2026 Subaru Forester · Trim vs trim
2026 Subaru Forester Premium vs Wilderness: what's the difference?
The Wilderness costs $5,000 more. It starts at $36,995, and the Premium at $31,995. The Wilderness adds an . It also changes the , , wheels, tires and seats. It gets 26 , 3 less than the Premium's 29.
Our Forester data has all ten US 2026 , gas and four conventional , plus factory OP 15, 24, 25, 33 and 42; Sport Onyx Edition is Sport OP 25. It doesn't have paint and interior colors, port or retailer , finance incentives, and announced 2027 models including Wilderness Hybrid yet, so something missing from this page may still be offered.
What changes, as they come
| What | Premium | Wilderness |
|---|---|---|
| Combined mpg | Premium29 mpg | Wilderness26 mpg |
| City mpg | Premium26 mpg | Wilderness24 mpg |
| Highway mpg | Premium33 mpg | Wilderness28 mpg |
| Tire diameter | Premium27.6″ | Wilderness28.1″ |
| Ground clearance | Premium8.7″ | Wilderness9.3″ |
| What | Premium | Wilderness |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission | PremiumLineartronic CVT with low shift mode | WildernessLineartronic CVT with eight-speed manual mode |
| Suspension | PremiumIndependent strut front / double-wishbone rear suspension | WildernessWilderness raised suspension and revised gearing |
| Wheels | Premium17-inch machined alloy wheels | Wilderness17-inch black alloy wheels |
| Tires | Premium225/60R17 all-season tires | Wilderness235/60R17 Yokohama GEOLANDAR all-terrain tires |
| Seats | PremiumCloth seats | WildernessWater-repellent StarTex seats |
| What | Premium | Wilderness |
|---|---|---|
| Blind-Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Automatic Emergency Steering | PremiumNot included | WildernessYes |
| 180-degree front-view monitor | PremiumNot included | WildernessYes |
The same on both: horsepower (180 hp) and cargo behind the rear seats (27.5 cu ft).
More Forester answers
- Base vs Premium
- Premium vs Premium Hybrid
- Sport vs Sport Hybrid
- Premium vs Wilderness
- Limited vs Limited Hybrid
- Touring vs Touring Hybrid
- Limited Hybrid vs Touring Hybrid
- Hybrid
- Mechanical AWD
- Heated front seats
- A panoramic power moonroof
- Harman Kardon
- A heated steering wheel
- A 360-degree Surround View Monitor
- All-terrain tires
- A 12.3-inch digital instrument display
Build your own
Switch to the Premium in the trim list to see what goes away, or add packages to either and watch the drawing change.
The Wilderness, as it comes
↑ The answerWilderness
$36,995
Wilderness
$36,995
- MPG
- mpg
- ·
- Power
- hp
- ·
- Cargo
- ft³
- ·
- Clearance
- ″
- ·
- Combined mpg
- mpg
- 24 city · 28 hwy
- Horsepower
- hp
- Gas engine · SAE net
- Cargo space
- ft³
- Behind second row
- Ground clearance
- ″
- At base curb weight
- Curb weight
- lb
- Base trim · published
- Has AWD
- No Hybrid
- Has Wilderness
- Has Heated seats
- No Heated wheel
- No Harman Kardon
Choose a trim
Packages & options
Comfort & tech
What your options change
This is a stock Wilderness. Pick a package and every part it swaps shows up here, and in orange on the SUV.
- Has AWD
- No Hybrid
- Has Wilderness
- Has Heated seats
- No Heated wheel
- No Harman Kardon
- Drive
- Symmetrical AWD
- Powertrain
- Lineartronic CVT
- City / hwy
- 24 / 28 mpg
- Cargo, folded
- 69.1 cu ft
- Rear legroom
- 39.4″
- Tires
- 235/60R17
- Terrain
- All-terrain
- Touchscreen
- 11.6″ · wireless phone mirroring
- Instruments
- 4.2″
- Seats
- StarTex
- Audio
- 6-speaker audio
- Moonroof
- Power moonroof
- Driver seat
- 10-way power
- Spare
- Full-size · 225-mm AT tire
- X-MODE
- Dual-function
- Tow rating
- 3,500 lb · properly equipped