Subaru's New 2027 Forester Wilderness Hybrid Has a Missing Safety Feature Most Buyers Won't Discover Until It's Too Late

If you have had a sneaking suspicion that the Subaru Wilderness series was slowly being diluted, you’re not paranoid. First, the Crosstrek Wilderness was offered with a compact spare instead of a full-sized one. Next, the Forester Wilderness got a temporary use spare tire. Then the 2026 Wilderness version of the Outback got a new tire, exclusive to Subaru, that does not have a severe snow duty rating (unlike all prior Wilderness models). Now the 2027 new Forester Wilderness Hybrid has landed, and it has NO SPARE TIRE.

We understand that sports cars don't have spares. Every ounce of weight and every inch of space counts. However, every top-selling vehicle model in America has a trim with a spare tire or is standard on all trims except the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, both of which never had one because Teslas never get flats. Right?

We can even understand how some ultra-high-mileage models may drop the spare tire. When you are trying to set records for low energy use, removing anything to save weight can help, but hey, let’s be sure we keep the 24-speaker audio with a subwoofer and a 2-kilowatt amp, right?

The Wilderness Series from Subaru was supposed to be different. Its role is to match or exceed the abilities of other very off-pavement vehicles. Vehicles like the Bronco Sports Badlands (Full-sized spare). The Mazda CX-5 Meridian (Spare) and RAV4 Hybrid Woodland (Spare). The reason the spare is there is that being off-pavement increases the risk of tire damage. Not just simple punctures. Sidewall cuts and holes in the contact patch from stones too large to plug or fill with magic puncture sealant.

We know, you personally have not had a flat since the Johnson Administration, but AAA reports that on average, there is one flat tire per year per driven vehicle in America. Many of those flat tires require a spare tire or a tow. A tow is not exactly easy when you are exploring the nether regions in your trusty Forester Wilderness Hybrid. Halfway to Upper Scubobbia in the rain, at night, with no cell coverage, what are your options if you can’t seal that tire damage? Walk?

This rant is not only theoretical. I’ve tested the (fantastic, amazing, best-in-class) 2026 Outback Wilderness. And when I looked under the cargo floor to get a photo of its full-size matching spare tire, I noticed it had been used by a prior tester. Off pavement, no less. So, let’s not pretend Wilderness vehicles like the 2027 Forester Wilderness Hybrid don't need spares.

“Oh, but it’s a hybrid.” Yes, and so are the RAV4 and the CX-50, and they both have spares.

I’m a six-time Subaru owner who presently owns a Crosstrek Wilderness and a Ford BadSport, and both of them have been deep into the trails of Central New Hampshire, where there is no cell coverage, and a flat tire due to a sidewall tear means either using the spare to hobble back to the tire store or walking out.

What’s your take? Should the new 2027 Subaru Forester Wilderness Hybrid have a spare tire? For the Record, it has 30 cubic feet of cargo volume, and a spare tire needs roughly three cubic feet. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Our thanks to Ryan, from Driving Sports TV, who was the first to report that the Outback Wilderness Hybrid has NO SPARE TIRE. Click here to see the proof. Timestamp 2:48.
 

John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.