First Drive: 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness

Healdsburg, California — It seems like only a few weeks ago that we tested the all-new 2026 Subaru Outback – actually, not “seems”, but “was” – but that didn’t stop Subaru from tossing us the keys to the more hardcore Wilderness off-road version. More hardcore perhaps, but this may be the best Wilderness model Subaru has released since the model debuted on the ’22 Outback.

It starts with the looks. Now, as it stands, the latest Outback is larger and looks more truck-like than ever before. In all fairness, the styling has been a little divisive so far but in a somewhat ironic twist, that actually suits this particular model better. It also shows the Outback in its purest form, no longer restricted buy its marriage to the more pedestrian Subaru Legacy. The Outback is its own car now, through and through.

They’ve leaned into that blockiness even more for this one; the grille is larger, the Subaru emblem replaced by massive “Subaru” lettering and the front uprights have grown to near police-cruiser pushbar levels. The plastic cladding ‘round the wheels and on the rocker panels now covers more real estate, while the wheels themselves have shrunk to 17-inches and come wrapped in more robust Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires. The tire choice is self-explanatory for a vehicle like this, the smaller wheels less so; they combine with the tires to provide more grip when off-roading, while the larger tire sidewalls add durability. It looks a little – well, old school – but Wilderness people will love it.

Who are these “Wilderness” people we speak of? These customers? According to Subaru, they tend to be outdoorsy types that haul a lot of gear. So, the Wilderness gets beefier roof rails that can support up to 700 pounds (that’s 100 lb. more than the standard car) as well as matte black “pads” with small ridges on their outer edges on which you can balance skis, fishing poles and the like. Open the hatch, and we find a waterproof bedliner with Wilderness badging set against a topographic map as well as more durable rear seatback surfaces. It’s a style echoed on the floormats as well.

Other stylistic adds include the splashes of copper we’ve become familiar with; you’ll find it on the foglight and backup light surrounds as well as the latch points for the roof rails. Inside, it’s on the bottom steering wheel spoke and atop the gear knob. There isn’t much of it, but it’s just enough to draw the eye without being overpowering or distracting.

Otherwise, the inside of the Wilderness is the same as the standard car. That means a new 12.3” digital gauge cluster and 12.1” central display that now uses a faster processor than previous. The graphics have also been updated (and the Wilderness gets slightly different background colours on its displays) and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, along with wireless charging and two USB-A and two USB-C ports.

Like the standard Outback there’s a bit of a “bigger is better” theme going on; the car is bigger overall (manifesting in more cargo space and front seat room), the cupholders are now big enough to accommodate 32-ounce water bottles with handles and the heated seat surfaces have grown as well. The Wilderness gets standard synthetic leather seating, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, 13-speaker Harmon Kardon audio and a huge array of Subaru EyeSight safety aids, including pre-collision braking that’s able to see around corners and stop you from even entering an intersection if it’s unsafe to do so.

I fully believe them, by the way, when they say that there’s more interior space. Up front, I had no problem with headroom even with the standard sunroof and the footwell is wide enough even for the longest-legged among us. It feels massive inside and with the larger, boxier shape, that comes as little surprise.

Power comes courtesy of a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder good for 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. Subaru was one of the first manufacturers on the CVT train and so it goes that’s what we’ve got here. They’ve done the more enthusiastic drivers among us a favour by programming in eight “virtual” gears, so that we can either shuffle between them ourselves with wheel-mounted paddles, or let the car do it by itself. Even then the shifts can still be felt, providing some added involvement.

The bottom line here is that the Wilderness is faster than it looks or how much it weighs — that’s in and around 4,000 lbs., if you’re asking – and it goes about its business rather smoothly. Plenty of acceleration for freeway passes, and in turn, plenty of torque to get you up that hill on the trail to the backcountry campsite.

While the Wilderness gets the same power as a standard turbocharged Outback, it is the only model in the line-up that gets adaptive dampers. These are regulated by sensors and their computers and can’t be adjusted independently by the driver but they do serve the dual purpose of smoothing out the ride on paved roads, and metering out the bumps as the goings get rougher. They also do their part to reduce dive under braking, which is nice to have when slowly descending sleep hills.

That’s a task made easier by the Wilderness’ dual-mode X-Mode AWD system. That adds two switchable modes – snow/dirt and deep snow/mud – and automatically activates hill descent control so long as you keep speeds at 40 km/h or less. It also allows for the new-for-’26 360-degree camera with forward-and-down angle to be used while driving, which is a boon for driver visibility. If you venture past 40 km/h it will deactivate, but will automatically reactivate as soon as you return to the allowed speed. It’s a great system that makes off-roading that much more palatable. A shorter front overhang means smaller turning radius and better approach angles so there’s just a little more off-road capability for you.

It’s all gravy, but we haven’t yet come to my favourite bit: the price. The Wilderness starts at $49,195 in Canada, putting it smack dab in the middle of the 2026 Outback line-up. It’s less expensive here than it is in the US; now that the production of all Outbacks has been moved out of the US and into Japan, the tariffs don’t sting so badly. It really is a fantastic package for the price; tons of features, tons of capability and with Outback styling turned to the nth degree.

It really begs the question: why would you not by the Wilderness?

Quick Specs — 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness (Canada)
Starting Price (CAD): $49,195
Engine: 2.4-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder
Power: 260 horsepower
Torque: 277 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: CVT with 8 “virtual” gears (paddle shifters)
Drivetrain: AWD with dual-mode X-Mode
Wheels/Tires: 17-inch wheels, Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires
Key Hardware: Adaptive dampers (unique in Outback line-up)
Website: Subaru Canada

Key Rivals To Watch
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport
2026 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
2026 Toyota RAV4 Trail / TRD Off Road
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

Fun Fact: The 2026 Outback Wilderness is the only model in the Outback line-up to get adaptive dampers, balancing smoother pavement comfort with better control when the trail gets rough.