2026 Subaru Outback

The Outback name remains synonymous with the Subaru brand as the versatile vehicle celebrates 30 years of service in 2026. During its three decades of success, the mid-sized, two-row flagship crossover evolved its current go-anywhere attitude based upon a uni-body (car-type) structure with the mind-set of a larger, pricier and heavier off-road intended body-on-frame structure. 

No large, body-on-frame crossovers or pickup trucks dot Subaru's dealer network, instead, the niche automaker built a solid reputation delivering advanced unibody four-wheel drive platforms as comfortable on-road as well as in deep-snow situations or traversing central Wisconsin off-road trails many tamer crossovers dare not trend.  

This review tackles a newly updated trim level introduced in the 2026 model year, the Wilderness, Subaru's designate for the most off-road ready trim featuring such advances as standard electronically controlled suspension in both front and back. Outback Wilderness also sports the highest ground clearance, raised to 9.5 inches (other trims opt for 8.7 inches), more than what some larger, full-size Sport Utility Vehicles offer. Besides Outback, the rugged Wilderness trim graces the compact Forester and Crosstrek crossovers within the Subaru lineup. Subaru welcomed the Wilderness trim into the Outback lineup in 2022. 

The 2026 model year welcomes the seventh-generation, all-wheel-drive Outback to the fore based upon Subaru's global unibody platform with a fresh rugged exterior presence and updated trim level lineup. Gone is the 'Base' entry trim, replaced with the Outback Premium now the welcoming choice with a starting price of $34,995. Joining Premium; Limited, Touring, Limited XT, Touring XT and our tester this week, the Outback Wilderness. 

Six Outback trim levels stands as a lot compared with close rivals. Keep in mind few options or option packages are offered, and the higher one travels up the trim ladder, the greater the standard content. The only trim to veer slightly from this trend is our Wilderness tester, offering a pair of packages.  

Customers get to choose from two four-cylinder engines, which change very little from the previous generation, specific to trim levels. A 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated version cranks out 180 horsepower and arrives standard in Premium, Limited and Touring. An up-powered, turbocharged, 2.4-liter variant generating 260 horses available in both XTs and standard in Wilderness capable of towing 3,500 pounds. 

Both mate to smooth operating, high-torque Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) promoting active torque split all-wheel drive. Drivers may engage up to eight forward speed controls (similar to points found in a traditional automatic transmission) through available ratios utilizing steering wheel paddle shifters to manually cycle up and down through the eight controls or via the easy-grab man-u-matic transmission shifter between front buckets. A pair of inline beverage holders reside right of the shifter.  

Engines include start/stop technology, temporarily deactivating the engine during prolonged stops to conserve fuel. When the right foot lifts from the brake pedal, the system snaps back to life. For those wishing to manually override this feature, a quad of push buttons between front bucket allows for this request.  

Subaru's all-wheel drive bases upon a horizontally opposed, longitudinal-mounted engine with pistons lying flat at 180 degrees positioned low in the underbelly (a 'Boxer' design, also known as a 'Flat 4') providing superior weight balance and low center of gravity. The straight line, or symmetrical format continues rearward towards the rear differential and tweaks slightly depending upon the transmission utilized (i.e. manual, conventional automatic or CVT type) which sits behind the front axle.  

Think of Outback's symmetrical all-wheel drive as a 'proactive' or permanent design, meaning it's engaged all the time (which Subaru markets as Active Torque Split). Many other rival designs choose a 'reactive' or part-time set up, where the vehicle travels primarily in front-wheel drive until detecting slippage, then shifts into an all-wheel drive format. During normal driving conditions, the 60/40 front/rear torque split promotes enhanced performance until wheel slippage detects through steering angle and yaw rate sensors.  

Included with symmetrical AWD, Subaru's well-regarded Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC). When sensers detect a loss of traction in a particular wheel, engine output gets distributed to the wheel's maintaining the most traction keeping all Outback trims from losing control. Few mainstream rivals include this nuance as standard fare within midsize or smaller crossovers.  

While most Outback trims include the multi-terrain single-mode X-mode drive mode standard, the upmarket Wilderness trim goes one step further with exclusive dual-function X-mode delivering a greater depth of low-speed enrichment through optimized engine output and the transmission's infinite ratios.  

Activating dual function X-mode involves simply pushing an iconed button located at the 3 o'clock wing of the steering wheel located among many of the radar-enhanced cruise control buttons. This new placement relocates from the touch screen in the previous generation. Pushing this button when stopped throws up a temporary left-corner visual tutorial within the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that allows a toggle through 'snow and dirt,' and 'deep snow/mud' selections which maximizes torque from the engine and optimal amount of slip from tires (while turning off traction control). Conventional X-mode works at speeds below 25 miles per hour while Wildernesses dual-function X-mode delivers at speeds above 25 mph.  

All these off-road nuances got put to the test in May of 2026 at the Midwest Automotive Media Association's (MAMA) Spring Road Rally at historic Road America raceway in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. While a majority of vehicles tackling the on-site, muddied, off-road woodsy trail consisted of large pickup trucks and body-on-frame sport utilities, Outback Wilderness was one of a handful of uni-body framed vehicles allowed access to the 20-minute loop of rocks, streams and tight turning opportunities. Outback performed admirably and we got the chance to test the dual-function X-mode which traversed the deep, wet mud with ease.  

