MotorwayAmerica.com

By Jim Meachen
Editor, MotorwayAmerica.com

(March 3, 2024) It seems the off-road craze has invaded the auto industry, and as the temperature for off-road vehicles reaches a fever pitch most manufactures have added a rugged go-anywhere appearance — with a measure of off-road equipment — to their SUV lineups. Subaru is on board with this trend adding the Wilderness package to several products including the new compact Crosstrek, mid-sized Outback and compact Forester.

Subaru says that with an already impressive list of standard features, the Crosstrek Wilderness — new for 2024 — adds exclusive mechanical, design, and functional enhancements for added capability on the roads and trails. The new model preserves the Crosstrek’s blend of SUV capability and car-like ride and handling. Numerous exterior and interior details make the Crosstrek Wilderness especially suited to carrying outdoor gear, even when wet or muddy.

The Wilderness comes standard with Automatic Emergency Steering. This feature works in conjunction with EyeSight and Blind-Spot Detection to assist with steering control to help avoid a collision at speeds less than 50 mph. Standard Reverse Automatic Braking adds an extra measure of safety in tight trail situations and while parking.


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Like the other Wilderness models, the Crosstrek Wilderness design blends trail-enhanced function with style that also turns heads. To visually communicate the more capable off-road performance, the Crosstrek Wilderness adds exclusive styling with all-new front and rear bumpers, a new hexagonal front grille, larger wheel arch cladding, metal front skid plate, unique hex-design LED fog lights and an anti-glare hood decal in matte-black finish.

There are substantive changes as well. A 0.6-inch lift courtesy of a revised suspension with taller springs gives the Wilderness 9.3 inches of ground clearance. That significantly outdoes other off-road-oriented crossovers including the Jeep Compass Trailhawk (8.6 inches) and the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands (up to 8.8 inches). The raised ride height improves approach and departure angles, from 18 to 20 degrees and from 30.1 to 33.0 degrees, respectively. The breakover angle also increases, from 19.7 to 21.1 degrees.

Wilderness badges are emblazoned on the front doors and rear gate. A body-color roof spoiler and black side mirrors with integrated turn signals complement the SUV’s rugged look. Among the exterior colors offered, the Crosstrek Wilderness is available in Geyser Blue, which is exclusive to the Wilderness family.
For me I could do without the rather gaudy Wilderness edition gold accents on the roof rack and front and rear bumpers that adorned my test car.

I didn't take the Subaru off road any farther than a rutted river road, but I talked with a couple of other writers who had the opportunity to live with the Wilderness in truly off-road conditions. They found the Subaru more off-road capable than most of the newly minted off-road editions from other manufacturers.

Inside, a more supportive front seat design increases overall comfort and minimizes fatigue, according to Subaru. A focused effort on reducing sounds within particular frequency ranges results in a quieter and more comfortable cabin. However, I thought the Crosstrek was noticeably noisy at highway speeds. Perhaps more tweaking is needed.



Subaru says its already-excellent EyeSight safety system has been enhanced to "operate more quickly and under a greater range of conditions." These improvements are thanks to a wider field of view and updated control software. 

We did encounter an unexpected problem with EyeSight in our test vehicle — it cut off while we were driving in torrential rain. A short time later we pulled off into a parking lot — along with about a half dozen other motorists — to wait out the extremely heavy downpour. We cut the car off while parked and when we turned it back on, EyeSight also came back on. It was a bit disconcerting to lose the safety system when we needed it the most.


The Crosstrek Wilderness is powered by a 2.5-liter direct-injection Subaru Boxer engine, with 182 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque. (The base 2.0-liter engine pumps out 152 horsepower.) Subaru engineered the Crosstrek Wilderness drivetrain for better off-road performance by installing a revised differential gear ratio and retuned Lineartronic CVT. The 4.111 final drive ratio (vs. 3.700) improves the SUV’s climbing ability and the new tuning for the CVT optimizes traction at low speeds and on slippery surfaces.

Additionally, maximum towing capacity more than doubles to 3,500 pounds thanks to the addition of a transmission oil cooler.

While I liked the engine's overall performance, I found it a bit lacking for my taste in merging and passing. For comparison, it has been measured at a bit over 8 seconds from 0-to-60.

One of the things that concerns us when shopping in the compact segment is room enough for four adults to ride comfortably with enough luggage space for short trips. The Crosstrek meets our needs is those regards offering an open, airy cabin with good leg and head room in the second row for adults and a decent cargo area measuring 20.8 cubic feet. 


The Wilderness is at the top of the Crosstrek food chain starting at $33,540. My test vehicle carried a bottom line of $35,560, which included a $2,270 option package. If the Wilderness doesn't fit your budget or you feel you don't need the off-road goodies, look at the other trims including Base, Premium, Sport and Limited starting at $26,540. The sweet spot might be the Sport, which carries the bigger engine, and starts at $30,540.

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness

Essentials

Base price: $33,290; as driven, $35,560
Engine: 2.5-liter 4-cylinder Boxer
Horsepower: 182 @ 5,800 rpm
Torque: 178 pound-feet @ 3,700 rpm
Transmission: continuously variable (CVT)
Drive: all-wheel
Seating: 2/3
Wheelbase: 104.9 inches
Length: 176.4 inches
Curb weight: 3,417 pounds
Tuning circle: 35.4 feet
Luggage capacity: 20.8 cubic feet
Cargo capacity: 55.3 cubic feet
Fuel capacity: 16.6 gallons (regular)
EPA rating: 25 city, 29 highway, 27 combined
0-60: 8.0 seconds (Car and Driver)
Also consider: Jeep Compass Trailhawk, Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

The Good
• Go anywhere persona
• Impressive list of safety items
• Impressive infotainment screen

The Bad
• Noisy at highway speeds

The Ugly
• Lethargic acceleration