Ruggedised Subaru Forester snapped in US

SUBARU Australia is on record saying it is “very interested” in a ruggedised Wilderness spec’ Forester (and other models including Outback and Crosstrek) that may make it here with the new model scheduled this year.

An image of the next Forester in Wilderness spec’ has surfaced in the USA tantalising buyers Down Under who have not had access to the adventure focused variant in the current generation.

More details of the new generation medium size SUV have come to light in conjunction with the US “spy” shot of the Forester Wilderness published by autoevolution which reveals a vehicle similar in profile to the current Forester with a different front (and presumably rear) clad with what was described as an excessive amount of black plastic.

The US-based publication wrote: “Subaru redesigned the Forester compact utility vehicle in late 2023 for the 2025 model year and be that as it may, the old-gen Forester soldiers on for 2025 in Wilderness flavour exclusively (in the US)”.

“That's likely going to change in the near future, as indicated by a purportedly leaked pic of the redesigned 2026 model,” it added.

“Subaru went overboard with the black plastic cladding that should not surprise us in the least because off-roady crossovers always used a lot of body cladding to bring the point home.”

Stateside, Forester introduced the Wilderness variant for the 2022 model year as the “most capable” trim with in-your-face styling and longer coil springs and shock absorbers with the Japanese manufacturer also making a few revisions to the drivetrain for improved off-the-beaten-path capability.

A similarly equipped Forester Wilderness would no doubt hold appeal for Aussie buyers additionally fitted with specific alloy wheels, all-terrain rubber, a higher ride height (14mm lifted suspension,) model specific bumpers and other body hardware, essentially a ruggedised Forester.

If it makes it here, it is unknown if the Forester Wilderness will be available with a hybrid powertrain as appears unlikely in the US.

However, you never know as reported last year in GoAuto, the new Forester will be powered by the existing 2.5-litre petrol boxer engine or by Subaru’s next-generation hybrid system that borrows technology from partner and petrol-electric pioneer Toyota, with the Forester first to get the driveline in Australia.

Combining a Toyota-sourced electric motor and battery with Subaru’s staple boxer engine, the new ‘Strong Hybrid’ system debuted in Japan late last year with the Crosstrek small SUV.

GoAuto reported the Forester first gained a hybrid option in early 2020, albeit in a less impressive ‘mild hybrid’ configuration than the efficient systems that have made Toyota so successful in the electrification market.

Where the outgoing Forester Hybrid featured only a 12kW/66Nm electric motor and a 188-volt battery with around 0.6kWh capacity, the new series-parallel system boosts those numbers to 88kW/270Nm with a 260-volt/1.1kWh battery.

The new-generation, Toyota-donated system also gains a second electric motor, devoted to brake energy recuperation.

The new Forester hybrid’s petrol engine uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer unit replacing the 2.0-litre engine used in current Crosstrek and Forester hybrids.

Subaru’s all-wheel-drive system remains retaining a mechanical link between the front and rear wheels in contrast to the Toyota layout in which an electric motor exclusively runs the rear axle.