By Otsile Kadiege

Subaru of America, Inc. recently announced the next-generation of its most capable and rugged Forester: the new 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness. The newest addition to the Subaru Wilderness family features increased ground clearance and go-anywhere capability paired with a refined interior and improved on- and off-road driving performance.

Exclusive exterior features

To visually communicate the enhanced performance of the new Subaru Forester Wilderness, the SUV adds signature styling elements and performance upgrades inside and out. The Forester Wilderness includes standard roof rails with an 800-pound (363 kg) static load capacity rating , LED hexagonal fog lights, under-body protection, and expanded anodized copper-finish exterior accents, including front and rear bumper tow hook covers.

Exclusive interior features

Inside, the new Forester Wilderness is equipped with animal-free interior seating surfaces via water-resistant and easily cleanable StarTex upholstery. Anodized copper-finish interior accents are exclusive to the Forester Wilderness trim, an 11.6 touchscreen equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with full-screen display and, for the first time ever, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster with Wilderness-exclusive graphics is available.

Performance and capability

Power and torque comes from a 2.5-liter Subaru Boxer engine developing 136kW and 239Nm. It also features X-Mode Dual Mode System, Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, all-terrain tires, upgraded suspension, and uprated cooling.

Thanks to longer coil springs and shock absorbers, the new Forester Wilderness features 9.3 inches (236mm) of ground clearance (up from 9.2 inches for 2025 versions). The suspension has been tuned for improved stability and comfort on- and off-road.

It also uses a revised Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with a shorter final drive ratio for better low-speed off-roadability paired with advanced X-Mode Dual Mode with Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes. A revised Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, shared with the new Forester, offers faster center differential lockup and reduced wheelspin when off-roading, and incorporates steering angle data for better stability at turn-in and cornering on higher-speed roads.

Larger, all-terrain Yokohama Geolandar tyres are mounted on Wilderness-exclusive 17-inch anthracite wheels for better performance on muddy or gravel roads. An uprated transmission cooler offers up to 3,500 pounds of towing capacity on the new 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness, and a rear differential temperature sensor offers more confidence on the trails.

The new Subaru Forester Wilderness also offers improved approach, departure, and breakover angles, compared to the rest of the sixth-generation Forester lineup. The approach angle has been extended to 23.5 degrees compared to 19 degrees; ramp breakover improves up to 21 degrees compared to 19.6 degrees; and the departure angle edges up to 25.5 degrees compared to 24.6 degrees.