How will the Subaru Outback Wilderness actually tackle the backcountry?
Sales of off-road trucks and SUVs have spiked in recent years, leading automakers like Toyota to turn their everyday variety crossovers like the RAV4 into “Adventure” and “Off-Road” models, to build on the momentum. The Subaru Outback, for its part, has long been the sort of proposition that spoke to thousands upon thousands who wanted to get out there and explore nature. But, for all its respectable ground clearance and all-wheel drive capability, it didn’t really have a quintessential off-road version, until now.
The 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness builds on that drive to get out into the far-flung reaches of the backcountry, and the automaker made some notable changes to create what they’re calling the most rugged Outback yet. It gets the brand’s 260 horsepower turbocharged 2.4-liter boxer engine, increased ground clearance, a whack of cladding all around, and some bright orange accents to set it apart. That said, despite those changes and some slightly more aggressive off-road tires, it’s still similar to the standard Outback underneath. It doesn’t pack some of the more serious off-road tech like locking differentials up and down the drivetrain, a low-range transfer case, or disconnecting sway bars.
What makes the Outback a strong symbol of the active, adventurous lifestyle is that it’s a solid all-around option to get most places you’d ever need to go. No doubt, then, the Wilderness will fulfill that job even better than the base models. That is, depending on how Subaru prices the model. Pricing is not available yet, but it’s likely going to be the most expensive version out there, in the same ball park as, say, a Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road or a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. So, bearing that in mind, will the Subaru Outback Wilderness bring greater off-road chops to the equation against that sort of competition?
While we’ve yet to actually drive the car, Nathan and Andre nonetheless argue these points out in the video below. Let us know what you think of the new Subaru Outback Wilderness in the comments below!