2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Review: The Turbo Is a Must, the Wilderness Is a Maybe

The Subaru Outback Wilderness runs a 260 hp turbo boxer, 9.5 inches of ground clearance, electronically controlled dampers for the first time on an Outback, and a window sticker of $49,480 as tested in Deep Emerald Green Pearl. I came into this one loving the Subaru Outback, but unsure of this new generation’s design. I left with a two-part verdict that the title already spoiled: the turbo is a must, and the Wilderness is a maybe.

Outback Wilderness Spec Strip

Spec	Figure
As-tested price	$49,480 after shipping (Wilderness from about $46,445)
Powertrain	2.4L turbocharged boxer four, AWD
Output	260 hp / 277 lb-ft
Transmission	CVT with 8-speed manual mode
EPA	21 city / 27 highway / 23 combined (23 observed)
Ground clearance	9.5 inches
Suspension	Electronically controlled dampers, first on an Outback
Seating	5

Why did Subaru gamble on this design?

Understand the stakes first. The Outback moves roughly 150,000 units a year in the United States, so every new generation presents a risk to something that drives a lot of sales. It is why when trucks like the Ford F-150 make a big change, it is a MASSIVE risk because of how much sales those drive. This June alone though, Subaru posted around 14,000 of them, a pace closer to 170,000. When a nameplate prints money like that, you do not redesign it into a boxy, cladded, upright thing unless you believe hard in where the market is going. That is exactly what Subaru did, and the internet howled.

It took me three or four days to convert to liking this new look. The proportions that look wrong in photos start making sense in person, and by the end of the week I was mentally speccing bronze TE37s on it and genuinely deciding if I needed one in my life. I am not saying it is beautiful. I am saying it is the kind of design that recruits you slowly, and the sales chart suggests that.

How much space does the new Outback have?

The Outback was always an SUV replacement, but now it is better than most SUVs and a legitimate two-kid car. The trunk swallowed a full UPPAbaby Cruz (or the Bugaboo Buterfly as pictured) and a beach day’s worth of gear without negotiation, and in daily use it felt more usable than the RAV4 Woodland’s, the squared-off shape means the volume is where you actually load things.

Is the new Outback infotainment finally good?

When Subaru first made the last generation infotainment shift, it felt wrong. Wrong not because of intent, but because it was something that seemingly was built just for that year and not for the decade. After a few short years it was already outdated/slow/laggy, and as reliance on screens increased the problem Subaru had got bigger and bigger every year. Now that is a problem no longer. This unit feels like it was ripped from Toyota, and thank goodness. It is snappy, the layout makes sense, and the wireless CarPlay behaved perfectly all week. While this took far to long to get to this point, I am glad we are here, because now the chief reason folks that I know decided against Subaru is no longer a factor.

EyeSight remains the intrusive nanny it has always been, it once shouted at me over reaching for a water bottle, though in fairness it is doing its job, just loudly.

How does the Outback Wilderness drive?

The turbo 2.4L is everything. The THRUST is real, and because the CVT holds the engine right in the powerband, you are at speed before the constant RPM ever registers as drone. The simulated 8-speed shifts genuinely work, the steering has an honest feel to it, and the brakes stay confident even on all-terrain rubber.

The e-dampers plus those meaty tires make this a road trip monster. It eats miles the way it eats bumps, and there is none of the roly-poly body motion that the 4Runner Trailhunter serves up. Driving the Subaru you feel like a monster. The feeling is not too dissimilar to driving a Bronco, your urge to just drive over things increases dramatically. Starbucks run? Ship it over that curb, this is your drive-through now. The roundabout? Take it straight through the median, showing that E 450 All-Terrain you mean business. You feel ready for anything, and I loved that.

Efficiency: I saw 23 mpg, exactly the EPA combined number, against anothing similar non-hybrid competitor in the Pilot I saw 21 with that V6. No hybrid exists in this lineup, which surprised me, it is the 2.5 NA or this 2.4T, and the turbo is the pick every time.

The take: get the turbo

My son loved “the green car”. Loading him was easy, the whole thing has a little Bronco energy, and the week converted me from skeptic to advocate. It is not perfect: the looks took days to land, and $49,480 is real money even if it now sits near the average new car transaction price. And you do not NEED the Wilderness doo-dads, the cladding, the copper accents, the tow hooks, to get the good parts.

So the verdict is actually quite clean. The Wilderness is a maybe, buy it if the look and the clearance speak to you. The turbo is a must. Get the turbo.

Verdict Scorecard

FAQ

Is the Outback turbo worth it?
Yes, unequivocally. The 2.4T’s 260 hp and 277 lb-ft transform the car, and the CVT keeps it in the powerband so well the drone never registers. It is the single must-have option in the lineup.

Outback Wilderness vs RAV4 Woodland: which has more space?
The Outback. Its squared cargo area proved more usable in daily loading than the RAV4 Woodland’s, and it takes a full-size stroller plus gear without a fight.

What MPG does the Outback Wilderness get?
The EPA says 21 city, 27 highway, 23 combined. I observed exactly 23 over a week of mixed driving on all-terrain tires.

Is there a hybrid Subaru Outback?
No. The lineup is the naturally aspirated 2.5 or the 2.4 turbo only, and the turbo is the one to buy.

Is the new Outback a wagon or an SUV?
Subaru finally stopped pretending: the new upright body makes it a true SUV replacement, with 9.5 inches of clearance on the Wilderness.

How much does the 2026 Outback Wilderness cost?
It starts around $46,445, with my Deep Emerald Green Pearl tester at $49,480 after shipping.

I’m MoneyShift. If it has wheels and a story, it ends up here. Follow along for all things car news.