Trims, Powertrain, and Performance

The 2025 Subaru Forester is a five-passenger compact crossover made in five trims: Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring. Their revised 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine makes 180 hp and 178 lb.-ft. of torque and is paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and Subaru’s enhanced Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. As far as fuel economy, the Base, Premium, and Sport achieve an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, whereas the Limited and Touring return 25 city/32 highway. All trims have a maximum towing capacity of 1,500 lb.

Desirable Amenities

The Base comes with cloth upholstery, remote keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, manually adjustable front seats, a 60/40-split flat-folding rear seatback, raised roof rails, a cargo-area underfloor storage tray, a front-row USB-A port, SI-Drive performance management settings, and automatic LED steering-responsive headlights. The Premium adds proximity keyless entry, LED fog lights, heated front seats, a power driver’s seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a panoramic moonroof, a windshield wiper de-icer, heated side mirrors, reclining rear seatbacks with a folding center armrest and cupholders, push-button start, a front-row USB-C port, and two rear USB charging ports. The Premium also includes X-MODE with hill descent control for superior control on slippery surfaces and steep inclines.

The Sport stands apart with water-repellent StarTex upholstery, low-profile roof rails, unique bronze-finished wheels, side-view mirrors with integrated turn-signal indicators, a single stainless-steel exhaust, steering-wheel paddle shifters, and dual-function X-MODE. The Limited leans toward luxury with leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, a hands-free liftgate (also available for the Premium and Sport trims), a power-adjustable front passenger’s seat, raised roof rails, and one-touch folding rear seatbacks. The top-of-the-line Touring reintroduces the low-profile roof rails and gains heated rear outboard seats, a leather-wrapped shift knob, and position memory for the driver’s seat and side mirrors.

Advanced Safety Features

The ‘25 Forester is equipped with the updated version of Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assist technology suite. It bundles adaptive cruise control with lane centering, pre-collision braking, lane departure and sway warning, lane keep assist, automatic emergency steering, and automatic high beams. The Sport and higher trims also receive blind-spot detection with lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert, which is optional for the Premium. The Touring is loaded, getting reverse automatic braking (optional for the Sport and Limited), a surround-view camera, and driver attention monitoring.

What’s more, the ’25 Forester will feature the new Emergency Stop Assist system. This groundbreaking addition to EyeSight intervenes if the driver fails to respond to warnings while using adaptive cruise control, swiftly bringing the vehicle to a halt, activating the hazard lights, and unlocking the doors. To top it off, the ‘25 Forester will offer a comprehensive suite of additional safety technologies, including a 360-degree surround-view camera, Subaru's proprietary DriverFocus distraction mitigation system, and blind-spot detection with lane keep assist and rear cross-traffic alert.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The Base Forester has a 7-inch touchscreen featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM satellite radio, HD Radio, a four-speaker sound system, and Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming. The Premium and higher trims are upgraded with an 11.6-inch touchscreen that includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a Wi-Fi hotspot. While the Premium, Sport, and Limited have a six-speaker audio system, the Touring boasts a deluxe Harman Kardon unit with 11 speakers (this is optional for the Sport and Limited).