It’s been half a decade since the chip shortage, and we’re still living in an era of trimflation. From discontinued base models to escalating price hikes, there’s still a long way to go before vehicle affordability comes back down to anything resembling normal. However, within the doom and gloom sits the odd glimmer of hope. Despite seemingly everything getting more expensive, the Subaru Forester is bucking the trend, pulling a Walmart, and rolling back its prices.
To understand why Subaru is cutting prices when just about everyone else still seems to be raising theirs, you just have to look at the manufacturer’s position. It hopped on the Japanese cars-made-in-America wave in 1989 by forming a joint venture with Isuzu and then taking it over completely in 2003. Today, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. builds Crosstreks, Ascents, and Foresters for America, and a big new variant just came online.
While early Forester Hybrid examples were made in Japan, the latest 2026 models sold in America feature vehicle identification numbers beginning with “4”, one of America’s designated country signifiers. As such, it stands to reason that tariff exposure might be a little bit different than it was last year, and with Subaru pushing volume of U.S.-built models to ensure profitability, now’s the right time to start chopping prices where appropriate.
Let’s start with the most affordable electrified trim, the Forester Premium Hybrid. It’s now $36,180, including freight, down $1,865 from last year. Crucially, that now gives it a slight pricing edge over the comparably equipped $37,550 Toyota RAV4 SE AWD, not to mention the Honda CR-V Sport Hybrid AWD. It is worth noting that the $35,500 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid SEL and the $34,285 Kia Sportage Hybrid S are cheaper still, but neither of those Korean platform mates comes with a sunroof in those trims, if that’s a dealbreaker for you.
Moving up the electrified Forester range, the $39,380 Sport Hybrid trim is now $1,665 cheaper than it was last year, the $40,445 Limited Hybrid trim is a significant $2,015 cheaper than it was last year, and the range-topping $42,995 Touring Hybrid is $1,750 cheaper than last year. On the top end, that’s $905 more than you’d pay for a loaded Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige, but $680 less than a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited, $1,005 less than a Honda CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid, and $1,755 less than a Toyota RAV4 Limited Hybrid.
It’s also worth noting that the hybrids aren’t the only Forester models getting a touch cheaper for 2026. While pricing for the base model is unchanged and the Premium Onyx trim is new for 2026, there’s good news everywhere else. The $33,445 Premium trim and $38,445 Wilderness trim are both $1,390 cheaper than last year, the $36,245 Sport trim is $1,310 cheaper than last year, the $37,445 Limited trim is $1,700 cheaper than last year, and the $41,445 Touring trim is $1,600 cheaper than last year. Oh, and of course, all those prices include freight fees.
It seems that Subaru is positioning itself quite well with these Forester discounts, and it’s great hearing that the hybrid models get the largest discounts because they really are the best of the Forester breed. Sure, there are more refined compact crossovers out there, but if you live in an area where potholes exist on a simply biblical scale, you’d be hard-pressed to find a compact crossover that rides better than the Forester.
Top graphic image: Subaru
My friend’s wife just got one of these. It’s fine. Foresters seem so much bigger than they used to be. Still love those early ones with the blistered fenders, even if they were slow and rattly.
The sunroof’s EXISTENCE tends to be a deal breaker for me. Though Subarus are ok for tall people, so not as essential. But I would not have my current car, if there’s wasn’t just one single year, and a single trim, which came sunroof-free.
I predicted Subaru would be in a good position after they announced the Forester was moving production to the US in place of the Legacy. Their top sellers are all built stateside now so they’re less impacted by trade.
I know this isn’t news, but holy hell have car prices gotten insane. The cheapest trim over $35k? That’s laughable – for a frickin’ Subaru Forester. Good lord.
I’ve been looking recently and will probably buy used for the first time in over 20 years.They are way too expensive and there really isn’t a 4 door sedan that I want anyway.
The crazy part is it’s actually CHEAPER than the original with inflation. MSRP for a base model 1999 Forester was $19,190. Put that in an inflation calculator and you get $37,989.
I hate to admit it, but that does put things in perspective. Perhaps I should aim my anger more at the inflation than the price of the vehicle
Cars remain remarkably cheap for what they are, especially on the lower end. It’s a bummer wages haven’t kept up because in all honesty the ways the industry has streamlined costs are seriously impressive, even if occasionally detrimental.
It’s funny they’re bothering to discount the hybrid, as my local dealer can’t keep them around.
The standard Forester however, they clearly are having a lot of trouble moving. They have a TON of them.
The Highest scoring vehicle in Consumer Reports for 5 years plus.
I forgive a lot of shortcoming with the huge windows and thin pillars
Super high . Safety. Quality. resale.
CR says it s on of the softest riding cars made.
So……. dump on it all you want but facts are facts.
The huge windows are a big positive to me. Visibility is amazing. I test drove an older one and I liked it a lot. The visibility made it feel like a much bigger vehicle.
National average price of gas is less than $3/gallon.
Your hybrid (regardless of brand) better be getting you some darn good fuel economy improvements to make it worth it.
That won’t last forever, there will be some new crisis in the middle east or refinery, transport, or pipeline issues.
