2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness First Look: Is It Worth Waiting For?

Earlier this week Subaru announced the Wilderness trim was coming to the Forester SUV in late 2025. The Forester itself is a new sixth-generation model, and is one of Subaru's most popular SUVs in its lineup. However, the question remains — if you're in the market for a new car, and more specifically a new Subaru Forester SUV, should you wait for the Wilderness trim before pulling the trigger?

When I visited the Chicago Auto Show for a media preview I was in luck, because Subaru brought puppies! You probably thought I was going to say something else. Okay fine — yes, I saw the Subaru Forester Wilderness trim as well. I got a chance to take a walk around it, sit inside it, and get a closer look at what this trim will bring the SUV when it launches. If you decide to wait for this new trim, here's what you'll be waiting for.

The Wilderness trim for Subaru has always been about going off road, as the name suggests. To that end Subaru is adding a bit of extra oomph to this SUV. Some of the modifications are laughably minor, while others could make a real difference should you aspire to become one with the wilderness in your Wilderness.

Ground clearance is one of those minor differences. The chassis is hiked up a whopping 0.1 inches to 9.3. Of course, when you're going off road, every little bit helps, so take what you can get. The tires are also wider, all-terrain tires mounted on 17-inch anthracite wheels for better handling in muddy or gravel roads.

Towing capacity rated at 3,500 pounds (up from 3,000) which is a not insignificant upgrade. Also significant are the roof rails which add an 800-pound static load capacity, which means you can pitch a tent up there if that's your preference. Finally, you'll get Wilderness badging on the inside and outside of the vehicle.

Speaking of the inside of the car, the 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness has some nice improvements where the passengers ride as well. The most significant upgrade comes with the gauge cluster and infotainment systems. The former is now a 12.3-inch digital screen — upgraded from the previous analog gauges and MID — and the latter is a new 11.6-inch screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is up from an 8-inch screen.

The seats inside are upgraded to a water-resistant StarTex upholstery which anyone with kids or animals will readily appreciate. The accents of the inside of the car include bronze coloring on the steering wheel and the stitching in the seats.

Meanwhile, you get up to 69.1 cubic feet of cargo space with the 60/40 split rear seats down. When they're up, you can seat up to 5. The 39.4 inches of legroom allowed my six-foot frame to fit pretty comfortably. Of course, there are also power outlets in the back seat, though there is only a single USB-C and a single USB-A port. Power in the hatch is also available, but only with DC current — there is no AC outlet, which feels like a miss.

Pricing and availability are still up in the air. Overall, it feels like you should only wait for this trim if you're among the target audience — off-road campers and weekenders. If you're not, you can probably just go with the Forester that's in your dealer's parking lot as we speak. Or, you can head to the Chicago Auto Show and see them both, side-by-side.