Other safety nuances include a wide array of 'bags' including driver's side knee air bags along with front seat side impact air bags. Above, side curtain air bags activate in the unlikely event of a roll over.  

Starting price for the 2026 Wilderness trim checks in at $44,995. The factory option list included premium exterior Deep Emeral Greem Pearl paint ($395) and Option Package 23 ($4,090) specific to Wilderness consisting of an in-dash navigation system, power moon roof, copper stitched black Nappa leather trimmed upholstery, ventilated front seats, 12-way power driver seat with leg extensions (up from the standard 10-way) and black power folding side mirrors with turn signal indicator. The bottom line after adding the $1,450 destination charged reached $50,930. The Deep Emeral Green Pearl paint represents one of two premium paint options; the other, a River Rock Pearl hue.  

While all trims include roof rails, Wilderness boasts an exclusive ladder-style design with a 220-pound load capacity while driving. Included are integrated tie-down rope hooks and measurement markers.  

Also unique to Wilderness, golden (AKA anodized copper) highlights surrounding LED fog lights lower down on the edges of the front grille and accenting roof rails atop and enforced underbody protection below. The golden glow also adorns interior seat stitching, black steering wheel, door panels and CVT transmission shifter.  

When opened, the hatch (with single wiper swiping up from the bottom) provides 31.5 inches of lift height, more than enough for those under six-foot-six inches to operate comfortably. The dashboard tab opening the gate locates on the far-left lower dashboard. Exterior door openers include a body-color strap-like design. Thick black, protective cladding surrounds the squared wheel wells and lower doors and shows up on the liftback as decorative black highlights.  

The newly enhanced, sizeable, 12.1-inch flat multimedia screen (standard in all trims) includes a higher resolution, quicker response time and anti-glare coating for clear visibility within multiple lighting situations. The system's memory doubles from four to eight gigabytes while storage expands from 64 to 128 gigabytes. The previous generation screen measured 11.6 inches. Physical buttons return in greater abondance in 2026 making tuning volume easier and quicker. Apple Car Play and Android Auto wireless connectivity continues in this new generation as well with supportive access to Google Services including Google Assistant for voice control, entertainment and App functionality. Both USB-C and USB-A plug ports arrive standard, a nice perk since most new redesigns retire the older USB-A selection. 

The screen includes a left-hand column/menu with six icons representing subcategories. Press the circular 'settings' icon to dive into the Eyesight driver assist technology functions along with conventional drive mode selections: Eco, Standard, Comfort and Dynamic (separate from X-mode). Eyesight tracks traffic movement, optimizes cruise control and warns if Outback sways inadvertently into an adjacent lane. Tiny cameras mounted near the rearview mirror aide the process. Eyesight teams with onboard active safety systems including rear cross-traffic alerts, blind-spot detection and reverse automatic braking.  

A separate HVAC area, not built into the touch screen and found lower down the central dash below a pair of side-by-side air vents help drivers make quick temperature updates without taking eyes off the wheel. It's a welcome update more manufacturers need to incorporate. A pair of physical dials flank each end adjusting dual front zone temperatures while a two rows of push buttons in between monitor fan direction, fan speed, A/C, defoggers and heated/ventilated seat controls. Below resides the flat, horizontal pad home to wireless charging for participating Smartphones. The multi-level dashboard includes two additional rectangular air vents framing each end.  

The fuel tank handles a sizeable 18 gallons of regular, 87 octane fuel. Expect average fuel economy with standard all-wheel drive with Wilderness generating 21 miles per gallon city and 27 mpg highway. The naturally-aspirated engine improves those numbers to 25/31 respectively.  

The upright stance of the Boxier 2026 Outback (compared with the previous generation) lends itself to an additional two cubic feet of cargo space behind row two (now 34.6 cubic feet). A removable waterproof mat hoses down easily discarding any mud build up. Both rows offer huge head clearance while row two handles two adults in optimal comfort, three in a pinch. Seatbacks manually fold with a 60/40 split. Although Wilderness includes elevated ground clearance (9.5 inches), my shotgun rider with pestering mobility issues encountered no issues entering and exiting.  

During the 2025 calendar year, Subaru sold 157,716 Outback units in America, a 6.6 percent decrease from the previous 12-month cycle due in part to the generational model turnover/update.  

Outback and especially the Wilderness trim make ideal choices for those seeking light, trail ready performance in the Midwest and beyond without investing in heavier, costlier, larger opportunities with pricing far less than body-on-frame counterparts. Its on-road handling performs admirably too and the redesigned center screen within the seventh-generation redo creates an easier, user-friendly experience. It's also easily garage-able for those with limited, smaller spaces.  

At a Glance: 2026 Outback Wilderness 
Price as Tested: $50,930 
Engine: 2.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder 
Horsepower: 260 
Wheelbase: 108.1 inches 
Overall Length: 191.7 inches 
Overall Height: 68.3 inches  
Overall Width: 74.0 inches 
Fuel Economy: 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway 
Curb Weight: 3,973 pounds 
Powertrain Warranty: Five years/60,000 miles 
Assembly: Ota, Gunma, Japan