The Subaru Forester Hybrid is here. The RAV4 has not noticed.

Subaru Australia has the new Forester Hybrid on sale, priced from $46,490 plus on-road costs. That sits the hybrid grade exactly $3,000 above the entry-level petrol Forester at $43,490, and brings Subaru into a segment where Toyota has been making money quietly since 2019.

What you get for the extra $3,000

The Forester Hybrid pairs Subaru's familiar 2.5-litre boxer petrol engine with a 90kW electric motor and a 1.1kWh lithium-ion battery. Combined system output is 145kW. Symmetrical all-wheel drive is standard, which is Subaru's traditional point of difference and remains the reason buyers cross-shop a Forester at all.

The 1.1kWh battery is the number to sit with. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid uses a 1.6kWh nickel-metal hydride pack and has done so for years. The current Honda CR-V e:HEV runs a similar capacity. Subaru's battery is smaller than both, which means the electric motor does less work, and the petrol engine does more. Fuel economy claims will follow when ADR figures are confirmed, but the engineering position is conservative by design.

How it sits in the segment

The RAV4 Hybrid starts at $42,260 plus ORC. The Honda CR-V e:HEV opens at $59,900 drive-away. The Nissan X-Trail e-Power opens around $47,690. Among these, the Forester Hybrid lands at a price that is competitive on paper, but the segment leader is still cheaper, and Subaru's hybrid is the youngest by several years.

The Forester's case has always rested on three things. Boxer engine character. Full-time all-wheel drive. A buyer base that values utility over flash. The hybrid grade does not change those fundamentals. It modernises the powertrain only enough to keep Subaru on the ground floor of the New Vehicle Efficiency Scheme penalty band, not far enough to lead it.

Cartell Assessment

This is a 2026 launch built around 2019 ambitions. The 1.1kWh battery is the giveaway. Subaru is not chasing the RAV4 here. Subaru is making sure existing Forester loyalists do not have to leave the brand when emissions rules tighten. Buyers crossing shop from the RAV4 will read the spec sheet and head back to a Toyota dealer. Buyers crossing from a previous Forester will probably stay. Both groups are right.

AU Outlook

The Forester Hybrid will sell. Subaru AU has a loyal base that wanted a hybrid yesterday and is now relieved to have one at all. But the segment data will be the story. Watch for VFACTS in July, when the first full month of Forester Hybrid sales lands. If the Forester takes more than five per cent of medium SUV segment share, Subaru is back in the conversation. If it does not, the brand needs the Outback Hybrid faster than its current "watch this space" position suggests.