Cruise in Comfort, Be It Highway or Muddy 2-Track: 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Review

As I carefully descend down a slick, slurpy, muddy path, a giant brown puddle of unknown depth awaits at the bottom. Undeterred, I add throttle. The Wilderness sinks in and scrapes the front bumper. Yet the Bridgestone Dueler tires claw at the sloppy terrain with plenty of force, and I march through the puddle, showering the sides of the Outback with mud along the way.

All in a day’s work for a Wilderness-branded Outback, given its 9.5 inches of ground clearance, 17-inch wheels, all-terrain tires, and easy-to-clean surfaces — both inside and out. But with the more refined, seventh-generation platform underpinning the aforementioned kit, its on-road behavior became the real question.

Ever curious, I eagerly made my way to Sonoma County, Calif., to roll past vineyards, traverse over rivers on one-lane wooden bridges, and wind through a variety of paved and decidedly unpaved routes. Is the Outback Wilderness one-stop shopping for all the above transportation needs? Time to find out.

In short: The 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness retains its off-roading chops, capable of trudging through nature’s uneven splendor. It also adds to the Outback’s bevy of useful details, like a plastic outpost to lean skis, snowboards, hiking poles, or similar against the tailgate without scratching the paint or making a mess. Moreover, courtesy of adaptive shocks and new steering, the Wilderness handles on-road activities better than ever. If you can afford the price premium, the Wilderness version of the 2026 Subaru Outback makes for an immensely versatile machine.

2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Review

Chockablock With Handy Details

Starting with the seventh-generation Outback platform, the Wilderness retains all the useful bits and clever details that all six trims (Premium, Limited, Touring, Limited XT, Touring XT, and Wilderness) receive. Chief among them, the machine-washable, multipurpose tonneau cover adorning the cargo area.

That area grew by 2 cubic feet, to 34.6 cubic feet behind the second row, by the way, courtesy of a taller, more upright rear end. The Wilderness takes it a step further with things like the gear stand integrated into the tailgate.

Replacing the near full-width taillights, two pieces of black plastic jut out from the back with two bookend-like pieces on either side. It allows you to lean things like skis, hiking poles, or even tall sticks against the back of the Outback without worry of scratching the paint. Great detail!

Just like all Outback models, the Wilderness gets the sturdy roof rack. The one capable of holding up 800 pounds of static load, 220 pounds while driving, as well as 220 pounds of lateral load. That last one means it will handle a load from the side. For example, make the Wilderness one of two attachments for a hammock.

The roof rack also comes with built-in measurements to more easily align side rails. It even includes integrated tie-down loops at the four corners to help secure heavier stuff. 

Of course, that’s in addition to easy-to-clean StarTex upholstery and all-weather floor and cargo mats, replete with the Wilderness logo. Not to mention a full-size spare tire underneath the cargo floor.

Purposeful Presence

While the seventh-generation Outback proves an acquired taste in the styling department, the Wilderness takes a step in the right direction and for the right reasons. Up front, the grille loses the logo, replaced with big, black SUBARU block lettering. That pairs with smaller hexagonal patterns instead of a big, chunky layered weave.

Two thick vertical hunks of plastic mount on either side, giving a touch more integration to the three levels of light. The fog lights down low also take hexagonal patterns and get wrapped in anodized copper color finishes. Finally, look up at the hood, and you see a matte-black, antiglare decal stuck on in the center. It’s functional and adds to the rugged theme.

The rear looks largely the same, aside from the aforementioned gear stand replacing the fancy long taillights. For fun, Subaru tucked in a couple more anodized copper-wrapped lights.

In profile, you see more of that anodized copper on the roof rack and the Wilderness logo on the C-pillar. The additional 0.8 inch of height — 68.3 inches for the Wilderness — also improves the stance.

Not to mention a black 17-inch wheel holding up Bridgestone Dueler all-terrain tires. Oh, and the big hunks of plastic making up the side skirts say “Outback” on the Wilderness.

You still see a lot of black plastic, but less than the last-generation Outback Wilderness. And with the copper accents breaking up the monotony, not to mention the generally more rugged nature, it looks less awkward. But, frankly, still not great. 

Proven Powertrain

Just as before, Subaru offers only one engine in the Outback Wilderness, the turbocharged 2.4L flat-four, or boxer engine. It delivers 260 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 277 pound-feet of torque between 2,000 and 4,800 rpm. No difference to the outgoing model.

The same holds true for the continuously variable transmission (CVT). It still uses eight preset ratios to simulate an automatic and offers paddle shifters to switch between them. The Wilderness benefits from a shorter final-drive ratio (4.44:1 instead of 4.11:1) to deliver a bit more punch off the line and more torque to climb steep slopes or power through muddy terrain.

The Wilderness stands alone as the only Outback with a dual-mode X-mode, giving you both snow/dirt and deep snow/mud settings. The latter keeps the engine revs high and allows a fair amount more slip before any stability control intervention.

