2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Is A Wagon Fit For Bigfoot

Subaru just unveiled the 2026 Outback at the New York International Auto Show, giving its lifted wagon a boxier, uglier and even more SUV-like redesign that still retains the overall size and proportions that wagon people love. Instead of making us wait to see the more extreme Wilderness version of the new Outback, Subaru has shown it alongside the standard model in New York, and it looks freakin’ ridiculous. In a good way, I think. This is a wagon that Bigfoot would drive, especially because the new Outback’s growth would make him fit a lot more comfortably. It fits his vibe.

The seventh-generation Outback rides on the same platform as every other current Subaru save for the Solterra (which just got a nice redesign) and the BRZ. Powering the Wilderness is the same turbocharged 2.4-liter boxer four-cylinder engine as the XT versions of the normal Outback, sending the same 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque through a continuously variable automatic transmission to all four wheels. There’s additional sound deadening aerodynamic tweaks have reduced interior noise, but Subaru hasn’t said much about any other chassis changes. And while the new Outback might look way bigger than the old one, it’s basically the same in terms of length and width, but it’s grown about two inches in height and has a much more upright greenhouse and proportions.

Alright, let’s talk about those looks. Isn’t this thing wild? When Subaru presented it to a group of us journalists in Malibu a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but laugh when it drove up the hill and I got a glimpse of that front end. I was laughing at it, because wow what a funny, ugly face, but I was also laughing with it. I mean, the longer I walked around the Outback Wilderness on that mountaintop, the more I really started to like how it looks. It’s completely ridiculous, obviously, but I love how much Subaru is really leaning into it, and how different the Wilderness is from the standard Outback. 

Subaru says the grille, which has the brand name written out in huge letters, “visually communicates the durability and toughness” of the Wilderness. Large vertical bumper elements look like super thick mascara running down the car’s face from its split headlights, and there are sick round fog lights placed in the chunkier bumper. You gotta love the anodized copper accents all over the exterior, like the surrounds for those foglights. The new Outback’s wheel arch cladding is already pretty substantial so that remains the same, but the Wilderness has different side skirts. Similarly, the Outback’s rear bumper is also quite intense, but the Wilderness gets rid of the taillight bar in favor of a clever blackout panel.

One great recent example of function over form is on the Honda Passport, where the designers created rear pillar trim that’s meant for you to lean gear against without damaging the bodywork, and the Outback Wilderness does something similar with that black bar across the tailgate. In addition to have cool copper-rimmed reverse lights, that bar features a raised plastic section on either side of the Subaru badge to lean things against.

Ladder-style roof rails with 800-pound static and 220-pound dynamic load ratings and improved rope hooks are standard. In the cargo area, the Wilderness has eight different anchor points built into the frame for which you can attach utility hooks that can hold 6 pounds each. There’s also a soft cargo cover that’s configurable into things like a gear storage hammock, and the new Outback’s boxier profile and taller roof has given it two more cubic feet of cargo space than the old Outback.

The Wilderness’ new design gives it better approach (20 degrees versus 18), breakover (21.2 degrees versus 19.4) and departure (22.5 inches versus 21.4) angles than the standard car. Like the outgoing generation the new Outback Wilderness has 9.5 inches of ground clearance, up from 8.7 inches on the normal Outback, and it has 17-inch wheels with Bridgestone Dueler all-terrain tires. It can tow up to 3,500 pounds, and Subaru says the accessory trailer hitch is now easier to install. You do get paddle shifters and eight simulated gears for the CVT, which can be useful when off-roading, and the X-Mode system offers Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud drive modes.

Subaru says the updated all-wheel-drive system has faster center differential lockup and less wheelspin than before, and it uses steering angle and other performance data to increase stability and improve turn-in when off-roading. A new suspension system with electronically controlled dampers acts like a skyhook, smoothing out rough terrain and greatly reducing pitch, roll, and back-and-forth movements. It’s said to be a benefit both on roads and off of them, and in a video that Subaru’s PR department showed us comparing this new generation and the old one on a trail, it seemed like a much better experience inside the new model. 

Where the exterior of the 2026 Outback Wilderness is totally in-your-face, the redesigned interior is clean and calm, a huge upgrade over the last generation. It’s got a nice horizontal design theme with improved materials, comfier seats and more passenger space, especially headroom. Standard is a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.1-inch touchscreen with an updated infotainment system and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s an actual volume knob, and two knobs and a host of physical climate control buttons. And, of course, you still get a bunch of copper interior trim and Wilderness logos.

The Wilderness comes with StarTex upholstery that is “animal-free, water-resistant and easily cleanable,” but for the first time in a Wilderness the new model is available with Nappa leather and ventilated front seats. Also newly available for the first time are a sunroof and a 360-degree camera, and every 2026 Outback comes with Subaru’s suite of driver-assist systems that will include Level 2 hands-free driving. The cupholders are a lot bigger, too, which the engineers genuinely spent a lot of time on.

Subaru says the 2026 Outback Wilderness will reach dealers in early 2026, and thanks to the Outback being produced in Indiana, hopefully it won’t be too affected by tariffs. (Who knows, though.) Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but it’ll probably be a bit more expensive than the 2025 model’s $41,380 ask. The new Outback Wilderness seems like a big improvement in nearly every aspect, and its wacky styling will make it stand out even more — which is what Subaru people want. Expect to see Outback Wildernesses at every trailhead, campsite, REI and gastropub near you this time next year.

The Outback isn’t the only new wagon that Subaru revealed in New York, though. It also showed the electric Trailseeker, which is described as an SUV but is obviously a wagon version of the Solterra EV. While there’s no Wilderness version yet, the Trailseeker is the closest thing that has come to being an Outback competitor in a long time.