The new 2025 Forester brought about a quieter interior, more aggressive exterior looks, and upgraded EyeSight and other safety features, plus a bit more interior space. And it kept the respectable ground clearance (8.7″) that made it a popular family adventure wagon.
Now, for 2026, it’ll get a Wilderness trim level, boosting ground clearance to 9.3″ and off-road suspension with larger tires and upgraded transmission cooler. Here’s what you need to know…
2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness off-road upgrades
New, longer coil springs and shocks bump ground clearance to 9.3″. That’s half an inch more than the standard 6th-gen Foresters (and more than the Ford Bronco Sport, BTW), and 0.1″ taller than prior Wilderness models. That gives it better angles:
- Approach angle: 23.5º Wilderness (19º standard)
- Breakover: 21º (19.6º)
- Departure angle: 25.5º (24.6º)
Wheels and tires are upgraded to 235/60R17 Yokohama Geolandar A/T tires (28.1″ diameter) on custom 17″ rims.
An uprated transmission cooler helps out when slogging through mud and hammering up steep hills, which is good because it keeps the CVT transmission that’s constantly adjusting to every input.
But, that Lineartronic CVT drivetrain is retuned with a shorter final drive ratio for better low-speed off-road driving. It also gets more advanced X-MODE Dual Mode terrain selection options with Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes. Towing is also bumped to 3,500lbs.
Functional upgrades
The 2026 Subaru Wilderness comes standard with roof rails rated to 800lbs static load (176lbs dynamic…so go with a lightweight rooftop tent, mmmkay?).
It also gets fog lights, skid plates, and front-and-rear tow hooks.
A new full inner frame body construction for the Forester platform gives it 10% more torsional rigidity, which should make it plenty fun on the road, too.
The interior has water-resistant StarTex upholstery, anodized copper accents, and an available 12.3″ digital gauge cluster. Other specs for the Forester Wilderness include:
- 11.6″ Multimedia touchscreen w/ CarPlay & Android Auto
- Rear backup camera
- 60/40 split rear seats
- 69.1 cu.ft. total cargo space
- 39.4″ rear seat leg room
There’s also a new Forester Hybrid, giving the platform a more powerful output. It has 194 total horsepower, up from the standard 2.5L Boxer 4-cylinder’s 180hp. It gets up to 40% better fuel economy for up to 581 miles on a tank, with lower emissions than ever, too. Available this spring starting at $34,995, but…
…there’s no hybrid version of the Wilderness trim level. That’s not to say you (probably) can’t put a longer travel or lifted suspension on the hybrid model, but it’s a bit of a shame it’s not offered with a Wilderness trim yet.
The Wilderness Forester goes on in Fall 2025 as a 2026 model. Pricing and final specs TBA.
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