But the Wilderness’s fuel economy suffers from these same attributes. The shorter final-drive ratio and all-terrain tires certainly contribute to managing just 21 mpg in the city, 27 on the highway, 23 combined. That’s worse than the standard Outback XT trims and well behind the hybrid powertrains of the Toyota RAV4 Woodland and the Honda CR-V TrailSport.

On the plus side, you can tow up to 3,500 pounds. Moreover, Subaru built a detachable piece into the rear bumper for the hitch. You no longer have to cut a piece out. Convenient!

Poke Around Inside

Inside, the Wilderness falls in the middle of the lineup. Just like the rest of the Outbacks, you get a 12.1-inch center display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Traditional gauges get shucked, replaced with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

All Outback trims include heated front seats and dual-zone climate control with honest-to-goodness buttons to use for adjusting it. Thank goodness!

Not to mention a power tailgate lift, tonneau cover, and roof rack. The Wilderness adds heated rear seats as standard, a wireless smartphone charger, and rain-sensing wipers. Oh, and a front-view camera too.

If you want Navigation built into the center display, a moonroof, and the 360-degree surround view monitor, however, you need to pony up an additional $2,045 for the first option package. Fair enough, aside from the surround-view system, a vehicle with such an outdoor focus should include that, no?

And, for the first time, Subaru will sell top-of-the-line Touring trim levels of comfort in the Wilderness, if you purchase the second option package. It includes everything in the first package plus Nappa leather seats that are heated and ventilated, additional seat adjustment for both the driver and front passenger, and two-position driver seat memory for good measure. For that pleasure, plan to spend an additional $4,090. 

Hit the Trails

The Wilderness includes one more exclusive item among the Outback lineup: electronically adaptive shock absorbers. Using inputs like steering, speed, longitudinal and lateral forces, and more, the shocks adjust firmness to deliver the ride the vehicle dynamics engineers intend.

The driver has no say — directly at least — to the firmness of the shock’s settings. Other than putting the Wilderness in X-mode, which allows the shocks to help it jostle over big ruts and rocks with ease.

And that’s exactly what I did as I entered Cooley Ranch in Sonoma, Calif. Nestled in a massive property of rolling hills, rivers, and fertile wine country, Cooley Ranch proved a perfect venue to stretch the limits of the Wilderness’s 20 degrees of approach, 21.2 degrees of breakover, and 23.6 degrees of departure angle clearances.

Courtesy of recent massive rainstorms, the property became a perfect place to try out the Deep Snow/Mud setting of X-mode. That allowed me to keep my foot on the throttle and slip and slide through a slurry of soaking-wet ground.

Oftentimes, using the surround view camera system to see where to go, I smacked the front fascia into the muddy ground at several sharp peaks and troughs along the two-track path arranged for me to follow. Throughout, the all-wheel-drive system found the tire with the most traction and the chassis kept a level head.

As a result, the at-times-hairy trail remained remarkably low-stress. The Outback Wilderness did all the work with aplomb, leaving me mental space to enjoy the mountain scape vistas and winding river views. Glorious!

But also expected, Subaru earned off-road credibility with its products decades ago. And the Wilderness reigns supreme for the brand, be it a Crosstrek, Forester, or this Outback. 

A Comfortable Trip Home

However, my unexpected delight arrived when pulling out of Cooley Ranch and onto the road. Snaking down what seemed like a 1,000-foot vertical drop, I decided to get a bit spirited around several switchbacks and sweeping bends.

As I chucked the Wilderness into a tight right, the front-end responded quickly and precisely, making it easy to guide around the curve. Then, the now-firm shocks kept the body level as the all-terrain tires strained to hold the road.

It’s here that I remembered the Outback’s new dual-pinion steering rack that Subaru installed. It takes advantage of the much stiffer global platform and responds faster than the outgoing model. Much faster.

As bend number two arrived, I found myself barreling into it even faster than before, with a grin on my face. Am I having driving fun in a Wilderness Subaru … on a road?!? It felt like a taller, more relaxed WRX. In other words, the Wilderness felt great.

It didn’t hurt to have turbo power and a shorter final-drive ratio on the straights. The turbo 2.4L delivered plenty of punch to motivate this nearly 2-ton crossover. Even from a stop, if you bury the throttle, you get pressed into the seatback and up to speed in a hurry.

In short, the Outback Wilderness wildly surpassed my expectations while driving it on the road. It’s quiet, behaved, and even a bit of fun. Don’t mistake that for quick, mind you; all-terrain tires can only do so much.

2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Review: Summary

To leave the dealer lot in the 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness, plan to part ways with at least $46,445, or exactly $10K over the price of the base Outback Premium. My test car included the first option package and a coat of Deep Emerald Green Pearl paint, a $395 optional color, and cost $48,885. Yeah, nearly $50K.

If the Wilderness remains in your budget, however, it seems a bargain. Consider the added ground clearance, all-terrain tire, as well as superior shocks, the added useful features, and the additional power — it offers quite a lot. As long as fuel economy isn’t a high priority, anyway.

Subaru always delivered a capable and competent off-roader in the Outback Wilderness. But, for the first time, it also delivers a calm, confident, and enjoyable driver while still on the road.