Oh Dear..........

 

Lots of other off-road tests have had different results.

 

Post some links to those other reviews?

 

 

Too many electronic settings. Just need one that will work.

 

Well, I didn't want a Subaru hybrid before I watched the video. Now I know that was a good opinion.

 

IMO… In the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn’t matter very much. Very few owners of hybrid Foresters are likely to do any off-roading at all, and many the do will not attempt seriously aggressive off-roading…

 

I would agree with that. Most normal folks - maybe not the ones who inhabit this forum - use Subaru AWD to keep the rubber side down, the roof up, and the front going forward. Which it does spectacularly well.
This would be especially true in a Hybrid.

 

As I mentioned in a previous thread, our hybrid’s two recent 30+ hour drives at 70-80 mph up and down twisting mountain roads in over 90 degree heat without any performance or cooling issues proved to me this thing is designed and built very well. I had a new Rav4 about 10 years ago and it struggled constantly with the simplest drives and was the most annoying vehicle I’ve ever had to drive in the snow. I traded it in after about 1,000 miles and started buying Subaru’s. Then a video emerged of one of the first CVT Outback’s (like I had purchased) getting stuck on a tiny rut without being able to put down enough power to get over the tiny “hump”, but I never had any issues with mine and the snow and ice performance was better than any other vehicle I’ve had (like all the Subaru’s since).
There are always videos showing poor performance of practically every vehicle in contrast to others showing good performance. Having the same person driving for each evaluation provides some consistency, but this video also shows practically no wheel braking to shift torque around which is quite suspicious.

 

…but this video also shows practically no wheel braking to shift torque around which is quite suspicious.

Would you please explain what you mean by this? Using the brakes to transfer/balance torque isn’t a technique with which I’m familiar. Thanks!

 

@tony coz,
Thanks for sharing this, even if it’s a huge disappointment.

 

If only it were a real-life off-road test it might mean something!

 

We ended up transferring our ordered Petrol Touring to Hybrid Touring, following our test drive. This is our 4th Forester and I’m impressed with the car and drive. Drove the petrol and was bored but the hybrid felt like a different car. Yes it was disappointing to see the hybrid not making the climb but this would not change my decision with the purchase. Drive is stable and power is adequate. The car is more refined and not geared for heavy offroad with 19 inch wheels and lower profile tyres. Still capable but with some limitation that suits my needs.

 

@VenetianAussie

Could you please update your Public Profile; vehicle details at least; thanks. For detail instructions pls refer: https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/your-forum-public-profile-how-to-fill-this-out.824165/

 

What the hell is this? It's practically useless

 

Without IDENTICAL tires.... a "hillclimb" test does not tell us very much.

HOWEVER: I was surprised about the "single wheel" test results with the rollers.
I have never seen a Subie fail this task.

 

Re CarExpert Review
I don't think it was a clean experiment/comparison as so many different types of cars were compared... some were EVs, some hybrid and some ICE... he was comparing apples, oranges, pears... whatever he could get his hands on... he should have Forester ICE only for that comparison as well... otherwise... meh

 

Re CarExpert Review
The Hybrid is the most expensive model of the Forester line-up and it would be reasonable to expect it to perform the best. It didn’t do well at all in that test. Having recently driven the latest model Forester thinking I will upgrade from my 2016 car, I walked away disappointed. Fancy electronics are no substitute for solid engineering or ergonomic design.

 

I know foresters are meant to excel while away from standard pavement.

I typically do not drive my Forester on steel rollers very often or on courses specifically designed to make SUVs struggle and fail.

I understand the video maker was attempting to compare the capabilities of different models, but to me, this does not seem very real world.

It seems, if you really needed to drive off-road regularly, especially on punishing courses and steel rollers, you would get a more appropriate vehicle for the task?

The hybrid may need some tweaking, but for the drivers who primarily keep their foresters on regular to snowy roads or weekend trail hunting and field exploring, I see no real problem.

To me, I wouldn't really want to take a hybrid mudding or seriously off-road.

Plus, you have to blame the factory tires a little. We all know they suck.

 

To me, I wouldn't really want to take a hybrid mudding or seriously off-road.

There are many Subaru drivers who NEED AWD, like much of the population here in winter snow country.
I don't go out to find offroad driving opportunities, I live off road, and drive offroad every time I drive.

For them, like me, that calls into serious question whether the Forester Hybrid is a viable option.
It appears that it is not.

For a company that built its reputation on AWD performance, the test results should be an embarrassment.
It's not just the tires.
The total failure on the roller test isn't going to be fixed with different rubber. That's a drive train problem.
I'd like to see a hybrid test in the snow, where I imagine it could be just as disappointing.

Pretty sad when a Hyundai Tucson beats a Forester.

 

I'm now glad the hybrids hadn't hit the lots yet when I bought my Sport. I was planning on buying the hybrid solely for the extra power, but I needed the car and couldn't wait another month or two to purchase. Considering the Subaru hybrid Forester still has a rear driveline and differential and the electric motor only assists, this is very disappointing. I doubt the hybrid would ever bother my use case, but it's nice to know I still can take my Sport on some light offloading if I ever need it to do that.

