Small, practical, affordable, and ready for almost anything, the Subaru Crosstrek is one of the automaker’s most popular models. Also, according to JD Power ratings, the previous-generation Subaru Crosstrek was one of the best small SUVs you could buy.
This year, the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek gets a redesign, though you might not notice it because it looks and feels much like before. Nevertheless, it is mostly new and available in five trim levels: Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, and Wilderness.
The Base and Premium versions are made in Japan and have a 152-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. You can learn more about them in this 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Premium review. The Sport, Limited, and Wilderness are made in Indiana and have a 182-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. This 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Limited review provides some insight into that variant.
This review focuses on the 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness and how its exclusive modifications potentially impact consumer appeal. Subaru bases it on the Sport trim level, adding numerous off-road enhancements to make it one of the most capable factory-built overlanders in its segment.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
The Subaru Crosstrek competes in the Small SUV market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2023 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, 59 percent of new Subaru Crosstrek buyers are female (vs. 55 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new Crosstrek buyer is 56 years (vs. 56).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the Crosstrek in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you’ll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
In the 2023 APEAL Study, the previous-generation Crosstrek ranks 13th out of 16 Small SUV models, in a tie with the previous-generation Hyundai Kona.
In the following sections, our independent expert analyzes a Crosstrek Wilderness equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $35,560, including the $1,295 destination charge.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
At a test-drive event held for automotive writers at Zion National Park in Utah, Garrick Goh, Subaru car-line planning manager, said: “If REI sold cars, there’d be a Crosstrek Wilderness hanging from the shelf.”
That sums up the point of the new 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness trim level, which is to serve as an adventure support vehicle.
Naturally, Subaru bases the Wilderness on the standard Crosstrek. It is an excellent place to start since it is already one of the most capable off-roaders in its class, thanks to 8.7 inches of ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive (AWD). To improve on this recipe, Subaru raises the Wilderness’s suspension to boost clearance to 9.3 inches and modifies the drivetrain to make the SUV feel more responsive, enable it to scramble up a 38-degree grade, and earn a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.
According to Subaru, engineers added a shorter final-drive ratio, strengthened the rear differential, modified the continuously variable transmission (CVT), and improved the engine and transmission cooling systems. Still, there’s no denying that mid-range acceleration for passing slower traffic and merging onto highways is in short supply. A turbocharger would solve this problem, as it does in the Crosstrek Wilderness’s primary rivals, the Ford Bronco Sport, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Renegade.
Additional modifications include a front skid plate, 17-inch black matte-finish wheels, and Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires. In addition, Subaru’s dual-function X-Mode traction control system provides Snow, Deep Snow, Dirt, and Mud settings to help you reach your destination.
To ensure the new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness looks the part, it gets more body cladding. Like, a lot more. Too much. Combined with the black 17-inch wheels, the Wilderness looks like its suspension is fully extended in a jump even when the SUV stands still.
Revised bumpers improve the approach and departure angles, a matte-black hood decal cuts down on glare, and copper-colored accents identify the Wilderness as such. The name CROSSTREK is stamped into the lower door trim to make sure everyone knows what the heck this thing is.
Atop the Wilderness, you’ll find a sturdy roof rack with a 700-pound static load capacity. Subaru offers an array of carriers that clamp to the rack, and flat door sills provide stepping points when securing loads to the roof. You can buy a rooftop tent for the Crosstrek Wilderness, which costs about the same as two weeks in a decent hotel ($2,795).
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Subaru fortifies the Crosstrek Wilderness’s interior, too. It has all-weather floor mats, a rubber cargo tray, protective material on the rear seatbacks, a cargo area light, and heated front seats to ward off a chill. The copper accent color continues within the cabin, evident on the steering wheel, the instrumentation, and the stitching. Otherwise, the Wilderness is depressingly dark inside.
