Subaru has earned a strong reputation for building off-road capable SUVs, and that was before they created the Wilderness sub-brand. The new 2026 Outback Wilderness offers even more off-road capability and ruggedness over the base Outback. The Wilderness line now includes Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback. Subaru took the base model of each and gave them increased ground clearance, all-terrain tires, and exterior and interior design features, making them more capable in an off-road environment.
95 Octane was among the first automotive journalists to drive the 2026 Outback Wilderness at a media event in Healdsburg, California. A drive route of freeways, hills that wound through Sonoma Valley vineyards, and some challenging off-roading gave a taste of what the Outback Wilderness can handle.
So what did we learn? The appeal of the Outback will only grow with the Wilderness option that still delivers very composed and comfortable on-road driving, but also impressive off-roading for everything but serious rock crawling. This is a great combination to have in a single vehicle.
Turbo Power
Subaru’s Boxer 2.4-liter twin-scroll and intercooled turbocharged engine, running on 87 octane, puts out 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft. of torque. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) driving all four wheels has drive modes and an 8-speed manual shifting option that can be controlled with the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The EPA has rated this Outback’s fuel economy at 21 city/27 highway and 23 combined miles per gallon.
On-Road Driving
Our drive on smooth paved surfaces was a combination of in-town stop-and-go, mountain roads with sweeping turns, a few tight twisties, open highways, and driving rural vineyard roads. The CVT was smooth with the computer defaulting to favoring fuel economy, which is fine for city and highway everyday driving. Since there are no ‘gears’ in a CVT, using the paddles held the CVT in a rev ratio at about 4,000 rpms and approximately 45 mph when climbing a hill. It was very helpful and will prove to be even more when loaded with four adults and all their gear, headed out for a weekend adventure, or pulling a trailer up to 3,500 pounds.
Subaru says the suspension is “Off-Road Tuned,” but don’t think this means the on-road driving has been compromised. The 4-wheel independent suspension is nicely dialed in, handling cornering of all types under control, with body lean easily and quickly managed. We tested it in ways you never will by pushing it on corners. There was no intention to break the law, but to get a feel for how the Outback Wilderness would respond in an emergency situation with your family onboard.
The stable ride is the result of vehicle dynamics and electric traction control, active torque split, and electronically controlled dampers. The electric power-assisted steering was responsive and precise, delivering a good feel of the road. Combined, they accepted everything we threw at it.
The Outback Wilderness is well-suited for two or four people to hit the road for a weekend adventure, for commuting or in-town driving, for chauffeuring the kids, or bread and butter runs.
Off-Road – Time To Get Dirty
Subaru’s standard symmetrical all-wheel drive includes the latest generation of X-MODE, which increases grip and traction in icy, sloppy, and off-road conditions, and includes hill ascent and descent control. X-MODE has individual controls for Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud settings. Subaru’s off-road capable SUVs take advantage of the all-wheel drive system to transfer more torque to the rear wheels in response to wheel slip. This active torque split continuously varies front-to-rear based on inputs from acceleration, steering angle, and yaw rate sensors.
The Wilderness trim has additional off-road capability over the base Outback with a beefed-up suspension, tires, underbody protection, upgraded rear differential, and greater approach and departure angles. It’s shod with Bridgestone Dueler A/T 225/65 all-terrain tires, with raised white lettering, on matte black 17-inch rims. This tire performed well on the off-road course and provided sure on-road handling with a smooth ride. Subaru thankfully has included a full-size 17-inch matching spare tire.
The trails we drove provided the opportunity to test the readiness of being able to attack steep ascents and descents on varying surfaces. Activating X-MODE on the steering wheel, we traversed steep sections of hard and soft dirt and even a bit of mud when traversing a creek bed. The Hill Descent Control, where the computer keeps the downhill speed under 12 mph, confidently descended a steep, muddy section. The Outback Wilderness is up to the task, giving owners the option to find forest service roads or even traverse off-road park trails.
The SUV’s 9.5 inches of ground clearance came in handy several times. For comparison, the Outback Wilderness ground clearance bests its key competitors of the Toyota RAV4 Woodland at 8.1 inches, the Honda CR-V TrailSport at 8.2 inches, the Hyundai Tucson XRT at 8.3 inches, the Nissan Rogue Rock Creek at 8.2 inches, and the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands at 8.8 inches.
Easy To Understand Controls
The Outback Wilderness has fully animal-free interior surfaces and water-resistant StarTex (a synthetic upholstery material) in black with copper stitching and the Wilderness logo embroidered on the front seat headrests. The thick rubber all-weather mats and a rubber cargo tray were put to good use as driving off-road gets messy, and the mats and tray captured all of the gunk we left behind.
Slate Black Nappa leather, also with copper accent stitching, is an option. This package is more than just a seating upgrade as it includes the power moonroof, 360º surround view monitor, power folding exterior mirrors, and a 12-way power adjustable drive seat with memory and a leg extension. The base Outback gives the front passenger 4-way manual seat adjustments, but when upping to the Wilderness trim, they get 8-way power adjustments with heat and ventilation.
