I purchased a new 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Touring trim, and so far - with one minor annoyance - I love this car. The ride is very composed, much quieter than previous Foresters, and the top trim has all the bells and whistles. The smooth adaptive cruise control, coupled with automatic lane centering, makes for an exceptionally stress free driving experience. The switch between hybrid (EV) mode and the gas engine is seamless and imperceptible. I know that some have criticized the Forester for being “underpowered”, but the extra horsepower provided by the hybrid system, and the tweaks Subaru made to the low end torque provides all the power you need for everyday driving. The interior is super roomy, the seats are comfortable with lots of adjustments, and the facial recognition feature on the Touring trim - which recognizes saved drivers - magically adjusts the mirrors and the seat to preset positions for each saved driver. The only annoyance is that on the top Touring trim you get a smart rear view mirror which allows you to switch from the conventional mirror to the camera view. This comes super in handy when you have the car packed to the brim and you can’t see out using the conventional mirror. However, this super duper camera rear view mirror doesn’t have the garage door opener buttons. The fact that the top line Forester lacks such a basic amenity as programmable garage door buttons is baffling. Now, I fully recognize this is most definitely a “first world problem” and I can certainly live with my garage door remote clipped to the sun visor, but this seems to be a glaring oversight for a top end trim. That said, I would absolutely buy this car and this trim again. Highly recommended!

I have only owned this car about a month now, but I really like driving it and I am very glad I bought it. I just wish it had an option to place a spare tire somewhere, but other than that, which is important, I do like it and recommend it to others. I hope the tradeoff of supposedly getting more mileage is worth not having a spare tire.

The only unknown is how many MPG I will get, over time. Not you typical Hybrid. It appears to be tuned especially for the Forester.