How Much Is the 2027 Subaru Forester?

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• A new off-road-oriented Wilderness trim has been added for the Subaru Forester Hybrid compact SUV’s 2027 model year.
• The gas variant’s Forester Sport, Sport Onyx Edition and Touring trims have been dropped.
• Pricing starts at $31,470 for the gas Forester; the hybrid starts at $26,205 (all prices include $1,475 destination fee).

The Subaru Forester holds its own in the all-important compact SUV class against some of the bestselling vehicles in the U.S. The Forester lineup includes gas-only and hybrid powertrains, an off-road-oriented Wilderness trim newly available on the hybrid for 2027, and plenty of trim levels for buyers of varying budgets. All trims come with the Subaru hallmark of standard all-wheel drive.

Related: What Are the Cheapest New Cars With All-Wheel Drive?

Pricing

Subaru is holding the line on pricing for the 2027 model year. The standard Forester is offered in base, Premium, Wilderness and Limited trims, while the Forester Hybrid comes in Premium, Sport, Wilderness, Limited and Touring trims.

What’s Changed for 2027?

Subaru adds the Wilderness trim to the hybrid variant for 2027, while dropping the gas-only Forester Sport, Sport Onyx Edition and Touring trims. The Wilderness also gets a standard 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats, while the Limited adds standard reverse automatic braking.

Fuel Economy

Gas-only Foresters are powered by a 2.5-liter flat-four-cylinder engine producing 180 horsepower and 178 pounds-feet of torque. It’s paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission and comes standard with AWD. Official EPA fuel-economy figures for 2027 aren’t available yet, but the numbers should match the 2026 numbers, which topped out at 26/33/29 mpg city/highway/combined. The Wilderness’s tires and added ride height cost it 3 mpg combined.

The Forester Hybrid uses the same 2.5-liter flat-four engine with a pair of electric motors integrated within the continuously variable automatic transmission. It makes a total of 194 hp and also has standard AWD. It topped out in 2026 at 35/34/35 mpg city/highway/combined. The Wilderness Hybrid has not been rated yet, but it should also lose some mpg in the combined cycle.

Standard or Optional Features

Subaru makes its EyeSight suite of safety features standard on every 2027 Forester. It comes with forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-centering steering assist and automatic high beams. A rear-seat reminder system is also standard. The gas-only Limited and Wilderness and all hybrids add blind spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency steering and rear automatic emergency braking. Both Wilderness models have a 180-degree front view in the surround-view camera system to see off-road obstacles.

The entry-level Forester comes standard with cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, remote keyless entry, dual stacked 7-inch touchscreens, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 30-day Wi-Fi hot spot trial and a four-speaker audio system. It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels and sports LED headlights.

Moving up to the Premium trim with either powertrain brings upgraded cloth upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, a single 11.6-inch touchscreen, a six-speaker audio system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic moonroof, LED foglights, heated side mirrors, windshield-wiper de-icers, and keyless entry and start. It also adds an X-Mode to the AWD system; it varies drivetrain settings to improve traction on loose surfaces.

The Forester Hybrid Sport has synthetic leather upholstery, an 11-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and 19-inch wheels.

The Limiteds upgrade to a hands-free power liftgate and 18-inch wheels; the gas version gets leather upholstery, and the hybrid has synthetic leather.

The Forester Hybrid Touring tops the range. It has leather upholstery, heated outboard rear seats, all-weather floor mats and 19-inch wheels.

The off-road-focused Wilderness sits 0.6 inch higher than other models for a total of 9.3 inches of ground clearance; this improves the approach, departure and breakover angles. It also gets a skid plate, all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels, copper exterior accents, rear tow hooks, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats and copper interior stitching. It upgrades to X-Mode Dual Mode with Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes, and the Hybrid adds satellite radio, as well.

Versus the Competition

Note that all models in the chart below list their base prices and base powertrains.

The Forester goes up against rivals that offer gas-only, hybrid and even plug-in hybrid powertrains. Some have off-road models, as well.

The Honda CR-V is a class leader with gas and hybrid powertrains, and it has more space than the Forester. The Hyundai Tucson has a PHEV variant with 32 miles of electric range, a hybrid that gets as much as 38 mpg combined, and a gas version that’s slightly more efficient than the Forester. The related Kia Sportage has the same lineup, though its PHEV has 33 miles of electric range and the hybrid gets up to 41 mpg combined. The Mazda CX-5 comes only with all-wheel drive and a single gas powertrain, but it’s more engaging to drive than other compact crossovers. The Toyota RAV4 has a hybrid-only lineup that tops out at 43 mpg combined. It offers an off-road model, as well as a sportier GR Sport version; both are PHEVs.

Read More About the Subaru Forester at Cars.com:

• New 2027 Subaru Forester Wilderness Hybrid Combines Capability and Efficiency
• The Safest New SUVs You Can Buy
• Which Cars Have CVTs?
• Here’s What Subaru Debuted at the 2026 New York Auto Show
• What’s the 2026 Subaru Forester’s MPG?

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