New Getaway Means Subaru Has an Electric SUV in Every Size

Subaru announced the 2027 Getaway SUV on Wednesday at the New York Auto Show. It’s a continuation of the smallish company’s existing plan: offer EVs that are very similar to what part-owner Toyota offers, but with some styling, equipment, and driving experience modifications. With its fourth EV in four years, Subaru now offers a corresponding electric model to its four gas-powered SUVs.

The Getaway’s dimensions and appearance inside and out line up with the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV, the three-row SUV announced in February. However, the Subaru diverges from the Toyota by being offered only as a dual-motor, all-wheel drive version with 420 horsepower. That’s more powerful than the dual-motor Highlander, at 338 horsepower, even though they share the same 95.8-kWh battery capacity. Subaru also skips Toyota’s 221-horsepower single-motor version altogether. 

Subaru says a 77-kWh version will be offered in 2027, presumably on models with less equipment for a lower starting price, which has not yet been announced by the automaker. A NACS port is included on all models. It estimates a 10% to 80% charge time of about 30 minutes on Tesla’s Supercharger network or another DC fast charger.

Besides the styling and powertrain, the other notable Subaru modification is the inclusion of its X-Mode drive mode system. That system includes settings for different levels of snow, dirt or mud, with 8.3 inches of ground clearance and the promise of respectable off-road performance. Subaru expects its owners to spend more time off the pavement than the equivalent Toyota owner.

As mentioned, the Getaway’s interior is mostly the same as the Highlander’s. Both offer either six or seven seats, depending on the version, and include the same 14-inch touchscreen infotainment system and 12.3-inch driver information display. Subaru’s EyeSight grouping of driver assist features comes standard, too, with adaptive cruise control, lane-changing assistance and blind-spot monitoring, but it lacks something more advanced like General Motors’ SuperCruise.

Subaru quickly points out that the Getaway will have more cargo space behind the second-row seats than the Kia EV9, probably its chief rival. Others include the Highlander and the Hyundai Ioniq 9. The only other three-row EVs are luxury models such as those from Cadillac, Lucid and Rivian, and the “on-hiatus” Volkswagen ID Buzz van. Expect the Getaway to follow the Hyundai and Kia with prices in the $60,000 to $70,000 range.

When it goes on sale towards the end of this year, the Getaway will join the existing Uncharted, Solterra and Trailseeker EVs that already align with the Crosstrek, Forester and Outback gas and hybrids, with the Getaway being the analog to the aging Ascent three-row gasoline SUV. That makes up most of Subaru’s U.S. lineup and sales. There aren’t electric WRX or BRZ sports cars imminent, but never say never.