2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Review: Built for Dirt
The 2026 Outback Wilderness is probably the best argument yet for what Subaru has been trying to do with the Wilderness badge. It still isn’t a hardcore off-roader, and I don’t think it needs to pretend to be one. However, I’ve taken this car off the beaten path, down two-tracks and minor off-road trails, and noticed 2 things immediately. 1. It drives comfortably, has plenty of suspension travel, and ample ground clearance to tackle most of what anyone who buys this Outback variant will encounter. 2. Because of the AT tires and Subaru’s legendary AWD system, you’re not going to get stuck, and in fact, you’ll probably help rescue someone, as I did, who wasn’t prepared for the rutted-out and muddy section of dirt road they encountered. So make sure you bring your tow straps along just in case you need to pull someone out who got stuck on the trail.
What it does exceptionally well is give you legitimate bad road and trail capability without making you pay for it every time you’re on the pavement. The 260-horsepower turbocharged boxer four has plenty of grunt under the hood, and there’s 9.5 inches of ground clearance to go along with it. Subaru has added electronically controlled dampers that make a noticeable difference in keeping the body under control on any surface. The previous Wilderness always felt a little tall and loose when you started pushing it. This one feels much more tied down and planted.
The engine is a good match for the car, but the CVT remains the weak point. There’s strong torque when it gets into the meat of the powerband, but ask for a lot of acceleration and you still get some of that familiar CVT rubber-band sensation. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but it keeps the Outback from feeling as polished as the best conventional automatics. The payoff comes when the pavement ends. Between the revised X-Mode programming, all-terrain tires, ground clearance and better-controlled suspension, this thing can cover genuinely rough terrain with a surprising lack of drama.
What I like about the Wilderness is that Subaru seems to understand its customer. This isn’t trying to be a Wrangler or Bronco. It’s for someone who drives it to work all week, throws skis, bikes, boards or camping gear into it on Friday and then heads down a road that gets progressively worse. In that role, it might be the sweet spot of the Outback lineup. It’s comfortable enough to live with every day, substantially more capable than most crossovers, and for 2026 it finally drives with the composure its capability deserves.