The high seating position and tall windows provide excellent forward and side visibility. The configurable 12.3-inch digital instrument gauge cluster works as an information display for vehicle functions. The horizontal 12.1-inch touchscreen houses navigation and controls the 12-speaker, 576-watt Harman Kardon sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. USB-A and USB-C ports and wireless phone charging are standard.
Rear seat head, shoulder, and leg room are ample for two adults, three in a pinch. Convenience features include a fold-down armrest with cup holders, heated outboard seats, and USB-C charge ports.
The Subaru Outback Wilderness will eat up your gear as the cargo area is eager to be packed for a weekend road trip. With the 60:40 split rear seat upright, storage space is 42.8 inches; when folded, it grows to 75.9 inches, the widest point between the wheels is 43.3 inches, and the height is 34.1 inches measured to the panoramic moonroof. There are multiple cup and bottle holders,s with the largest capable of holding a 32-ounce container.
Rugged Adventure Ready Exterior
The Outback’s exterior design is boxier overall than the outgoing model with a flatter roof, a steeper rake to the rear lift gate glass, and short front, side, de and rear overhangs. The new design includes Wilderness-only cues of anodized copper accents on the body and roof rail tie-down points, redesigned side rocker panel protection and cladding, a horizontal off-road truck-like front grille, vertical headlights, a black hood decal, fog lights, and completely redesigned front and rear bumpers and dual front and rear tow points. The exterior power mirrors are heated, as are the windshield wipers for de-icing.
The Outback Wilderness features enhanced fender brush guard cladding for protection when going off-road or encountering a wayward shopping cart. Cladding is also found across the front and rear fascias.
Get ready for some serious camping with ladder-style roof rails with load capacity ratings of 800 pounds static (maybe for two adults and large dogs in a tent), laterally (for an awning) of 220 pounds. The dynamic roof cargo rating is 220 pounds. To make loading roof cargo easier, new for 2026 are integrated rope tie-down hooks in the rack rails. The power hatch, with LED taillights, has a small lip spoiler and a wiper, with the roof having rack rails and a shark fin antenna. New also are lift gate gear rests to tie down skis and snowboards so as not scratch the paint.
Exterior colors available at no additional cost, on either the Outback or Outback Wilderness, are Crystal Black Silica, Crimson Red Pearl, Crystal White Pearl, Magnetite Gray Metallic, Ice Silver Metallic, and Sapphire Blue Pearl. Geyser Blue is exclusively available on the Wilderness. Deep Emerald Green Pearl and River Rock Pearl are $395 extra.
Safety and Convenience
The Outback Wilderness comes with active and passive advanced driver assist systems, or ADAS, which are all part of the EyeSight system. Safety technology includes multiple airbags, advanced adaptive cruise control, automatic pre-collision braking and throttle management, emergency stop assist, highway active lane change assist, and lane departure warning. In the case of an accident or other emergency, the Starlink Connected Services feature will place a call to emergency services.
Safety features also include blind spot monitoring with lane change assist, a 360-degree camera, and Safety Exit Alert that notifies occupants before exiting the vehicle, of obstacles and pedestrians with an audible and visual warning,g and a rear seat occupant reminder.
Additional convenience features include dual zone automatic climate control, rear vision camera, push button start/stop, remote keyless entry, steering wheel with audio and Bluetooth control switches, tire pressure monitoring system, em and 4-wheel disc anti-lock brakes.
Pricing and Availability
The 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness rolls into dealers beginning in early 2026. The base prices, including the $1,450 destination and delivery fee, range from $46,445 to $50,535. Go to Subaru.com to see full pricing and options.
Observations: 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness
The 2026 Outback Wilderness will fill the needs for those wanting a thoroughly capable weekend adventure SUV that can also handle a commute and family in-town errands.
It will be popular with loyal Subaru owners, plus anyone waiting to own an Outback for the first time. The Outback Wilderness owner is likely to participate in outdoor activities and hobbies such as camping, hiking, fishing, and backpacking. They are into kayaking, biking, cross-country and/or mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, and snowboarding. Subaru’s research shows 58% are dog owners and 3% own chickens. Does this sound like you?
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About the author
John Faulkner is the Road Test Editor and Senior writer at Clean Fleet Report, where they give readers the information needed to move to cars, SUVs, and trucks with the best fuel economy and efficiency. This includes those propelled by electricity, plug-in hybrids, hybrids, hydrogen-electric fuel cells, and advanced diesel and gasoline engines.
John has more than 30 years of experience in branding, launching, and marketing automobiles. He has worked with General Motors (all Divisions), Chrysler (Dodge, Jeep, Eagle), Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota on consumer events and sales training programs. He is a journalist member of the Motor Press Guild and Western Automotive Journalists.