2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness Blazes a New Trail—but Avoid the Biggest Rocks

• The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness makes its adventuring case in long-travel suspension, revised body geometry, and improved transmission parts.

• Going up against the Jeep Compass, Ford Bronco Sport Badlands, and Chevrolet Trax, Subaru says its Crosstrek is the only true off-road-ready model in this segment.

• For $33,990, the Crosstrek Wilderness might not climb a transparent boulder, but it can get you and your family to just about any place else, no matter the road surface.

We only bottomed out once. Seriously. Through miles of Bureau of Land Management roads, a private off-road park, and even a single-track rock-studded trail, the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness took every dip, drop, and crack with grace and enthusiasm.

Better yet, it was comfortable and quiet while doing it, unlike some other off-road icons we know. The Crosstrek Wilderness is not a Jeep Wrangler—for better or worse—although Subaru positions it as a viable alternative.

The ideology behind Subaru's Wilderness edition models is coming to fruition with the Crosstrek Wilderness, as it adds tough-looking body panels and competitive clearance. This is not just a visual package, I promise.

Yet, the all-new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness is still a Crosstrek at heart. With a full inner-frame construction version of Subaru's Global Platform chassis that is 10% stiffer, this crossover shares heritage and its 182-hp, 178-lb-ft 2.5-liter flat-four with the Impreza. Get in and go daily, just as Subaru expects of all its pedestrian models.

However, the Crosstrek Wilderness is one of those curious utes where the on-paper performance actually does some justice to its uniqueness. One of Subaru's best qualities has long been its Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, which naturally helps the off-road-oriented Crosstrek, but the Wilderness variant also gains some loose surface-specific parts.

A revised final drive ratio (4.11), re-tuned CVT programming (with a crawl ratio), a transmission oil cooler (allowing for 3500-pound towing capacity), and 9.3-inch ground clearance (a result of longer coil springs and shock absorbers) make up the mechanical differences of the Crosstrek Wilderness. That's base Wrangler-level ground clearance.

But some key visual differences on the Wilderness actually serve a purpose, too. To create the approach angle of 20.0 degrees, a departure angle of 33.0 degrees, and a 21.1-degree ramp breakover angle, Subaru has lifted and angled the front and rear bumpers to compliment the 0.6-inch suspension lift. Unintentional bumper damage no more.

What do all these changes amount to on the road? Nothing much, to be honest. Earlier reviews of the Crosstrek praised it for a smooth ride, comfortable new-generation seats, and greatly improved sound deadening. The same is certainly true of the Wilderness, though an ever-so-slightly wavier ride is present on the Wilderness.

Similarly, drivetrain complaints carry over to the Wilderness, with the 2.5-liter FB25D flat-four providing the minimum necessary power and nothing more. In the course of four Subaru press drives this year, we've found it best to leave the 8-speed Lineartronic CVT to its own devices, noting acceleration is bizarrely best without your foot to the floor.

Inside the Crosstrek Wilderness, the interior is nearly identical to other higher-trim Crosstreks. The slightly confusing but responsive enough 11.6-inch Multimedia system remains segment competitive while easy-to-clean Subaru StarTex seat materials are particularly important in the Wilderness.