The Subaru Forester is trying to stay ahead of the backpack pack.
From the Ford Bronco Sport to the Toyota Rav4 Adventure and Mazda CX-50 Meridian it seems like everyone is following Subaru’s hiking boot prints these days by adding off-road compact SUVs to their lineups.
Now Subaru is literally upping its game with the new Forester Wilderness, which features new equipment and an increased ride height to improve its rough road capability. It’s the second model from the growing Wilderness family, which launched with the Outback Wilderness last year.
The Forester Wilderness gets a half-inch boost in ground clearance to 9.2 inches, chunky black body cladding, redesigned bumpers, a metal front skid plate and a set of black 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires including a full-size spare, because a donut won't cut it in the vehicle's namesake locale.
TEST DRIVE: THE 2021 SUBARU OUTBACK WILDERNESS CAN GET YOU FARTHER OUT BACK
It also has a beefed-up roof rack rated to hold up to 220 pounds while the vehicle is in motion and 800 pounds when parked. That makes it suitable for a roof-mounted pop-up tent.
The 182 hp 2.4-liter flat-four-cylinder engine, CVT transmission and all-wheel-drive system are shared with all the other Foresters, but the Wilderness gets new gear ratios for added grunt and its towing capacity doubled to 3,000 pounds.
The Forester has one of the roomiest passenger compartments in segment and the Wilderness adds water-resistant synthetic upholstery, a full complement of rubber floor mats for passengers and cargo and plenty of the Wilderness line’s signature copper trim.
A front nose camera that displays on the small information screen at the top of the dashboard is standard and helpful for tricky terrain -- or parallel parking spaces. Subaru’s X-Mode traction management system has been upgraded and has settings for deep snow and mud, plus a hill descent control that can maintain speed on an incline without the driver having to use the brakes. You might not even need that front camera because, as with all Foresters, the Wilderness has giant windows and narrow roof pillars that give it great visibility all around.
The improvements are quickly made evident on dirt and gravel roads, even with a few big rocks thrown in. It's still not a 4x4, but its limits have definitely been stretched, and it gives the impression it can take a pretty good licking over the long haul.
SUBARU OUTBACK TOPS NEW IIHS CRASH TEST THAT CRUSHES OTHER VEHICLES
Even with the changes, it retains a stable on-road ride that doesn’t feel tippy or bouncy, and comes with the Subaru EyeSight suite of electronic driver aids with lane-centering adaptive cruise control. The system has been recalibrated to work with the Wilderness updates, something you can’t do yourself to a modified Forester. Road and wind noise are a bit higher than the class standard, but outweighed by its other attributes.
Prices start at $34,695 and the only option is a $1,850 package that includes navigation, a Harmon Kardon premium audio system and a power-opening liftgate.
The main drawback is that the changes made to the aerodynamics, drivetrain and rolling resistance of the knobby tires contribute to a drop in highway fuel economy from the 33 mpg of other Foresters to 28 mpg, while the low speed city figure on falls from 26 mpg to 25 mpg.
That’s a good enough reason as any to spend more time the trails it was built for.
----------
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness
Base price: $34,695
As tested: $36,545
Type: 5-passenger, 4-door, all-wheel-drive SUV
Engine: 2.4-liter four-cylinder
Power: 182 hp, 176 lb-ft
Transmission: CVT automatic
MPG: 28 hwy/25 city
