Fresh off a recent makeover, the Subaru Forester will soon roll into American dealers for the 2026 model year. Some trims will hold the line on price – but one jumps rather significantly.
That’ll be the Wilderness trim, a model which wasn’t initially offered when the Forester was revamped a year ago. It does show up for duty in 2026, however, complete with the now-familiar aggro trim and extra ground clearance. At an MSRP of $39,835 it is a solid two grand more than last year, though we must point out that last year’s car was still based on the old design. For reasons, it took engineers at Fuji Heavy Industries an extra 12 months to Wilderness-ize the new Forester. Or maybe marketing just wanted to drag out the news cycle. If so, it worked because here we are talking about the thing.
Elsewhere in the lineup, price changes are minimal. The entry-level trim is officially $29,995 but rises to $31,445 once its non-negotiable destination charges are included. Expect that sub-$30k figure to be the one you’ll see on every advertisement. Atop the heap is a $43,045 Touring trim. These prices aren’t much different than last year, when the new iteration debuted.
Subaru says it intends to announce at a later time how much the hybrid will cost. This gasser still utilizes a 2.5L boxer-type four-cylinder engine making 180 horsepower and roughly a like amount of torque. This is all funneled to the ground via a CVT and all-wheel drive. Knobby 17-inch all-terrain tires give and take – as in they give more capability off pavement but take a few miles per gallon off its fuel economy compared to other Forester trims (Wilderness rated 24 / 28 / 26 versus Sport and Touring rated 25/32/28).
Wilderness has quickly become something of an even more rugged sub-brand for Subaru, not unlike AT4 at GMC. This version of the Forester Wilderness will have 9.3 inches of ground clearance, over half an inch more than other trims, an impressive sum that outstrips many other crossovers and indeed several pickup trucks. Improved approach and departure compared to other Foresters is also part of the deal, at 23.5 and 25.5 degrees respectively. An uprated transmission cooler allows for an increased maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.
Subaru says copies of the 2026 Forester will hit dealer lots sometime this autumn.
[Images: Subaru]
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