- Subaru’s Forester is coming as a hybrid, and likely sooner than we originally expected
- But the all-electric Solterra won’t be coming to Canada for 2025
- For now, Subaru will sell its remaining 2024 Solterra models and then that’s the end
Hybrid is in, electric is out. That’s the news from Subaru, which has confirmed it will offer the Forester with a hybrid powertrain in 2025; but the all-electric Solterra is leaving the Canadian market.
We already reported on a gas-electric Forester hybrid back in May, but we were expecting it to arrive in 2026, and now it looks like it’ll be coming earlier rather than later and possibly in mid-2025. The gas-only Forester is now an all-new model for 2025.
Neither Subaru Canada nor the U.S. division has officially announced the hybrid and given us specifications, but the U.S. consumer site, and at least one Canadian dealership’s website – that being in Edmonton – have announced that the hybrid is on its way.
It will undoubtedly use Subaru’s next-generation hybrid system, which will first go into a Crosstrek for the Japanese market (we did once get a Crosstrek Hybrid in Canada, but only for a brief period and only in Quebec). Subaru also offers the Forester in Europe with a mild hybrid system.
The new system was developed jointly with Toyota, but starts with a Subaru 2.5L horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine, and with a Subaru transaxle and all-wheel drive. The series-parallel hybrid system can use either the engine or electric motor, depending on driving conditions. Subaru said the compact engine allows the use of a larger battery and large-capacity fuel tank, giving that Japan-market Crosstrek a fuel consumption improvement of about 20%, and an estimated 1,000 kilometres on a tank of fuel. The Japanese specifications note a maximum output of 158 horsepower and 154 lb-ft of torque from the engine, along with 118 horsepower and 199 lb-ft from the electric motor.
All-electric Subaru Solterra won’t be coming to Canada for 2025
Whether we’ll also get the Crosstrek in Canada with that new hybrid system remains to be seen, but what we definitely won’t get is the Solterra. Subaru Canada has confirmed that while that all-electric model is still being built and will be available in other markets, it will continue to sell its remaining 2024 models but won’t be offering the Solterra for 2025. In Canada, Subaru sold 1,616 copies of the Solterra in the first nine months of 2024, up from 1,376 sold during the same period in 2023. It’s a twin to the Toyota bZ4X, but despite that model being available only in British Columbia and Quebec, it vastly outsold its Subaru sibling, with 4,955 finding new homes in the first nine months of 2024.
The 2025 Solterra will be offered in the U.S., but it doesn’t look like the model is exactly flying off the shelves there. Just before Christmas, Subaru of America announced pricing for the 2025 version, with the base model reduced by US$6,500 compared to the 2024 Solterra; and the Touring dropping by US$7,000 – although there is a new top Touring Onyx Edition, and the lineup for 2025 ranges from US$38,495 to US$45,495. In Canada, the 2024 Solterra is $56,495 to $63,495 before any federal and provincial “green” rebates.
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