2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Review: 6 Thoughts
My week in the 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness provided my first taste of the latest generation of Subaru’s long-running crossover, which is moving ever farther away from being a wagon. In fact, Subaru now calls the Outback a midsize SUV. Chew on that.
The boxy 2026 Outback is the model’s most polarizing design in years, and I tested the most attention-getting model, the Wilderness. Once you recalibrate your brain that the Outback is now an SUV (it hasn’t really been a wagon for quite a while), you can absorb that it’s a solid product for families, regardless of shape or style.
The Wilderness is a hoot, though aesthetically it's a bit much. You’ll find better value with other Outback trims. But generally, I liked it.
With that, here are six thoughts on the newest and wildest Outback.
1) The Wilderness is positioned toward the top end of the Outback lineup. The entry-level Premium trim has a starting MSRP around $35K, while the top trim Touring XT starts at $48K. As tested, my Wilderness came in at $50,535, including destination charges and the $4,090-option back that adds a power moon roof, 12.1-inch infotainment with navigation, and black Nappa leather with copper stitching. It’s a fair price, right in line with the average price of a new vehicle today.
2) The Outback Wilderness is a looker. My tester was done up in Geyser Blue paint and rolled on 17-inch matte black alloy wheels. The body was cluttered with gobs of black off-road cladding and copper accents, which I liked but also were a bit tacky. You do notice the Wilderness’s 9.5 inches of ground clearance, especially when you get in and out.
3) The dark, understated interior highlights Subaru’s growing strength – interiors – which the company has honed over the last decade. The driver display is right in front of you: it's colorful and easy to read. Subaru's infotainment system is fine, though I found it's a little challenging to do some basic things, like toggle through the audio settings and adjust the radio.
4) This time last year, I drove the outgoing Outback, which still had more of a car-like vibe to it. The 2026 model is boxy and squared-off — Subaru is making a statement. It doesn't really feel like a car in any sense anymore. It reminds me of a stretched Forester from a shape perspective. Still, underneath the sheetmetal, the 2025 and 2026 models do share similar underpinnings.
5) I think time will prove Subaru right. Look at the Hyundai Santa Fe. Hyundai took a solid-selling, fairly bland curvy crossover and risked everything to refashion it as a box-type thing. And people seem to really like it. It's more polarizing, but I think net-net they have a win. It’s what people want right now. I don't think there's too many people looking for some wagon thing that as automotive journalists we think it should be. Change is inevitable. It’s often good.
6) The turbo boxer four-cylinder is spunky and has plenty of power for a vehicle that comes in under 4,000 pounds. With the same platform as the old model, the 2026 edition does retain some semblance of car-like handling, though the ride height in turn reinforces the SUV feel. Teamed with a CVT and Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive, the dynamics will be familiar to Subaru loyalists.
I think I still like the Honda Passport TrailSport if I'm looking for a daily driving SUV with off-road vibes, or perhaps a lower-trim Toyota 4Runner, or maybe I’d even look at a used Land Rover Defender. That’s a bit subjective, but it’s how I would spend my money.
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Greg Migliore has covered the auto industry for two decades, most recently as editor-in-chief of Autoblog. He's also been an editor at Automobile and Autoweek. He's a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and the Yale Publishing course. Greg is a member of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards jury.
More by Greg Migliore
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I think you did a very good job with this article, Greg. We've owned three Outbacks in the past 10 years. We still have a 2022 Onyx with the turbo (which I think it desperately needs since they discontinued the V6 in 2020.) Last year, a deer took out my beloved 2019 V6 Outback and I opted to replace it with a 2026 Passport TSE, just like you might have. No regrets at all. Of course, this new Outback came out right after that so I second guessed myself for minute. Here's what I think: If Subaru wants to offer an SUV, they should stop trying to beef an Outback up into one and just do it from the ground up. They make a terrific product with great engineering but I don't think an Outback is ever going to be what they are trying to market it as. It is, however, an excellent "wagon" if that's what you want. -- Steve
It's still a Wagon!!!!