New Subaru Forester due in Australia 2025 with Toyota hybrid power
The next-generation Subaru Forester is scheduled to arrive in Australia in 2025, with an upgraded hybrid system partially sourced from Toyota planned to launch alongside the petrol version.
The new Subaru Forester has been confirmed for Australia in 2025 – after it arrives in the US this year – with the option of hybrid power at launch.
While the new Forester is a 'reskin' of its predecessor – on familiar underpinnings – the hybrid will ditch Subaru's criticised in-house technology for batteries and electric motors sourced from hybrid leader Toyota.
Subaru Australia managing director Blair Read told media at the local launch of the Solterra electric car last week: “We look forward to [Forester’s] arrival in Australia in 2025 with the addition of the next generation e-Boxer strong hybrid technology.”
“[The Subaru Forester] will go into production for America initially in 2024. [Australia] will be 2025. The next generation of the strong hybrid will be part of the launch, and that's part of the reason to focus on 2025.”
In the United States, the hybrid-powered Subaru Forester is expected a year on from the petrol-only versions – meaning Subaru Australia’s early 2025 launch matches the debut of the US-spec hybrid Foresters.
The sixth-generation Subaru Forester is an evolutionary revision of its predecessor, incorporating new safety technology, new infotainment, and a slightly larger body.
It remains to be seen by how much prices increase above the $38,690 to $50,140 plus on-road costs of today's model.
Specifications for Australian-market Foresters are yet to be confirmed, though US models are powered by a 2.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder ‘boxer’ petrol engine mated to a continuously-variable automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
The new Forester adopts the 11.6-inch portrait-mounted infotainment system offered in the WRX, Impreza, Crosstrek and Outback, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
After Subaru's in-house hybrid technology in the current Forester was criticised for providing negligible fuel savings, the new hybrid is set to use Toyota electric motors and batteries mated to a Subaru horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ engine.
Technical details of the hybrid are also yet to be confirmed.
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