Ugly infotainment mars the 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid experience
Although many of us associate it with rally-derived machinery from the late 1990s and early 2000s, these days, Subaru has mostly abandoned its performance cars to concentrate on its true calling-rugged, all-wheel-drive vehicles that are high on practicality, powered by horizontally opposed boxer" engines. One area where the brand has never particularly excelled has been fuel efficiency, which is where today's test car, the Subaru Forester Hybrid, comes in.
The last time Ars reviewed a Subaru Forester, it left us impressed. How about one with 40 percent better economy, in that case? Now, the 2.5 L flat-four engine operates on the Atkinson/Miller cycle, which generates 162 hp (121 kW) and 154 lb-ft (208 Nm). There's an electric motor-generator starter and an electric traction motor with 118 hp (88 kW) and 199 lb-ft (270 Nm) that work together to send a combined 194 hp (145 kW) to all four wheels via a symmetrical all-wheel drive system and a planetary continuously variable transmission.
The Forester Hybrid is 183.3 inches (4,656 mm) long, 70.2 inches (1,783 mm) wide, and 68.1 inches (1,729 mm) tall, with a 105.1-inch (2,670 mm) wheelbase. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin 
Spot the two EyeSight cameras at the top of the windscreen. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin 
Hatching plots. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin If that sounds vaguely familiar, that's because it's the same powertrain that Subaru has also fitted to the smaller Crosstrek Hybrid that we drove in September.