Forester over rivals, but without pointing to the RAV4 directly.

Tadaki, who also confirmed the hybrid Forester uses a new “gear-based” AWD system to transfer drive fore and aft rather than the clutch pack employed by the orthodox petrol Forester, said the mechanical connection’s advantage lay in torque distribution across the axles.

“If we adopted the motor system the size of the motor would be limited so we would not be able to get enough torque to the rear wheels that we want,” he explained to carsales via an interpreter.

“So it is better to have the mechanical prop shaft to provide the appropriate or ideal torque to the rear.

“Especially on the snowy or muddy roads when all four wheels need to get strong torque, the e-motor kicks in to a protection kind of mode, so the torque is weaker than a mechanical system.

“That is why we have picked the mechanical system, to get the ideal torque distribution.”

Tadaki said the hybrid’s new gear-based AWD system had been adopted in search of a more linear torque delivery than provided by a multi-plate clutch pack.

Lawrence, meanwhile, said the hybrid’s symmetrical all-wheel drive – as Subaru has long called it – would be the key single feature he would tout to potential buyers of the new Forester.

“It gives customers a real benefit,” he said. “This is our full-time symmetrical all-wheel drive. It gives all the traction you need and gives the safety and confidence that people have come to know and love.

“For me the singular message if I had to deliver it would be it’s symmetrical all-wheel drive with hybrid power.”

The RAV4 isn’t the only hybrid medium SUV with an e-motor driving the rear wheels. Others include the Nissan X-Trail e-Power and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The Honda CR-V hybrid also retains a physical linkage.

But the RAV4 is by far the most popular and at the end of March 2025 was Australia’s second-best-selling vehicle.

Subaru is also claiming the Forester hybrid (or e-Boxer Strong Hybrid) is capable of 1000km between refuels, although it did not supply the calculations to back that up.

However, if the local Forester hybrid retains the same size 62.8L fuel tank as the US version, that suggests a claimed fuel consumption average around 6.2-6.3L/100km. The official US average is 6.7L/100km.

One disadvantage of the hybrid compared to the orthodox Forester is it no longer has a spare tyre because of the amount of space required for the hybrid battery.

However, Subaru Australia has committed to having an accessory full-size spare tyre available when the Forester goes on sale.

“We know where Subaru customers take their cars so we need to have a solution for them,” Lawrence said.

Related: Seven-model Subaru Forester line-up confirmed of Oz in 2025

Related: 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid locked in for Oz

Related: LA MOTOR SHOW: 2024 Subaru Forester revealed

Related: 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness outed