Yes but no. I agree that some new crisis is always around the corner, but at the same time I also feel that gas prices are being artificially deflated because these oil companies are actually feeling pressure from EVs.
They want to keep us hooked on that sweet, sweet crude, rather than have the industry shift over to electric. Literally trillions of dollars at stake. They’ll sacrifice years worth of low gas prices to really put the kibosh on EV sales.
Oil companies worldwide have stopped investing into oil infrastructure long term, so whenever they stop depressing oil prices artificially, their game plan will probably be to jack up profits and prices
Oh course! That’s the drug-dealer business model, after all, right?
I bought a Civic Hybrid and would have anyway. The extra power, low-down torque, easy-going quiet driveability around town is all worth it. 50 mpg is a nice bonus. It’s faster than a Si. Nobody every asks people who upgrade to bigger and more powerful engines whether their purchase was “worth” it. Hybrids have been a thing for 25 years now and they have merits that stand on their own.
Most hybrids have not been tuned for performance or even for better driveability. Not historically. I do think that will change.
This is a good example. These days the hybrid is now often the better powertrain option, for economy, for performance, and for reliability. There’s a lot of wins to be had there.
Honestly, there’s a number of great reasons to go with a hybrid version, even if the Forester isn’t maybe the best example.
Keep in mind, my ’14 Camry hybrid (now with 261k) that I bought USED in ’18 still gets better overall fuel economy than my partner’s ’07 Corolla (with 167k) bought in ’09. Maintenance costs have been comparable and the Camry racks up far more miles anually. The Camry still averages over 35.
But are you even living if you put in 1/4 million miles in a Camry?
I put 240,000 miles on my first WRX, but that was an awesome car. Every one of those miles was a hoot.
I like driving and I appreciate cars with some character in their execution or purpose, but look–if your car is determining whether you are “living” or not, it’s time to straighten out the rest of your life and figure out what’s going wrong there.
The most interesting people I’ve know didn’t give two sh*ts about what kind of car they drove because better, more interesting things occupied their time and attention. If you went on and on to them about how awesome your WRX is and how you were really living during those 240,000 miles, they’d consider you both a bore and a loser.
If I were to guess that you have a susceptibility to road rage, would I be anywhere near the truth?
Almost every hybrid vehicle test I’ve read praises those improvements, including better acceleration and smoother city driving than the non-hybrid version.
This was much needed as it was previously a couple grand overpriced compared to the generally nicer competition. It’s still a little expensive if you don’t care about AWD, considering the much worse fuel economy and cheaper feeling interior.
They don’t appear to be selling all that well. The last gen could be had for under $25k sticker at one point. Now they want $32k and are trying to sell them for about just $30k. The hybrid just under $35k. The dealer where I took my daughters to get warranty work called me to ask if I wanted a 2026 the other day. So they are scraping the bottom of the barrel of leads looking at who had cars in.
I’m not a fan of the outgoing forester but it looks a lot better then the baby explorer situation they have going on with this gen. Though hybrid is probably what it really needs. But a corrolla cross AWD hybrid can be had for around $30k. That seems like a way better deal. I suspect bigger discounts incoming.
The Forester’s value proposition was historically “bigger than other crossovers at it’s price point, but with a cheaper interior”. Once everything started getting offered with AWD, it was really just size for the money. It’s still a little bigger than a Rav (but I think it’s closer than it used to be), but once you get up to the hybrid price point it starts to make less sense.
A Corolla Cross is going to be quite a bit smaller with regards to interior volume, but gets close on fuel economy without even ticking the box for the hybrid.
Cargo Volume with seats folded down is where it wins because it’s so boxy. 75 cu ft vs 50 cu ft. I once had an old lady come to pick an old table showed up with her Forester and proclaimed it was her “hauling rig” so I guess they are safe in that demo but still $5k.
It’s even worse if you include ford escape or a Sportage / Tuscan. Sportage / Tuscan is about the same volume at about 75 cu ft with hybrid awd under $29k. The escape is 65 cu ft with folded down seats. And those are currently heavily discounted to around $25k
Subaru has fucked themselves over with these ever-rising prices. And the styling ain’t helping either. They deserve to eat some humble pie by having their sales tank. If it doesn’t happen, they’ll continue to think they can do this to consumers.
Even with the outgoing gen I still don’t understand who the car for. It used to make sense it was a value. It drove like you expected. Not great but ok. The outgoing drives very strange. I do think a hybrid would fix a lot of that that but there is no value there. Some of the driving dynamics and their demo make no sense. I can’t imagine many if any of the old ladies gasing it around a corner but that’s what it wants. I put my 80 year old mom in it just to see and she said “no no I don’t like this at all”. I talked to some old ladies I know that buy Subarus constantly and they said they wish they didn’t trade in their old ones.
I get they need the boy racer car but it’s mainly bought new by middle age engineers. That probably want less of the boy racer stuff. The Forester is the old lady car or maybe a mom car but they make it drive like some kind of strange rally car with no power. I just don’t think they have any idea of their demos that are actually buying their cars from them. Almost like they are designing cars for the 2nd or 3rd owners.
