The 2027 Forester Wilderness Hybrid gets more power and better mpg without losing its off-road credentials

Subaru has added a hybrid powertrain to its Wilderness off-road lineup for the first time, announcing the 2027 Forester Wilderness Hybrid at the 2026 New York International Auto Show. The new model pairs the raised suspension, larger tires, and off-road tuning of the existing Forester Wilderness with a next-generation series-parallel hybrid system, producing 194 horsepower and up to 25 percent better fuel economy than the non-hybrid Wilderness it sits alongside.

What the Wilderness badge means

Subaru’s Wilderness trim level sits above standard Forester configurations and is purpose-built for off-road use. Compared to the base Forester, the Wilderness adds 9.3 inches of ground clearance, Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires, upgraded suspension, and a tuned version of Subaru’s X-Mode Dual-Mode system with dedicated Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud settings. The Wilderness Hybrid carries all of those features into the hybrid version without subtraction — ground clearance, tire specification, and X-Mode functionality are identical to the non-hybrid Wilderness.

The 2027 Forester Wilderness Hybrid marks the first time Subaru has combined the Wilderness package with an electrified powertrain, addressing a longstanding trade-off in the off-road-capable compact SUV segment: buyers who want genuine trail capability have generally had to accept lower fuel economy than hybrid alternatives offer.

Powertrain and efficiency

The Forester Wilderness Hybrid uses the same 2.5-liter Atkinson/Miller-cycle Subaru Boxer four-cylinder engine found in the standard Forester Hybrid, paired with a high-capacity lithium-ion battery and electric motors in a series-parallel configuration. Combined output is 194 horsepower, up from the 180 horsepower produced by the non-hybrid Forester Wilderness. A Lineartronic CVT manages power delivery.

The press release states that fuel economy improves by up to 25 percent compared to the current Forester Wilderness. The 2026 Forester Wilderness is EPA-rated at approximately 26 mpg combined — a 25 percent improvement would place the Wilderness Hybrid in the range of approximately 32 mpg combined, pending official EPA figures. For reference, the standard 2026 Forester Hybrid is rated at around 35 mpg combined, so the Wilderness variant’s added ride height and all-terrain tires will carry a modest efficiency penalty relative to the non-off-road hybrid — a predictable trade-off given the larger rolling resistance and aerodynamic impact of those components.

Subaru has not announced EPA-rated fuel economy figures, which will be available closer to the late 2026 on-sale date.

Off-road capability

The Wilderness Hybrid addresses a technical concern common to electrified AWD systems. Many competitors offering hybrid all-wheel drive — including Toyota’s RAV4 Hybrid — use an electric rear motor to provide rear-axle drive, without a physical driveshaft connecting the front and rear axles. Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive maintains a mechanical connection between the axles, which the company argues provides more consistent, predictable torque distribution in low-traction conditions. That mechanical connection is preserved in the Wilderness Hybrid despite the added complexity of the hybrid system.

Off-road geometry improves meaningfully over the standard Forester Hybrid. The Wilderness Hybrid’s approach angle is 23.5 degrees compared to 19 degrees on the Forester Hybrid, the breakover angle is 20.6 degrees versus 19.3 degrees, and the departure angle is 25.5 degrees versus 24.6 degrees — all the result of the longer coil springs and shock absorbers used to lift the Wilderness Hybrid’s ride height from the Forester Hybrid’s 8.7 inches to 9.3 inches. X-Mode includes Hill Descent Control alongside the Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud drive modes.

The Wilderness-exclusive 17-inch matte-black wheels are shod with Yokohama Geolandar tires, the same all-terrain tires as the non-hybrid Wilderness.

Interior and cargo

Subaru says the hybrid powertrain components do not consume any cargo space — the Forester Wilderness Hybrid offers 27.5 cubic feet of cargo area behind the rear seats and more than 69 cubic feet with the rear seats folded forward. That figure compares favorably to many competitors in the compact SUV segment. A power rear gate is standard, and raised ladder-type roof rails with an 800-pound static load capacity are included on all trim levels.

Inside, the vehicle shares its interior specification with the standard Forester Hybrid: an 11.6-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch full digital gauge cluster with Apple Maps integration, a Harman Kardon 11-speaker audio system with a 576-watt equivalent amplifier, and Wilderness-exclusive gray StarTex seating surfaces, which are animal-free and designed for weather resistance and ease of cleaning. Standard all-weather floor mats and a cargo area protector are included.

EyeSight driver assistance is standard across all Forester Wilderness Hybrid trim levels, covering automatic emergency steering, emergency lane keep assist, blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, lane change assist, advanced adaptive cruise control with lane centering, and emergency stop assist.

Pricing and context

Pricing has not been announced and will be released closer to the late 2026 on-sale date. The 2026 Forester Wilderness is currently priced from $34,945, including destination, and the 2026 Forester Hybrid starts from $33,645, including destination. The Wilderness Hybrid will likely land above both, though Subaru has provided no guidance on the premium buyers will pay for the combination of off-road capability and hybrid efficiency.

The Wilderness Hybrid arrives as part of a broader two-vehicle Subaru announcement at the New York show, alongside the all-electric three-row Getaway. Together, they represent Subaru’s two most prominent electrification moves for the near term: a fully battery-electric family hauler in the Getaway and a hybrid off-road compact SUV in the Forester Wilderness Hybrid. The latter addresses a more immediate, mainstream use case — buyers who want better efficiency without giving up the capability that has made the Wilderness trim popular — while the former targets a more committed EV buyer in the family SUV segment.