Subaru's Wilderness trim package is for those wanting rugged off-road performance without sacrificing everyday practicality. Aimed at adventure enthusiasts and weekend warriors, these vehicles offer enhanced features that enable them to tackle challenging terrain and paths less traveled.
The Subaru Wilderness package meets the demand for vehicles that handle everyday driving and off-road adventures. With models like the Crosstrek Wilderness, Outback Wilderness, and Forester Wilderness, Subaru recognizes that outdoor enthusiasts need more than an everyday crossover or SUV.
Subaru designed the Wilderness variants to provide increased ground clearance, better traction, and off-road technology. They are for those who want a practical vehicle for around-town driving during the week and more mountainous weekend excursions.
Several features define the Subaru Wilderness lineup. Each raises the bar on capability, durability, or utility:
Subaru Wilderness vehicles tend to get worse gas mileage than their non-Wilderness counterparts. This is due to three primary factors aimed at improving off-road performance: the raised suspension, off-road tires, and gearing.
The raised suspension and added ground clearance increase the vehicle's aerodynamic drag, which lowers fuel efficiency. The all-terrain tires have a more aggressive tread pattern and contribute to increased rolling resistance, negatively affecting fuel economy.
From a powertrain standpoint, Wilderness vehicles may have a numerically higher final drive ratio, increasing wheel torque and acceleration. This characteristic comes with an expense to fuel economy at higher speeds.
On a lesser scale, Subaru Wilderness vehicles are slightly heavier than their standard counterparts due to the heavy-duty roof rack and the all-terrain tires. Any amount of extra weight will hurt a vehicle's mileage.
Subaru designs and engineers its Wilderness vehicles for those who love to explore the great outdoors. Despite a slight fuel-economy penalty, the Wilderness perfectly balances adventure-ready capability and everyday practicality. And that's what makes them unique.
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Jessica Shea Choksey is an experienced writer in the automotive field. In addition to JDPower.com, she was a correspondent for PBS's MotorWeek, and her work has appeared on Autotrader.
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