I wonder if you hear this from those old ladies that these vehicles are getting too goddamn big? I am hearing that from relatives looking to get a new car and while every automotive reviewer seems to want everything to get bigger, bigger and bigger, I know for a fact that not all consumers do. Subaru always made the more sedan-like crossovers (mostly because they were based on actual cars originally). They’ve been moving away from that which means the folks I know are keeping theirs longer in the hopes that the next Forester and Outback will come down in size.
Yeah, for sure. Some of them have said they too big others say hard to drive and park. Though some have moved up to the accent because they felt it was a little more well rounded. One said “too much puffary” for the outgoing forester, lots of weird angles I suppose. It’s easier to park my full size truck then my daughters Forester. I’ve had multiple people park both and everyone agreed. I’ve gotten used to it but still why are you making something like that so hard to park. I’ve driven drump trucks thst ride and drive better and are easier to park. That’s without the sketchy throttle and trans mapping issues that are sending them though garage doors or making them otherwise unpredictable at low speeds.
You can go to many parking lots and see Subarus all parked near each other I’m convinced it’s because they see one and go on must be easy to park there.
The Forester really needs a rav4 moment when it shrinks back down again and becomes what it needs to be a cheap boxy safe thing that hauls a few people or junk around without the strange driving dynamics.
I feel Subaru is too arrogant to right this ship. At least not until they get hurt financially. They’ve had unfathomable growth over the last 20 years – even when the rest of the industry was tanking – and they now think they can do no wrong.
I think you are right. They really didn’t get hurt too bad in 08 because a lot of their demo didn’t get hurt too bad. Their dealerships keep getting bigger and nicer. I suppose they have attracted some younger of basically the same demos but they could easily loose them as they came from elsewhere. They seem scared of Rivian I think rightly so. Once they are close to price parity there is a good chance Rivian will make Subaru look pretty low quality. Some of theie key demos are very interested in bev they have already lost some to better bev offerings. They do sort of have that Toyota thing where people of all incomes drive them but I feel that is coming to an end. At least they are finally getting back to hybrids but it’s really hard to get back to where they need to be.
You could have put any badge on the front of that thing and I would believe it.
what a generic looking vehicle.
I haven’t really followed the Forester much, but the top shot alone made me think “is this for people upset that Ford doesn’t offer a hybrid Explorer?!” I kinda liked it better as a funky-tall Outback.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I thought you were going to say that they added a base model hybrid to lower the base price. Of course, the base Forester doesn’t have that awesome sunroof.
Oh yeah, the Forester’s sunroof is fucking huge and fucking awesome! And yes, the whole thing opens all the way 😀
Most other big sunroofs are 2-panel things where only the front opens.
Interesting to see the Forester finally being made in the US. They had all been made in Japan until now.
Really difficult to get excited or interested in this vehicle, even when viewed simply as a transport tool. It’s slow for the class but the fuel economy is mediocre. Overstyled inside and out. Huge front overhang limits off road ability. It’s…fine, but thirty six grand is still a chunk of change so I’d better genuinely like the vehicle.
I think the only good Forester is the cheapest Forester. It’s been a little bigger than the competition in it’s price point for a few generations (though those vehicles are getting bigger) and if basic but spacious is what you’re after it’s a good buy. Yes it falls short on fuel economy, but you get real AWD. Once you start checking boxes for options you’re paying the same as the nicer competition – in my opinion the Forester interior has been getting better the last couple updates but is still what I’d call “cheap and cheerful”.
The one Forester I’ve always found appealing as a utilitarian daily is the ~2015ish generation with the stick shift. Clean styling inside and out, same horsepower as present, has all the simple advantages you speak of with none of this generation’s burdensome useless eccentricities.
My buddy had a 4th gen, a 2012 or 2013. These were the ones that were designed during the recession and coming out of the Japan tsunami (and poor exchange rates around that time) and people complained that they were a step down in finishes and material quality compared to the prior generation. Definately built “cheaper”, but pretty good value for the money. His newer one (2018, maybe?) is a little nicer, but still obviously a cheap car. But that’s fine, because it was a cheap car. Stepping up to the higher trim levels added features and some nicer seats but still felt too cheap to be worth spending close to $30k at the time.
The old Forester 2.5 XT was practically exciting.
Yes. Shame an 8.5-second hybrid is now the “performance” variant in the lineup.
Given that Subaru just decreased prices on the WRX line, it seemed more like something of a correction in pricing although IMO the Forester hybrid didn’t really seem overpriced relative to the segment.
The Forester hybrid is now even closer to the Crosstrek hybrid though, so have to wonder if that will get a drop to suit too.
Subaru is one of the very few automakers where adding a sunroof doesn’t seem to impinge on the interor space in most models – mostly because the roofline is so tall already on the inside with large greenhouse.
On any other brand, a sunroof is a detractor to me.
I have to blow out the sunroof drains during every oil change on the wife’s Outback or they backup and flood the interior. We also never use it.
Reminds me of the old dealer-installed sunroofs.
the best part is that the Forester’s sunroof is huge 😀
Not what I was expecting when I clicked on the headline, I thought they’d added a base hybrid.