A new style of off-road adventure.

The new 2026 Forester Wilderness has a daring new look to match your boldest adventures. With a completely redesigned exterior, new connected technology, and ground clearance increased to 9.3 inches for 2026, the Forester Wilderness delivers even more off-road capability and rugged style. With standard off-road-ready engineering including legendary Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, front underbody protection, and 3,500 pounds of towing capacity, the Forester Wilderness is built for boundless exploration.

Newly Increased 9.3 Inches of Ground Clearance with Front Underbody Protection

The Forester Wilderness off-road SUV can ride above rough terrain thanks its newly increased 9.3 inches of ground clearance — something the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands or Hyundai Tucson XRT can’t match — plus front underbody protection. The design of the front and rear bumpers helps keep clear of larger rocks and other obstacles with improved approach and departure angles.

The standard Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system in the Forester Wilderness is designed to optimize traction in rain, snow, on rough roads, or even when there’s no road at all. It constantly evaluates acceleration, braking, and cornering in real time to continuously deliver power to all four wheels. If a wheel slips, power is instantaneously transferred to the wheels that have the most grip.

With its exceptionally balanced layout, Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive delivers a solid connection with the road and an engaged, responsive drive. The entire system lies along the centerline of the vehicle, balancing weight distribution between the two sides to help provide optimal performance and control.

Previous model shown.

With fuel economy up to 28 MPG and over 460 miles of driving range, the 2026 Forester Wilderness compact SUV delivers competitive fuel efficiency. Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive has demonstrated its durability and low maintenance over four decades of owner-tested Subaru vehicles, so you can be confident your Forester Wilderness will keep taking you farther year after year.

Discover a Bold New Perspective

The new 2026 Forester Wilderness features a completely restyled exterior with a striking new grille, aggressive headlight styling, and a powerfully contoured profile. Tough exterior cladding is updated for 2026 and protects the wheel wells and lower impact zones from scrapes on the trail. Its rugged style is enhanced with blacked-out trim with Anodized Copper-finish accents, hexagon-pattern LED fog lights, Wilderness badging, and exclusively available Geyser Blue exterior paint. 

Stay Connected and Comfortable on the Trail

Inside the 2026 Forester Wilderness, you can explore tough environments in spacious comfort with convenient connected technology. The interior is lined with high-quality textured StarTex^® upholstery that’s durable and easy to clean for drivers who like to bring their pets along for the ride. Anodized Copper-finish accents, contrast stitching, and embossed Wilderness logos give the cabin a finishing touch of modern style. Setting up camp after dark is no problem with an LED cargo lamp in the rear gate. There’s also newly available technology like an 11.6-inch high-resolution touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay^® and Android Auto^™ integration, and wireless device charging.

The 2026 Forester Wilderness AWD compact SUV features upgraded standard EyeSight Driver Assist Technology with a wider field of view and greater range for even more confidence and peace of mind. EyeSight acts like an extra set of eyes on the road and if need be, an extra foot on the brake. EyeSight includes a number of advanced active safety systems to protect you and your family on every drive. Standard Automatic Emergency Steering can help you avoid collisions by providing automatic steering and pre-collision braking support if it determines there’s enough space to intervene. EyeSight and other safety features in the Forester Wilderness have been calibrated to match its increased ground clearance and extensive off-road upgrades.

Automatic Pre-Collision Braking helps you avoid or reduce frontal impacts by alerting you and applying full braking force in emergency situations. Pre-Collision Throttle Management can reduce the power from the engine to help minimize the possible impact force and frontal impact damage.

Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Centering adds extra convenience and safety on every drive. Just choose the distance you want to keep from the car in front of you and it can take some of the stress out of everyday driving by helping with steering, braking, and throttle control while maintaining a safe distance ahead.