2025 Subaru Forester leaked in detail, unveiling due next week

Photos of the new 2025 Subaru Forester have surfaced online ahead of its formal unveiling at the Los Angeles motor show late next week.

A gallery of 49 images posted to Imgur and social media website Reddit shows all angles of the sixth-generation Forester – the first new model since 2018, expected to be a ‘reskin’ of its predecessor rather than an all-new vehicle.

Australian arrival timing is expected to be announced after Subaru unveils the new car on Friday morning (Australian time), however Drive has previously speculated on first local showroom deliveries towards the end of next year.

The new Subaru Forester appears to ditch many of the design cues from today’s model – most notably the C-shaped headlight and tail-light signatures that have become a staple of all modern Subarus.

It adopts a blockier shape – which some fans on social media have likened to Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot SUVs sold in the US – with large windows, 19-inch wheels on top-of-the-range models, and plenty of black body cladding.

The photos show two model variants in the US: a Touring flagship model with silver wheels and black trim, and a Sport edition with bronze wheels and exterior highlights.

Inside, there appears to be the same 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen from the latest Subaru Crosstrek, Impreza, WRX and Outback – as well as similar steering wheel, seat and control designs as these vehicles.

The Forester has not adopted a fully-digital instrument cluster, as available on all of its newest competitors including the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda CR-V and ZR-V, and Toyota RAV4.

It’s not clear if the new Forester is any larger than its predecessor, however the photos show the tyres have a larger rolling diameter than those on today’s model – hinting at a bigger vehicle.

Under the bonnet, the images appear to show the same 2.5-litre non-turbo, horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ four-cylinder petrol engine as the current Forester in the US in Australia.

In today’s model it produces 139kW and 239Nm, matched with a continuously-variable automatic transmission (CVT) and all-wheel drive. The outputs may increase for the new model, if it is larger and heavier than before – but this is yet to be confirmed.

For now it is unclear if Subaru will persist with a version of its 2.0-litre petrol-hybrid system – which independent testing has found delivers negligible fuel savings compared to petrol-only versions – or adopts technology purchased from Toyota.

There have been reports of a new turbocharged Forester XT – with the Outback XT’s 183kW/350Nm 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine derived from the WRX – but this is yet to be confirmed on-the-record by a Subaru executive.

In its teaser campaign for next week’s unveiling, Subaru USA – which has not officially identified the vehicle planned for reveal as the new Forester – has confirmed “upgraded safety”.

The 2025 Subaru Forester is due to be unveiled next week – November 17 at 4:45am Sydney or Melbourne time – at the Los Angeles motor show. Stay tuned to Drive for more details.

Prices are expected to increase beyond the $38,690 to $47,140 plus on-road costs of petrol models today – or $44,090 to $50,140 plus on-road costs of hybrid versions.