スバル・フォレスター 年間レビュー更新：最大の利点と欠点

Subaru Forester Yearlong Review Update: Its Biggest Pros and Cons 2025 Subaru Forester Yearlong Update: These Are Its Biggest Pros and Cons Examining the strengths and weaknesses of our Forester Sport after a year of driving it. William Walker Writer Feb 18, 2026 Save I started my journey behind the wheel of our yearlong review 2025 Subaru Forester Sport with a simple question: Once I go Subaru, do I go back? As my year piloting the Forester winds down and I attempt to answer that question, I have been organizing my thoughts around the Subie’s relative strengths and weaknesses. 0:00 / 0:00 Strengths Pet-Friendly Palace on Wheels For return readers, it should come as no surprise that the Forester’s pet-friendly design and accessories come first on my list of strengths. My appreciation for Subaru’s dedication to our four-legged and furry friends was strengthened recently as I looked at competitors such as the 2026 Honda Passport. While Honda does offer an accessory Cargo Barrier, which it says is “perfect for securing pets or cargo” behind the second-row seats, that is all Honda offers. ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW Subaru, on the other hand, offers optional seat covers, window shades, door protectors, crates, and pet ramps. The Forester is so perfectly outfitted to carry our furry friends that I’m surprised you can’t buy one on Chewy. Go-Anywhere Confidence For years, if you wanted to buy a small SUV that offered all-wheel drive, your options pretty much started and ended at a Subaru dealership. These days, the market is drowning with competitors, including the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and any number of Hyundai, Kia, Chevy, and Ford products, that offer AWD in similarly sized packages. ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW It might be my Pacific Northwest brainwashing, but in my mind, the Subaru Forester still sits at the top of the list when it comes to being an all-weather vehicle. While our Sport-trimmed long-termer is best set up to tackle paved roads, its 8.7 inches of ground clearance, tidy dimensions, and reliable all-wheel drive gave me plenty of peace of mind on the few occasions when I adventured into the dirt. Visibility This is another area where time in other vehicles has given me a better appreciation for the Forester. In this case, the Forester's large windows, thin pillars, and panoramic sunroof really allow you to see your surroundings. ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW Weaknesses Lethargic Powertrain If you’re familiar with my appreciation for Subaru’s pet accessories, then you will equally be familiar with my dissatisfaction with the Forester's strained 2.5-liter flat-four engine and poorly matched continuously variable transmission (CVT). I never feel like I’m able to drive the Forester smoothly. The lack of low-end torque combined with the CVT meant that I was constantly "rubber banding" to maintain speed, especially in stop-and-go traffic. Imagine you’re in heavy traffic, and the flow, though not stopped, is fluctuating at 10–20 mph. The cars ahead of you have moved, and you start to press down the Forester's accelerator pedal to do your part in this synchronized chaos. The name of the game here is smooth consistency to keep moving forward without dramatic moves. The problem is that peak torque doesn’t arrive until 3,700 rpm; combined with a CVT attempting to turn propulsion into forward motion at a continuously variable rate, you must vary your throttle input constantly, which makes for a herky-jerky power delivery. ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW Does switching the transmission into Manual mode solve some of this issue? Yes. But so does the addition of an electric motor in the Forester Hybrid model, which delivers a much smoother driving experience. ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW So Much Road Noise! For the 2025 Subaru Forester lineup, Subaru said it had improved sound deadening and increased the number of welds and structural adhesives to stiffen the chassis and make it quieter. I never had the chance to drive the previous version back to back with our 2025 Forester Sport, but there is obviously still work to be done. As I experienced on my weekend trip to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park , the constant road and wind noise, even on smooth roads, would be enough to make me think twice about owning a Forester. Dated Interior Reading our review of the all-new Subaru Outback Wilderness , I spent a significant amount of time enviously looking at the interior photos. Yes, the 2025 Forester did receive an updated interior featuring a large central 11.6-inch screen. But I wouldn’t call it a “new” interior. By stepping away from the massive central screen in favor of the reintegration of physical buttons to control things like the climate control, the 2026 Outback’s interior looks fresh and more user-friendly compared to the Forester. While I realize the 2025 Forester’s redesign wasn’t quite as dramatic as the new Outback’s packaging rethink, I am disappointed that Subaru hasn’t yet given inside of the Forester the same attention the Outback received. ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW More On Our Long-Term 2025 Subaru Forester Sport: Once I Go Subaru, Do I Go Back? What Does a Dog Think? A Look Behind The Lens Having fun with Subaru Badges of Ownership Should We Have Gotten The Hybrid? Why Out Forester Is(and Isn’t) a Good Road-Trip SUV Just How Far Can Our Subaru Forester Go on a Tank? We Love Our Subaru Forester’s Pet Accessories ​ MotorTrend's 2025 Subaru Forester Sport SERVICE LIFE 13 month/22,584 miles BASE/AS-TESTED PRICE $37,756/$41,295 OPTIONS Option Package 24 ($1,700: Auto Reverse braking, hands-free power lift gate, premium audio), auto-dimming mirror with compass and HomeLink ($422), pet ramp ($300), rear seat cover ($250), collapsible pet kennel ($200), rear seat-back protector ($155), all-weather floor liners ($141), mud flaps ($140), second-row sunshades ($121), cargo sidewall protector ($110) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON; COMB RANGE 25/32/28 mpg; 465 miles AVERAGE FUEL ECON 25.3 mpg ENERGY COST PER MILE $0.20 MAINTENANCE AND WEAR $0 (4/7: 6k Service Oil Change, Tire Rotation; N/C; 10/25: 12k Service Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Replace Cabin Air Filter; N/C) DAMAGES None DAYS OUT OF SERVICE/WITHOUT LOANER None DELIGHTS Subaru optional pet accessories are well made. ANNOYANCES Road noise RECALLS None Stay Ahead of the Curve. Get the newest car reviews, hottest auto news, and expert analysis of the latest trends delivered straight to your inbox! Sign Me Up By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use (including the dispute resolution procedures ) and have reviewed the Privacy Notice . William Walker Like many of my coworkers, my love for cars was cemented at a young age, thanks in part to Hot Wheels, car magazines, and every car poster I could afford when the book fair set up shop in my elementary school library. While most kids went straight for Where’s Waldo? and Goosebumps, I was torn between the poster of the Lamborghini Countach and the ’32 Ford hot rod with airbrushed flames on the cowling. In high school, I worked at Bergstrom's Antique Autos, a historic garage in Port Townsend, Washington. Surrounded by nearly a century of automotive history, I immersed myself in cleaning, sorting, and selling car parts and memorabilia. I also spent countless hours flipping through vintage car magazines and can comfortably say that I've looked through every Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Hot Rod, and Sports Car Graphic up until the early 1980s. Around the same time, I picked up photography—naturally, with cars as my main subject. Despite my high school photography teacher's advice to branch out, I stuck to my passion and attended every car show I could find. This led me to the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, where I earned a bachelor’s degree with a focus on automotive photography. I began my career at Motor Trend as a photography intern. After freelancing for a few years, I joined the Motor Trend team full-time in late 2010. My passion for cars and photography continues to fuel my work, and I hope it shines through in every shot. Read More Share ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW You May Also Like