Sixth-Gen Subaru Forester Wins Japan Car of the Year 2025-2026

The all-new, sixth-gen Subaru Forester SUV wins the Japan Car of the Year award for the 2025-2026 edition.

Fresh from making its Malaysian debut, the new sixth-gen Subaru Forester has been crowned the overall winner for the 2025-2026 Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) award. For the 46th edition of this award, the midsize SUV has amassed a total of 1,149 points, piping down runner-ups Honda Prelude Hybrid (1,076 points) and the Toyota Crown Estate (654 points) for the main prize.

Other models that made the top-ten list include the third-gen Nissan Leaf EV, Volkswagen ID.Buzz, Hyundai Inster, second-gen BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, third-gen Peugeot 3008, Suzuki eVitara, and seventh-gen Daihatsu Move.

VW ID.Buzz (left) & 992.2-gen Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid (right)

While the ID.Buzz didn’t make it to the podium, the EV MPV did win both the Japan Import Car of the Year and Design Car of the Year awards this year. Staying in Germany, the award for the Technology Car of the Year goes to the 992.2-gen Porsche 911 GTS, thanks to its innovative T-Hybrid system that elevates performance through electrification but without compromising on the overall driving experience.

With the new Forester now crowned Japan Car of the Year for 2025-2026, the Boxer-powered SUV now joins an exclusive list of winners, which includes the likes of the sixth-gen Mitsubishi Triton for the 2024-2025 edition, the fifth-gen Toyota Prius in 2023-2024, and the Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK X EV kei car duo in 2022-2023.

In native Japan, the new Forester is available in a whopping eight variants, with prices starting from JPY 4.048 million (RM107,107) for the entry-level Sport to JPY 4.598 million (RM121,659) for the top-spec Premium S:HEV EX. Two engine options are available for the Japan-spec model, including a 1.8-litre 4-cyl turbocharged CB18 ‘Boxer’ engine rated at 177 PS and a 2.5-litre 4-cyl Strong Hybrid option that gets a higher output of 197 PS.

For reference, the local-spec sixth-gen Forester is offered in a single, fully-imported (CBU) 2.5 i-S EyeSight variant priced at RM221,500, featuring a 2.5-litre 4-cyl naturally-aspirated ‘Boxer’ engine rated at 185 PS and 247 Nm.