In the last few years, we’ve seen the rise of the "soft-roader." These are, to put it simply, a bunch of normal crossovers given plastic cladding and chunky tires so that they can cosplay as off-roaders. Sure, some of these offerings, like the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands, have actual trail cred. But the majority are all show and no go.
Enter the Subaru Outback Wilderness. Like a lot of soft-roaders, it has special bodywork, knobby tires, and extra ground clearance. But the one crucial difference between the Outback Wilderness and, say, a Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek is that this is an actual off-roader, which is strange, because the regular Outback does the job well enough. That begs the question: Is the Outback Wilderness even worth buying?
| Quick Specs | 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness |
| Engine | Turbocharged 2.4-Liter Four-Cylinder |
| Output | 260 Horsepower / 277 Pound-Feet |
| Efficiency | 21 City / 27 Highway / 23 Combined |
| Base Price / As Tested | $46,445 / $50,930 |
Not only are there a ton of Wilderness badges scattered around the car, but there are some genuine design differences between this model and the base trim. For starters, the front bumper of the Outback Wilderness is completely different. Gone is the star cluster, and in its place is a HUMMER-esque "SUBARU" script that spans the front grille.
Special bronze-surrounded fog lights pop against the black plastic that has virtually taken over the front of the car. This theme of black plastic continues around the sides of the car with Outback-branded side rocker panels that let you know the Wilderness is ready for Wilderness-related things.
The rear of the Outback Wilderness features the same bronze-surrounded lights seen at the front, this time placed on the trunk lid. Arguably, the coolest feature on the exterior—or at least the most Subaru-like—is the black strip of plastic that surrounds the logo. It’s designed so that skiers and snowboarders can lean their gear against without scratching the paint. That’s brilliant, and we have no notes.
Pro: Rides Nicer Than Regular Outback, Sweet Bronze Accents, Plenty Of Dog-Related Easter Eggs
Speaking of paint, Deep Emerald Metallic is a $395 option and available for the first time on the Wilderness. It's probably our favorite color available. It pairs well with the Wilderness's special 17-inch, blacked-out rims and 225-mm all-season tires.
Inside the Outback Wilderness, the cabin is a much nicer place to be than before. Starting with Wilderness exclusive equipment, the Outback finally receives a full-leather interior with heated and ventilated front seats. There are also a host of Wilderness logos around the interior—the headrests, the seat tags, the floor mats, etc. This also feels as good a time as any to mention that, if you pop the trunk, you'll see that Subaru measures things in, wait for it: dogs. Que apropos.
Subaru measures things in dogs because of course they do https://t.co/kYjJEyYVA8 pic.twitter.com/QVJ6SJE48E
— Motor1 (@Motor1com) January 13, 2026
USB-C ports, wireless charging, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all standard with the Outback Wilderness and pair nicely with that aforementioned 12.1-inch touchscreen. This screen is, while exclusive to the Wilderness, generally new for the whole Outback lineup. It replaces the tablet we all grew to dislike. This new system, while a bit basic, is very easy to use and navigate both in park and on the move.
Speaking of problems with the old Outback, as we covered in our regular review, buttons are back in this new version—Wilderness included. Everything from HVAC to camera uses classic buttons, and we can’t express how much we missed them. There are also buttons on the steering wheel, which sit in front of a 12.3-inch digital cluster that offers plenty of customizability. The Wilderness model also gets a nifty custom background.
Cons: Still Kind Of Ugly, X-Mode Fights You On Power, Very Pricey
In general, the inside of the Outback Wilderness is much nicer than before. Subaru has tried hard, to some effect, to make the Wilderness function not only as the bona fide off-roader of the lineup, but as the premium off-road option. Despite this, some interior plastics and textures do feel a bit cheap for an SUV that edges close to $52,000, with all options packages added.
Rear legroom is great, and if you get the expensive $4,090 option package, rear passengers are treated to heated seats and USB-C ports. The fact that the Outback Wilderness is an extra inch taller in the roofline also helps; even with the seats up high, you don’t come close to hitting the roof.
Power for the Outback Wilderness comes from a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four boxer engine, which is the correct powertrain for this car. One of our biggest complaints about the regular Outback is the lethargic 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated engine, which, even for a pedestrian offering, is woefully slow. The 2.4-liter, 260-horsepower unit in the Wilderness is much more responsive and feels genuinely torquey, despite a modest 277 pound-feet rating.
The other surprise is that, despite having almost an extra inch of ground clearance (9.5 inches compared to the standard 8.7), the Wilderness doesn’t feel top-heavy. It sticks to the road quite well if you drive it like you stole it. And if you don’t, you’ll average 23 miles per gallon.
We’ve talked about some of our biggest complaints so far, but this is our biggest for the standard Outback: despite how capable it is, the off-road ride is very harsh. Thankfully, with the Wilderness's electronic dampers and chunkier tires, rally-adjacent driving feels much, much smoother than in a Touring or XT trim. Now, the Outback feels like a proper Subaru you can throw around off-road.
Now, X-Mode. X-Mode is Subaru’s off-road management system, which makes it very easy to take the Wilderness on some pretty foreboding terrain. It’s mostly idiot proof and cuts power when you’re traversing less-than-ideal terrain to ensure the car has enough grip, managing torque so you can go through the various sand, mud, and dirt modes. But X-Mode isn’t perfect.
One of X-Mode’s signature moves is taking power away from you. Now, this is fine in an extreme off-road scenario, but when you finally reach the top of that hill or the bottom of that ravine and want to power out quickly, you’re going to have to fight the resistance, as the system only works up to 15 mph. Despite this, X-Mode works well when it’s applied correctly.
The 2026 Outback Wilderness starts at $46,445, which is already a high price, and as we said earlier, the one we drove was $50,930. That is a lot of money for an Outback, especially when all of this equipment can be had on a Limited XT for a few hundred dollars cheaper and with slightly better fuel economy.
Truthfully, the new Outback Wilderness isn’t a bad car; it does everything it sets out to do, but unless you’re off-roading it as hard as we did (which we doubt), there's little benefit to buying an Outback Wilderness over the standard model. Besides, if you’re really looking for a dedicated five-seat off-roader, you’re better off with a Toyota 4Runner.
But, we’ll end on a fun note: According to Subaru, 3.0 percent of Outback owners use their cars to transport chickens. And we think that's just neat.
Subaru Outback Wilderness Competitors
- Honda CR-V Trailsport
- Mazda CX-50 Meridian
- Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness
