It was an inevitable pairing, and now, the die is cast. Subaru has found considerable success with its rugged-themed lineup of Wilderness vehicles, pioneered when the first trims debuted for the 2022 model year. Back then, Subaru and hybrid were words that didn't coexist in the same sentence. But this is 2026. Things have changed.Now, we have another first for the Japanese brand. The 2027 Subaru Forester Wilderness Hybrid is here, delivering the rugged styling buyers love with some boosted fuel economy to boot. If you're familiar with the existing Forester and its trim levels, this latest one won't come as a tremendous surprise. But there are some things worth mentioning. Let's take a look. The Forester Wilderness You Know And Love Brett Evans / CarBuzz / ValnetWe'll start with familiar Wilderness territory. Underneath the boxy SUV body is Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive powertrain with the X-Mode Dual Mode System. This adds two additional drive modes to the Forester for better snow/dirt, and deep snow/mud operation.The suspension is Wilderness-specific, swapping in longer springs and shocks that raises ground clearance slightly, from 8.7 inches to 9.3. Meatier 17-inch all-terrain tires are part of the Wilderness package, too.SubaruAesthetically speaking, the Forester Wilderness Hybrid gets the same chunky fender arches, the plastic cladding down low, the big roof rack up top, and the requisite Wilderness badges. Inside you find the gray synthetic leather seats that Subaru says are weather resistant and easy to clean. The company's Eyesight driver-assist tech is standard, as is a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and the 11.6-inch center screen. The Hybrid Fuel Economy You Need SubaruWhat you'll see on those digital screens, however, will be a little different versus the standard Forester Wilderness. That's because you get electric assist with Subaru's enduring 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine. Instead of 180 horsepower, the engine and two integrated electric motors increase total output to 194 hp. It's the same parallel hybrid system used in the standard Forester Hybrid, so it delivers the same results. It just does it with a bit more off-road style.The increase in power isn't really the point, however. You'll be hard-pressed to really feel that 14-hp gain from the driver's seat. Subaru's focus here is on fuel efficiency, which increases up to 25% from the non-hybrid Wilderness. What exactly does that percentage translate to? Right now, Subaru doesn't have official numbers to share. But we can make some estimates based on 2026 figures for the standard Forester and Forester Wilderness models.In standard trim, the 2026 Forester gets an official rating of 29 mpg combined, achieving 26 in the city and 33 on the highway. Upgrading to the Wilderness drops those figures a bit, to 26 combined. The biggest hit comes on the highway, which falls to 28 mpg. Meanwhile in hybrid land, the Forester Hybrid manages 35 mpg combined with nearly identical figures for the city and highway.SubaruIf we apply the differences between the standard and hybrid Forester trims to the Wilderness Hybrid, we'd expect a combined rating of approximately 32 mpg. Of course, that's just an estimate, and the city/highway mileage can vary unexpectedly. More Info To Come Subaru promises to share more detail, including additional statistics and pricing, later this year. The 2027 Subaru Forester Wilderness should reach dealerships in late 2026.2027-subaru-forester-wilderness-live-image-2026-new-york-auto-show-5