A funny thing happened when Subaru introduced the Outback Wilderness. Sales went up, and the demand for Wilderness versions was more than expected.
Same thing happened when they introduced the Forester Wilderness. So Subaru is now Wildernessing all the things, the latest being the smallest vehicle in the lineup---the 2024 Crosstrek.
I covered the subtle but significant changes to the '24 Crosstrek in my review of the non-Wilderness version of that vehicle back in July, so let's focus on what's different with the Crosstrek Wilderness.
Under the hood, it's the same 2.5-liter BOXER four-cylinder, with no turbo, 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. EPA fuel economy average 27 mpg combined city/highway. Subaru symmetrical all-wheel drive is, of course, part of the package. Wilderness models get a revised differential gear ratio and retuned continuously variable transmission for better off-road performance. There's a transmission oil cooler that more than doubles the towing capacity to 3,500 pounds. And a half-inch of extra ground clearance gets added, for a total of 9.3---nothing to sneeze at---with improved approach, breakover and departure angles. Subaru's dual-function X-MODE selectable drive allows for snow/dirt and deep snow/mud modes. There's a roll-angle indicator to help the driver judge potentially hazardous situations. And the Crosstrek Wilderness rides on Yokohama GEOLANDAR tires.
Past that, it's about being loud and proud that you picked the Wilderness, with what it calls copper-colored (orange, maybe?) accents outside and in.
Base price of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness is $33,290 including destination. That price brings a ton of standard equipment not already mentioned, including Subaru's EyeSight driver assist technology, dark-tint privacy glass, dual-zone automatic climate control, incline start assist, remote keyless entry, steering-responsive LED headlights with high-beam assist, a cargo cover, an 11.6-inch center touchscreen, wireless phone charger and water-repellant upholstery.
It's so complete as-is that our test vehicle had only three options, bundled together, for $2,270---a 10-way power driver's seat with two-way lumbar support, a Harman Kardon 10-speaker audio system with 432-watt equivalent amplifier, and a power moonroof. That brings the bottom line on the window sticker to $35,560.
Subarus have always given their owners a lot of bad-weather, soft-road and off-road capability for a reasonable amount of money. My bet is the reason the Wilderness editions are a hit is that those owners have noticed----and want even more.
