One of the best off-road crossovers in the market is the unexpected 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. This oddly proportioned crossover is impressively capable.
Drive by a Crosstrek on the road, and you’ll wonder if this strange-looking vehicle is a real off-road SUV. It’s common knowledge that Subaru adds Symmetrical AWD to every vehicle, except the BRZ, but that doesn’t mean the Crosstrek is ready to tackle the trails. It may come as a surprise that this SUV is more than capable of tackling challenging off-road trails in the wilderness especially when the Wilderness trim is chosen.
Let’s take a look at what makes this compact crossover so capable.
The plastic body cladding isn’t there for show
The Crosstrek Wilderness wears more black plastic body cladding than most SUVs, making it easy to enjoy this impressive SUV out on the trails. You can bash it on rocks, let tree limbs hit the sides, or have rocks bounce up and hit this part of the vehicle without worrying the Crosstrek will be damaged. Car and Driver took the Crosstrek Wilderness to the trials surrounding Zion National Park in Utah and found that it’s perfectly capable of handling the challenges offered on these trails.
How is the Wilderness model upgraded?
The new Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness brings a host of impressive upgrades to make it a much more capable off-roader than the standard Crosstrek SUV. Some of these upgrades include:
- Copper accents for the exterior and interior
- Water-resistant StarTex synthetic upholstery
- Standard rubber floor mats
- A 0.6-inch suspension lift
- Aluminum skid plate
- Shortened final drive ratio of 4.11:1
These upgrades make the Wilderness trim more capable and confident on the toughest trails. The raised suspension results in higher ground clearance, which makes this SUV more confident when tackling obstacles found in the wilderness.
What are the off-road stats of this Subaru SUV?
The added lift raises the Crosstrek Wilderness enough to give this compact crossover more ground clearance than the Jeep Compass Trailhawk and Ford Bronco Sport Badlands. The raised height also improves the off-road angles, making it easier to tackle some of the toughest trails.
The improved off-road angles of this Subaru SUV are:
- Ground Clearance – 9.3 inches
- Approach Angle – 20.0 degrees
- Departure Angle – 33.0 degrees
- Breakover Angle – 21.1 degrees
These off-road angles and states enable this version of the Crosstrek to tackle trails where more hardcore SUVs drive.
What’s missing from this Subaru?
The new Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness has a lot going for it, including a large central touchscreen, but it’s missing one key off-roading element. This SUV would benefit from a front-facing camera, which is necessary for spotting obstacles on the roads and trails ahead of the vehicle. The larger Subaru Forester and Outback both offer front-facing cameras in the off-road editions, which makes us wonder why Subaru chose to leave this feature out of the mix for the Crosstrek. It would certainly help this SUV tackle the toughest trails with a lot more confidence.
Which powertrain is used in the Wilderness trim?
The Subaru Crosstrek is offered with two different powertrains. Thankfully, the Wilderness trim uses the more powerful 2.5-liter flat 4-cylinder engine that produces 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. This doesn’t make the Crosstrek fast, but it adds more capability to the mix.
The tow rating for the Wilderness trim is increased from 1,500 to 3,500 pounds. This increase in towing capacity comes courtesy of a more powerful radiator fan and a new oil cooler. This added capability enables this SUV to tow a small boat or camper. There’s also an improved roof rack that can hold up to 700 pounds, which is perfect for a roof-top tent.
The AWD continues to impress
The Wilderness version receives an upgraded version of the Subaru X-Mode system, which is part of the AWD system, offering various drive modes to choose from. The X-Mode reprograms the transmission, throttle, and torque for different terrain. When driving on the off-road trails, much of the time might be spent using the Deep Snow/Mud mode to experience the best torque mapping to ensure this SUV can travel across dirt, loose rocks, and other terrain. The X-Mode system engages the hill-descent control when the Crosstrek is traveling at speeds under 12 mph.
The tires to finish the build
The Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness comes with a set of standard Yokohama Geolander A/T tires mounted on black 17-inch wheels. These tires have beefier treads to provide improved traction on loose surfaces while out on the trails.
It might not look like a real off-roading SUV, but the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness can take on the wilderness and handle some of the toughest trails like a champion. Will this be the right off-road crossover for you?
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