I Tested the 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness and Owners Disagree With Me on One Big Thing

The 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness doesn’t worry much about labels. SUV, wagon, crossover, whatever, it shrugs and just gets on with the job, and it does it very well. After my own time behind the wheel, I came away impressed. But mine is just one perspective. So I went straight to the source and asked current owners and die-hard Subaru fans in one of the best online Outback Clubs what they thought of the vehicle. I wanted to see how their real-world experiences stack up against my notes. Where we agree is telling. Where we don’t is even more interesting.

2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness - Price and Overview
I’ll keep this quick. The 2026 Outback is a five-passenger SUV/wagon with a strong turbocharged engine, a fair sprinkling of off-road bits, and a legacy as the default choice for many New Englanders. I’ve owned two in prior generations, and they both were outstanding family cars with the ability to tackle dirt roads and long road trips with ease. The as-tested price of my media loaner was $48,885.

2026 - Subaru Outback Wilderness: What I Liked Best About It
For me, as the owner of a Crosstrek Wilderness, I liked the 2.4-liter, turbocharged engine best overall. I’d have paid any reasonable price to get that engine in my Crosstrek instead of the base 2.5-liter non-turbo one. The turbo makes the Outback feel great in all situations. It has the torque the base engine sorely lacks. Of 92 responses I got to my question asking what owners liked, not one mentioned the engine as a plus. Weird.

One owner actually said, “The only major thing it has that my 2025 Outback Wilderness doesn’t is the turbo, and that really doesn’t make a huge difference in daily driving.” I beg to differ.

I also loved the new infotainment setup. It’s dramatically faster to respond than the infotainment system in the Crosstrek and Forester. It’s larger, and the HVAC controls are still very usable. Many owners agreed with me on this. They have suffered through the always-lagging-behind prior Subaru infotainment setups, and they did seem to appreciate how good this new one is. Owner Scott S. said, “The infotainment is much better.”

The size is great, but Subaru will make you a crossover SUV in four sizes, so it’s not so much a plus, and as an acknowledgement that it’s meaningfully larger than the Forester in ways many owners will appreciate.

Finally, I liked the full-size matching spare - that a prior tester apparently needed and needed in muddy circumstances. I love spare tires, and I will never own a vehicle without one. If it’s full-size, all the better.

2026 - Subaru Outback Wilderness: What I Didn’t Like
Before I begin, let me say that I’m a decades-long Subaru owner, and my criticism are i the spirit of wanting this Outback to be better for my Subaru lifestyle. I love the car, and my input here is more along the lines of “Areas for improvement.”

First, the looks turn me away. This is odd for me, because I’m not really a “Looks are important” guy when it comes to daily drivers. I find the look too blocky, too contrived, and the plastic looks cheap. Here, many owners agreed with me. Rodd D. said, “Hideous design.” Another owner, CC, said, “I prefer my 2025 XT to this box.” Sue P said, “Talk about cheap looking.” David Y. said, “Worst redo since New Coke.” Matt V. said, “Sure is ugly.” Tania said, “I could never see myself driving one.” That last comment really hit hard, given that this is a Subaru Outback Wilderness group. Nobody in the 92 comments said they were happy with the new look.

I also found the suspension to be too stiff for a vehicle with its mission. Even minor road imperfections are felt. Here, the fans are against me. Troy said, “How good the electronic dampers make this car.”

The tires were a topic of a lot of comments. All of them were along the lines of owner Shawn S, who said he thought the tires should be more aggressive. I’m neutral here. More aggressive means more noise and shorter tread life. I will say that the Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires don't seem to be “A/T” in my view, as a longtime tire tester. They look more like all-season tires, and white lettering makes me cringe. Luckily, that can be resolved by remounting them. They are black on the other side.

My last negative for the Outback Wilderness is the price. At $49K, I’d be seriously shopping the $50K Honda Passport TrailSport against this Outback, and the comparison is not kind. Many owners said the price was too high.

In conclusion, 92 comments in one day is a very active discussion on this social media platform. People are passionate about the Outback Wilderness, and that’s all good. Like me, many of the owners and fans offered up their wish list of changes in the spirit of “It’s great, but I’d prefer…”

What say you? Offer your observations, criticisms, compliments, and critiques in the comments below. 

John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.