Our Yearlong Subaru Outback Wilderness Just Passed the Road-Trip Test

Road trips have a way of revealing everything you love—and everything you don’t—about a car. The longer you spend behind the wheel, the more the small details begin to matter, like seat comfort after hours on the highway, how easy the infotainment system is to navigate on the move, or whether there’s enough room inside for people and luggage to coexist peacefully. So when it came time to drive our long-term 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness from Los Angeles to San Francisco, we paid close attention to the kinds of things daily commuting tends to hide.

To our surprise, the Subie handled the trip flawlessly. Long drives usually expose at least a few annoyances, but the Outback Wilderness remained smooth, comfortable, and impressively quiet throughout the six-hour journey. What could have turned into a tiring slog up Interstate 5 instead felt relaxed and effortless behind the wheel.

My brother joined me on the drive, and we both came away impressed by the Outback’s long-haul comfort. The seats offered plenty of cushioning without becoming fatiguing after hours on the road, while the cabin stayed pleasantly isolated thanks to solid sound insulation that kept wind and noise from the off-road-oriented tires largely out of the equation.

The Subaru’s 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four, rated at 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, proved more than capable on the long haul north. Whether merging onto the freeway or passing slower traffic along the endless stretches of Interstate 5, the Outback delivered power confidently and without hesitation. Throttle response felt quick and linear, and the transmission did a commendable job keeping the engine in its sweet spot without becoming intrusive or droning.

Ride quality was another pleasant surprise, especially given the Wilderness trim’s more rugged, off-road-focused mission. Its adaptive suspension soaked up pavement imperfections with ease, keeping harsh impacts and road chatter out of the cabin. The result was a soft, composed ride that at times felt more in line with a luxury crossover than a lifted adventure-oriented SUV.

Once in San Francisco, the Outback continued to impress. Friends riding with us were genuinely surprised by the Subaru’s spacious rear seats. At one point, we spent an entire day driving around the city with five adults and everyone’s gear, yet the cabin never felt cramped or uncomfortable.

We should also mention that we disabled most of the EyeSight driver alerts before setting off on the trip. Subaru’s driver monitor can feel overly sensitive at times, occasionally chiming even when the driver is simply wearing polarized sunglasses. Turning it off made for a far more relaxing drive. We appreciate the emphasis on safety, but there’s a fine line between helpful technology and systems that become distracting behind the wheel.

Overall, we came away from the trip impressed with the Outback Wilderness. Its smooth ride, quiet cabin, and thoughtful comfort features turned what could have been a routine six-hour drive into an easy and enjoyable road-trip. By the time we made it back home, the Subaru had proven itself to be far more refined than we initially expected.