Family SUV battle! All-new Subaru Forester Hybrid to finally take aim at Toyota RAV4 Hybrid with 'new hybrid technology'

An all-new Subaru Forester will finally introduce "new hybrid technology" that will level the playing field with the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, with arguably the Japanese brand's most important model expected to arrive late next year or in 2025.

A criticism levelled at Subaru's hybrid products are that they don't deliver the kinds of fuel savings now expected from the hybrid offerings from Toyota and others.

But moves are underway to rectify that, with the fresh Subaru Forester expected to be the first model to introduce the new hybrid technology.

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"There's been a big commitment from the factory to advance in that space, you'll see that come in models in the future. From an engineering and factory-planning perspective, they are investing in new production lines for new hybrid technology, and for BEV production," said Subaru Australia MD Blair Read.

"We will see the results of that coming to market in the future in some of our mainstream models. Not in the very short term, but not too far away."

Asked whether the dream model to launch the new hybrid technology would be the Forester, the Subaru executive replied: "Yes, that's what we would obviously be advocating for, and where our customer demand is.

"And if you look at the model range at the moment, everything has been updated with a new generation, and Forester is now due. That's where our efforts and planning are going at the moment."

Where it gets really interesting, though, is just what to expect from Subaru's new hybrid technology, with Japanese reports pointing to the brand borrowing Toyota's existing technology to truly level the playing field.

According to a Nikkei report, Subaru plans to release new hybrid vehicles by 2025 using technology already shared with Toyota.

According to Japanese reports, that should mean a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine combined with Toyota's hybrid technology, meaning the Forester would essentially match the powertrain outputs of its archrival.