Special Subaru STI SUV announced: 2025 Subaru Forester STI Sport arrives to muscle up to Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail and Mitsubishi Outlander

Subaru has announced a limited-edition STI Sport variant for its 2025 Forester range.

Set to arrive in late September, the STI Sport AWD will be priced at $48,640, before on-road costs, and will be based on the range-topping Forester 2.5i-S AWD, which is priced at $47,140, before on-road costs.

In return for the extra $1500, drivers will get a stack of extra features, though they are largely confined to cosmetic tweaks rather than powertrain upgrades. The special-edition STI’s 2.5-litre, four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine remains unchanged from the model it is based on.

Its output is 136kW/239Nm, with power being sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT), specs that are barely recognisable from the last pure-bred WRX STI's six-speed manual transmission and 197kW/350Nm output.

It does get a “meticulous” suspension tune on its front and rear dampers from the rally experts at Subaru Tecnica International, though, which Subaru says delivers a sharper, more responsive driving experience.

Externally, it gains some unique design cues, such as a dark grey 18-inch alloy wheels, a black front grille, black side and rear garnishes, black door mirror caps, roof rails, fog light garnishes, front and rear under guards as well as STI badging.

Cosmetic upgrades extend to the interior as well, which includes black and 'Bordeaux'-accented Nappa leather on the seats, door trim, centre console and instrument panel. STI branding also adorns the instrument cluster, while red stitching on the steering wheel and instrument panel help elevate the Forester’s sporty credentials.

As standard, the Forester 2.5i-S AWD gets an 8.0-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker stereo system, dual-zone climate control, a sunroof and LED exterior lights.

It also carries a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, according to 2019 standards, carrying practical safety features such as blind-spot monitoring, driver fatigue monitoring, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and adaptive cruise control with stop/go and lane keeping function.

It is available in 'Crystal White Pearl', 'Ice Silver Metallic', 'Magnetite Grey Metallic', 'Crystal Black Silica' and 'Offshore Blue Metallic' paint colours.

“With the STI Sport AWD special edition, we’re excited to offer a sportier option that enhances the driving experience while maintaining the Forester’s renowned versatility and reliability. This limited-run edition offers a fresh take on a familiar favourite, providing a special opportunity for consumers to enjoy something truly distinctive,” said Subaru Australia General Manager Scott Lawrence.

Whether or not the special-edition STI variant improves the Forester’s standing in the medium SUV segment is difficult to say. It is one of the older generation SUVs on sale in Australia, with the current version going on sale back in 2018. It has only received a couple of minor design tweaks since then.

Forester sales have continued to slide this year, falling 13.3 per cent so far for 2024 to 9273 units sold, while sales of fresher-faced rivals such as the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail have grown by 57 per cent (11,878) and 23.7 per cent (18,741), respectively.

The Toyota RAV4 remains top of the pack, though, recording a 94.2 per cent jump in sales this year to 38,050 units, having sold a whopping 6712 vehicles in August, more than any other model in the country.

Subaru has confirmed a new sixth-generation Forester is due to arrive in Australia next year, which will include hybrid technology from Toyota.

It isn’t clear how many limited-edition variants will be made available, although it might be that Subaru is trying to offload some excess Forester stock with the STI pack before the next-generation arrives.

It is available for pre-order from Subaru dealers now.