StarTex covers the seats, a water-repellent artificial leather. Theoretically, water, sweat, mud, dog slobber, and spilled lattes won’t ruin the seats. The problem is that if you get into a Crosstrek damp from rain or a workout, you’ll emerge from the vehicle that way later. A front-seat ventilation system and rear air conditioning vents would help, but Subaru doesn’t offer them in any Crosstrek model, let alone the Wilderness.
As for the cargo room, it measures 20 cubic feet behind the back seat and 54.9 cu-ft with the rear seat folded down, and Subaru equips the cargo area with two Nalgene bottle holders. If you need more cargo space, you can use the roof rack. Alternatively, I’m sure Subaru would like to sell you a roomier and more expensive Forester Wilderness or Outback Wilderness to solve this problem.
Subaru is the largest corporate donor to the National Park Foundation, so introducing the 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness to reviewers at Utah’s Zion National Park was a logical location. The automaker mapped out a route that many owners of this SUV might take, much of it on roads and trails paved with something other than blacktop or concrete.
My travels included driving on gravel paths strewn with rocks laced across the southwestern Utah desert, deep sand trails near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, red dirt roads running past the Zion Wright Family Ranch, and a challenging off-road course with thick and soupy mud. In addition, I contended with heavy Zion National Park tourist traffic and cruised at speeds up to 70 mph on local highways.
The Crosstrek Wilderness proved remarkably quiet on the highway, unexpected given its entry-level SUV status, tall ride height, all-terrain tires, and substantial roof rack. The optional 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat was comfortable for hours at a time, and though the front passenger’s seat lacks height adjustment, it sits high enough off the floor that the feature’s omission isn’t an issue.
You can enjoy the optional 10-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system on road trips. In addition, the standard EyeSight collection of driving assistance systems includes a capable adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assistance system. Passing power is in short supply, though, the engine lacking oomph at higher speeds, especially at elevation. Again, a turbocharger would add satisfaction to driving the Crosstrek Wilderness.
Unfortunately, a native navigation system is unavailable in the 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness. Subaru says the target buyer doesn’t want one, preferring to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead. However, a GPS-enabled native navigation system could be helpful to owners who trek far enough from civilization that cell connectivity is sketchy at best. Plus, Subaru could then offer a breadcrumb feature, making it easy to backtrack if you get lost in the wilderness.
My test car averaged 24.8 mpg during the all-day drive, falling short of the official EPA rating of 27 mpg in combined driving. A contributing factor to this unimpressive showing was the fun I had blasting around in the dirt, mud, sand, and gravel. The Crosstrek Wilderness is remarkably capable for a crossover based on a car (the Impreza hatchback). Better yet, construction is drum-tight. Nothing in the test vehicle rattled, buzzed, or squeaked, regardless of the road surface.
However, especially when cresting steep hills and not knowing what was on the other side, the Crosstrek Wilderness’s lack of a front camera system added one more thing to the list of upgrades this model needs.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
More people pick the Subaru Crosstrek than any other model the automaker sells in America. The reasons are simple. With a strong track record for safety and reliability, standard AWD, plenty of ground clearance, undeniable utility, and a relatively low price, it is a sensible choice that’s also easy to love.
Undoubtedly, the new Wilderness trim level will expand the Crosstrek’s appeal. It is surprisingly comfortable for a small crossover and adds plenty of trendy overlanding attitude backed up by legitimate capability in the rough stuff. In addition, practical accessories enhance the ownership experience.
If Subaru equipped the Crosstrek Wilderness with a turbocharger, stain-resistant cloth seats or a seat ventilation system, a native navigation system with a breadcrumb feature, and a front off-roading camera, it would be just about perfect.
Well, except for the vast slabs of cladding glued to the exterior.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with nearly 30 years of experience test-driving vehicles. He began his career at Edmunds and now owns Speedy Daddy Media, Inc., an automotive content creation company serving several automotive publishers. In addition to JDPower.com, his work has appeared in numerous new and used-car buying guides, newspapers, and automotive industry trade journals.
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