 

I think most folks do not get it when they see the word hybrid. Most see it as a way to better fuel efficiency but do not see the real utility of a plug-in hybrid. Having owned a Chevy Volt for several years, as well as a Prius before, I can testify to the utility of a plug-in hybrid that gets 45 miles of pure electrical driving. We went literally months without filling the gas tank. When we decided to trade the Volt, we looked at all the plug-in hybrids on the market, and found only one which had range specifications greater than the Volt. This is where Subaru is missing the mark. If they bult a $55K plug-in hybrid that got 60 miles on a charge we would have given it carful consideration. For another 15K we ended up purchasing a Mercedes GLC-350E, which is getting 60 miles of range on pure EV. It gets an acceptable 39 mpg on long trips where we run on gas only, with the only disadvantage being that it, like its Volt predecessor uses premium gas. I still have the Forrestor, and it is still my main vehicle. We just don't use it as often as we once did. Guess who drives the GLC....

 

I'm curious if an older model SK generation Forester would do better on those particular tests. Every time he mentioned the previous generation Forester and it cut to previous testing, they were doing different tests? I didn't go through the channel to find the older video. I would also be interested to see a non-Hybrid model for comparison.

 

I'm curious if an older model SK generation Forester would do better on those particular tests.

Some time ago I watched the same tests with older generations of test vehicles. Subaru did well. I think there were more tests in the older video, some involving mud and water, and while they may not have been 100% the same tests, they were very similar. For example, instead of rollers embedded in a road, maybe portable roller jigs located on pavement.

 

Question...

Does anyone know how Subaru tests their vehicles? Obviously the new hybrid is having issues with getting around. I've seen videos from Toyota of them beating the tar out of their trucks on a Toyota owned course. I'm not exactly sure what Subaru does to test their vehicles to feel confident enough to release them for sale? How did they not catch that?

Another question..

For those that know a lot more about the mechanics of hybrids and AWD, is this a software correctable issue or is the hybrid just screwed by design?

 

I am leaning toward the video being a one off outlier. Retaining their existing AWD design was the whole point of funneling all combined power through the transmission to all wheels instead of doing what everyone else does, i.e. having an electric motor for the rear wheels and using that as on demand AWD when slipping happens. It does worse on MPG than other small SUVs, but retaining the boxer and the symmetrical AWD is worth it (in their opinion).

If they have lower MPG and a reduction in AWD performance, then it would be the worst of both worlds.

 

I am leaning toward the video being a one off outlier.

That could be, but I didn't see any Subaru negative bias. They had rated the Forester at the top the prior year.
They also seemed genuinely shocked with the cars performance. A drive defect perhaps?

It may be there was a problem of some kind, but the roller test is a gold standard to assess the abilities of a drive system, and the hybrid didn't cut it. I was unable to find any other roller pad test results for the hybrid.
Perhaps someone else has seen one performed...

 

This is a more practical test: https://www.subaruforester.org/thre...reads/off-road-testing-of-the-2025-forester-hybrid-by-driving-sports-tv.869816/

 

I feel those guys have been less and less respectable over the years, but well, it is another test.

 

For those that know a lot more about the mechanics of hybrids and AWD, is this a software correctable issue or is the hybrid just screwed by design?

I think we will have to wait and see if it becomes an issue outside of this specific scenario. Vast majority of people who buy Subarus don't take them off of pavement. It is AWD after all, not 4WD.

That being said, I was under the impression the Hybrid AWD system would perform at least on par with the CVT based Active Torque Split AWD system Subaru uses in most of their models. That was the whole idea of stuffing an eCVT inside a Subaru transmission housing so they could keep the symmetrical mechanical AWD system. If it's not at least as capable as the other models, why not just utilize the Toyota hybrid AWD and benefit from the better fuel mileage? Just more questions I don't have answers to, and I don't think even us techicians will if Subaru does not consider it an issue. Customers would have to start reaching out to Subaru and complain about it for them to listen.

 

... at least they did not do the "reverse over a curb" test 😊

I recall when Subaru first came out with CVT xMissions, someone discovered they WILL NOT back up over a 4" curb. There were videos all over the place showing that, indeed, if one reversed until rear wheels were up against a curb.... then try to back over it, there was not enough torque delivered to the wheels to push the car over that curb. (even with throttle on the floor)

Personally: I have been driving for about 50 years and never ever needed to do that maneuver.
Hence, for me, this was a silly test of non real-world conditions.

 

Personally: I have been driving for about 50 years and never ever needed to do that maneuver.
Hence, for me, this was a silly test of non real-world conditions.

Silly for you only. Driving over curbs is a regular necessity for many people, whether a moving van, work truck, or personal vehicle. I did it weekly with my 2018 (granted, that was an XT, maybe that's why it worked). I never had any problems getting over the curb. From the description of one person who said they had the problem, I kept asking them questions, like whether they were getting wheelspin or something, which could have caused cutting of engine power. Never really got answers.

 

I watched the video in disbelief. I have watched hundreds of these type of videos through the years, and I have never seen a Subaru fair so poorly. My daughter just bought a 2025 in February, and we contemplated waiting for the hybrid. I did a lot of studying, and agree that a keynote of the design was keeping the symmetrical all wheel drive system. It should be the same. The transmission is different, and maybe they missed something. To me there was a possible telltale. on the rear axle test where they have the two front wheels on rollers and the left rear wheel on a roller and try to climb uphill. That should have been a gimme for a Subaru symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, but it looks like the rear axle does not even engage. I think there was something wrong with their test vehicle. I hope Subaru steps in with some engineers or something, and comes up with an answer for this. Other current off-road test videos I have seen on the hybrid all look like everything is operating correctly, with the rear, axle engaging and the braking system working well, even with one wheel completely up in the air.