Much in the same way the large Ascent SUV radically transformed Subaru’s core automotive DNA from a history of much smaller — often oddball — vehicles, the 2025 version of the popular Forester SUV also entirely rewrites the rulebook.

Underneath Forester’s skin, not a lot has changed, but the vehicle’s outward appearance is such a significant aesthetic reboot that some observers might have trouble telling what brand this Forester is exactly. 

The tall, upright and boot-shaped Forester of the not-so-distant past is now a lower, smoother and sleeker vehicle that has entirely lost its bulbous and boxy greenhouse. Look at it up front and it’s even more mysterious. Minus the first of a range of bronzed hexagonal highlights splashed across the Sport model I drove, there’s now a lot of Ford Escape/Explorer/maybe even Maverick looks in that glossy and low-drama face. 

From the side, the exaggerated and elongated, asymmetrical wheel arches are certainly distinctive, including extra brake vents behind the front wheel, but the overall profile has definitely skewed into Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV-4 territory — especially from the rear.

Has the deforestation at work on this much-beloved Subaru model, which dates back to 1997, stripped away its intrinsic charm? I seriously wondered, so I showed the car off to my friends, whose family has a combined total of 11 Subarus between them, and they said they’d buy a new Forester in a second. Maybe two of them.

Besides, if you step inside, it’s still 100% modern-era Subaru, nearly identical to recent interior updates across the entire brand. And with a 180-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder Boxer engine and a CVT transmission as standard equipment across the entire Forester line, you’ll immediately feel right at home in predicable Subaru territory, with 28-30 mpg as a regular result. The new Forester’s biggest physical change, besides its looks, is more welding and adhesive use that’s upped chassis stiffness by 10%, and also contributes to a quieter overall driving experience.

The slightly flashier Sport edition, not quite yet a Wilderness-level upgrade, retails for about $34,500 and came to me at a $37,590 total price, including delivery. That included options such as an 11-speaker, 576-watt Harman Kardon stereo, the new wave-your-foot-to-open power liftgate, a reverse automatic braking feature, as well as the torque-boosting SI-Drive engine management system, which is great for faster takeoffs.

Forester Sport, not unlike recent Jeep products, goes crazy with a splash of mountain-themed textures in its interior panels, center console and floor mats, plus a few easter eggs like hummingbirds in the windshield and even hidden tributes to the vehicle’s Michigan designers. It also includes more of those bronzed highlights along the lower body line and bumpers, as well as rather striking bronzed 19-inch alloy wheels.

The cabin is quite comfortable, with gray StarTex waterproof seating, a leather steering wheel and the new-to-Forester 11.6-inch, horizontally-oriented touchscreen navigation and infotainment system. That Starlink screen remains incredibly busy but you can isolate important information (including weather, and the X-Mode off-road systems) on a top line, and also tune in Marky Ramone’s Punk Rock Blitzkrieg on the XM satellite radio.

Like other Subaru products, Forester can be driven like either a Boulder city council member or an enraged Interstate 70 weekender. The 180 horsepower can be feisty when needed, with impressively fast response from that no-longer-slack CVT transmission. 

Handling is indeed better than before with that enhanced rigidity, and the Forester and its 8.7 inches of clearance are able to competently handle both gravel roads and increasingly devastated Colorado pavement. In real off-road or winter settings, X-Mode allows you to amplify handling for loose sand, gravel or even deep snow, with that ever-present and updated symmetrical all-wheel drive making it a great four-season performer. 

The functionality factor remains high as Forester still features more than 74 cubic feet of gear storage with the rear seats dropped – Sport includes a broad, water-catching cargo tray liner – and a decent 30 cubic feet with the seats in place. They’ve also included more robust utility hooks in the rear.

And safety systems are of course front and center, with updates to the EyeSight driver assist technology, with better cameras providing better views and faster automatic response to pedestrians and cyclists, if necessary. Forester will also initiate an automatic emergency stop mode if a driver becomes unresponsive, switching on the hazard lights and even calling 911 through its Starlink system. 

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.