Confirmed: New Subaru Forester hybrid to use Toyota power

The new Subaru Forester will borrow hybrid technology from Toyota – as used in the popular Toyota RAV4 hybrid – when it is introduced overseas in 2025.

Last year Subaru signed a deal to use Toyota hybrid technology in its "next-generation" hybrid system from the "mid-2020s" – a date refined to 2025 earlier this year.

Now it has been confirmed – as previously speculated – the new Forester mid-size SUV will be the first cab off the rank to adopt Toyota hybrid tech, which in many models can cut real-world fuel use by about half.

It is designed to address criticisms of Subaru's in-house hybrid technology – badged 'e-Boxer' – which real-world testing has found to deliver negligible fuel savings compared to regular petrol-only Subaru models.

Subaru is reportedly poised to use Toyota batteries and electric motors – but matched with its own horizontally-opposed 'boxer' petrol engines, rather than a Toyota-built engine.

"We haven't announced anything on the specs or performance yet; that will be coming down the road," Subaru of America (US) chief operating officer Jeff Walters told industry journal Automotive News.

"But it will be a Toyota-sourced battery [and electric components] joined with a boxer engine."

The hybrid Forester is due "about a year" after the regular petrol version, which goes on sale in the US between March and May 2024, according to Mr Walters.

The addition of Toyota hybrid technology to the Subaru Forester – as well as any other new-generation models which follow – should deliver meaningful fuel savings.

However – if current Toyota and Subaru models are a guide – the petrol-electric Forester may not be as frugal as its new-found Toyota RAV4 Hybrid distant relative.

With 2.5-litre petrol engines and all-wheel drive in both vehicles, the Toyota RAV4 Edge claims lab-tested fuel economy of 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres in mixed driving – while the outgoing Subaru Forester quotes 7.4L/100km.

A 2.5-litre petrol-electric, all-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 Hybrid claims 4.8L/100km in the same lab conditions, while the current 2.0-litre Forester 'e-Boxer' hybrid lists 6.7L/100km.

Fuel economy for the next Subaru Forester – with a 134kW/241Nm 2.5-litre petrol engine – is yet to be revealed, however the new model's body is slightly larger and stiffer than its predecessor, which could suggest a weight gain and therefore higher fuel use.

It is unclear if Toyota will give Subaru access to its latest, fifth-generation hybrid technology – used in models such as the Corolla hatch/sedan and Corolla Cross SUV – or will only sell an older, less advanced hybrid system.

Australian arrival timing for the new Subaru Forester – unveiled last week – is yet to be announced, in petrol or hybrid guises.

Drive has previously speculated on first local deliveries towards the end of next year, given a Model Year 2024 version of the current Forester is due in Australia in early 2024.

When asked about arrival timing for the next-generation Subaru hybrid system, Subaru Australia boss Blair Read told Drive: "Let's call it the evolution of the hybrid system, or the next-generation hybrid.

"We're still working through timeframes, but the Forester – after Impreza at the end of this year – is the next cab off the rank for a major model-year change.

"Given it's our number-one selling model, you would want to bring your best foot forward with the new Subaru Forester.

"Whether it's there at launch or soon after, we're working through a few of those timings. But you'll see it in the market pretty soon."