2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness
The one thing about the Subaru Crosstrek that you might not know is how it can do more than just drive around town.
It certainly has the chops to take you through the desert or up in the mountains on a rutted trail. However, a stock Crosstrek might not have all of the features that would make the trek more manageable.
For the past couple of years, Subaru added a Wilderness trim to their Outback and Forester models. The result is a higher ground clearance, the use of all-terrain tires, an improved X-Mode system for better traction on rougher terrain, and a distinctive appearance package.
The Wilderness versions of the Outback and Forester became so popular that Subaru was looking at other models to see which one could get the Wilderness treatment. They selected one – and it would be the obvious choice. The Crosstrek.
We had to try out the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness to see if giving it more off-road credibility elevates an already superb vehicle.
The starting point is a Crosstrek built on Subaru’s Global Platform. This smaller crossover received necessary improvements for 2024, starting with 10% more body rigidity than the previous version. The 2024 Crosstrek include an enlarged grille and front bumper skin, the claw-type taillights and rear bumper design.
The Wilderness adds more exterior enhancements. Those enhancements include more aggressive body cladding, front end clip, and rear bumper. The grille is given a more rugged treatment. Ground clearance is raised by over half-an-inch to 9.3 inches. Black-painted 17-inch wheels have all-terrain tires mounted on them. A matte black hood decal, copper-colored trimmings, and Wilderness badges finish the Crosstrek Wilderness’ exterior look.
Dominating the 2024 Crosstrek dashboard is a new 11.6-inch Starlink portrait touchscreen in the center stack. This elevates the technology package with a few tactile controls on each side of the extensive screen. The instrumentation binnacle is clean, with an informative digital screen in-between the two analog dials. The steering wheel adds improved tactile controls with more copper trim all around.
Front seat comfort is really good. The Wilderness seats are upholstered in a water-resistant StarTex material. The front seats are accommodating and supportive, with plenty of bolstering. Rear seat room is actually good for people just over six-feet tall. You can sit up to five inside the Crosstrek without any fatigue. The cargo space is actually very useful, starting with 19.9 cubic feet expanding to 54.7 cubic feet with the rear seat down.
The Crosstrek Wilderness is powered by a 182-horsepower 2.5-liter horizontally opposed “Boxer” four-cylinder engine. It also puts down 178 pound-feet of torque. With the continuously variable transmission and Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, this engine will do the job of getting you around. The CVT does wind up before settling into a cruise.
You can also enable X-MODE for improved traction through the touchscreen. The latter has settings for Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud, along with a Low Speed/Low Ratio Gradient Control for managing steep inclines. In terms of fuel consumption, we experienced an average of 24.4 MPG.
The Crosstrek’s ride quality is very good, thanks to an enhanced suspension set-up with longer coil springs and shocks. With this new set-up, suspension travel is well-managed and absorbs the bumps and cracks on all sorts of roads. Cornering is good with nominal roll and lean. Maneuverability is also very good, which makes for good handling all around.
Overall, the Crosstrek Wilderness’ steering was decent with solid on-center feel and weight. Brake pedal feel was solid and responsive down to the calipers. We experienced very good stops in normal and panic situations.
The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek lineup is available in five rim levels. Pricing for the 2024 Crosstrek starts from $25,195. Our Wilderness tester came with a sticker price of $35,560.
The Crosstrek is already a fine vehicle for its class. The Wilderness model is more desirable because of its capabilities. Its direct competitors include the Chevrolet Trailblazer Activ, Kia Seltos X-Line, Jeep Renegade Trailhawk and Compass Trailhawk. Other competitive vehicles include the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross, Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda HR-V, Volkswagen Taos, Fiat 500X, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, and Buick Encore GX.
The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness is exactly what adventure seeking people with active lifestyles is looking for. It’s small enough to manage most outdoor activities, while being practical when running errands or commuting. At a price point that’s agreeable, you will definitely fall in love with this adventure seeking vehicle.
Credits: CarSoup Editors
