2027 Subaru Forester Wilderness Hybrid First Look: The Obvious Off-Road Solution

• What's new: An electrified Subaru Forester Wilderness promises better fuel economy coupled with more power.
• Why it matters: Because saving fossil fuels and spending time on the trail go hand in hand.
• Edmunds says: Better fuel economy and more power, but pricing will likely start around $45,000.

Let's talk about that hybrid powertrain

This is not a new powertrain. In fact, it's the same hybrid system that was first introduced in the Wilderness-less Forester Hybrid last year — a car we've lived with in our One-Year Road Test fleet. The 2.5-liter flat four-cylinder is paired with two electric motors: one that acts as a starter-generator and a second 118-horsepower motor capable of driving the wheels. Combined output is 194 horsepower. In case you're counting, that's 14 more ponies than the gas-only Forester. The SUV is driven through a continuously variable transmission that's likely to steal any soul that the Wilderness treatment added to the Forester's personality. And unlike some rivals, which drive the rear axle with an electric motor, the Subaru system uses a traditional driveshaft to do that job. 

Subaru says the Forester Wilderness Hybrid will produce up to a 25% fuel economy improvement, but it doesn't say what that improvement is relative to. Assuming it's relative to a standard Forester Wilderness, then the new Wilderness Hybrid may achieve a 32 to 33 mpg combined rating from the EPA. The standard Forester Hybrid is rated at 35 mpg combined, while the non-hybrid model achieves as high as 29 mpg combined. The 2026 Forester Wilderness is rated at 26 mpg combined. Bumping that up to 33 mpg combined with the new electrified powertrain seems fairly optimistic to us. As they say, your mileage may vary.

All Wilderness all the time

If you're fortunate enough to frequent places like Bend, Oregon, or Boise, Idaho, then you're all too familiar with the advent of the lifted Subaru. In the last five years, the Subaru-lifting fairy waved her magic wand on every other boxer-powered hatchback in these cities, creating a phalanx of stink-bugged Subies and giving owners a Jeep-like reason to wave at one another. And it's no secret that being outdoorsy enough to own a go-anywhere wagon often aligns with caring enough about the outdoors to preserve its resources. So electrifying the lifted Forester seems like only a natural progression.

Anyway, taller coil springs give the Forester Wilderness Hybrid 9.3 inches of ground clearance. That's a half-inch more than the standard Forester, a full inch more than the Honda Passport TrailSport, and 0.8 inches more than the Toyota RAV4 Woodland. The Forester also enjoys more aggressive approach and departure angles than these rivals. And it retains the X-Mode traction control mode and all-terrain tires from the standard Forester Wilderness.

Hauling cargo is another Forester specialty — one that hasn't been compromised through electrification. The standard Forester's 27.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats is preserved despite the addition of a hybrid battery. And the roof rails are rated for an 800-pound static load, an obvious nod to those who prefer to climb down from a rooftop tent for their midnight bathroom breaks.

And should you make a mess inside the Forester, the synthetic StarTex fabric promises easy cleanup.

More trail, same tech

Inside, the Forester's 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 11.6-inch infotainment screen are present — things we really don't like. The latter comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's also an 11-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. And Subaru's EyeSight suite of driver assist and safety features is standard.

The Forester Wilderness Hybrid will arrive at dealers in late 2026. Pricing will come at about the same time, but based on past Subaru hybrid models, expect a $3,000 to $4,000 premium over the gas-only Forester Wilderness, which starts at $39,835.