2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness - Subaru builds a more rugged version of its Outback
202022 Subaru Outback Wilderness
Subaru builds a more rugged version of its Outback, one for the hard-core adventurers.
“Work hard. Play harder. I am wired for outdoor adventure, have a go-getter spirit and always say ‘yes’ to new challenges so I can live a life full of transformative experiences. I’m game for adventure, whether that means carving slopes through freshly fallen powder, car camping in the winter of hiking to the tallest peak. I’ll only opt for authentic and credible brands that fit my lifestyle. I can smell a phony from a mile and will call it out.”
What? Oh, not me! No, no, I am wired for mowing the lawn, have a mañana spirit and always say yes to an afternoon nap. The above is what Subaru confidently trusts is the mantra-like philosophy of the adventure seekers it is targeting for its new 2022 Outback Wilderness.
Though generally inured from what might be considered a pretentious marketing cliché — were it coming from most other manufacturers hyping their latest sport-utes — it doesn’t take an extreme sports type to appreciate the effort Subaru put into making the Outback a more attractive proposition to its outdoor-active customer base. Individually, the improvements to the crossover-wagon are small; collectively they add up.
To wear the Wilderness badge, the Outback has been significantly worked over stem to stern, the result being demonstrably enhanced off-road capability (more on this later). The key difference between it and other compact crossovers with specific off-road packages — think Toyota RAV4 Trail AWD, Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and Ford Bronco Sport Badlands as the primary competition — is what Subaru says will be a minimal trade-off in on-road comfort and handling.
As to why the Outback was selected for this overt transformation and not the automaker’s more popular selling Crosstrek or Forester, Ted Lalka, senior advisor at Subaru Canada, says it came about after noticing customers were modifying their vehicles. “We saw an opportunity to attract a new set of buyers who were interested in a vehicle that not only had added capabilities but also looked like a tougher and more rugged vehicle. That led to the creation of Outback Wilderness.”
The design elements that bulk up the Outback to Wilderness tough are numerous: a revised front grille within a new front bumper, a reworked rear bumper, larger wheel-arch cladding, black exterior trim on door mirrors, window mouldings, roof rails, front grille and badging, a black hood decal to minimize sun glare on bright, off-road trails. There’s more: Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires mounted on matte-black alloy wheels, LED hexagonal fog lamps and four skid plates — two under the engine and one each under the transmission and rear differential. Fixed roof rails offer 318 kilograms of static load capacity with four tie-down points, as well as front and rear tow-point covers.
That’s just the visual. More substantive are the mechanical tweaks. With the introduction of the sixth-generation Outback last year, Subaru dropped the previous generation’s optional six-cylinder engine in favour of a 260-horsepower, turbocharged 2.4-litre boxer four-cylinder that runs on 87 octane. The engine, which also generates 277 pound-feet of torque at 2,000 rpm, is paired with a Lineartronic CVT featuring an eight-speed manual mode function with steering wheel paddle shifters. Towing capacity is unchanged at 1,588 kilograms (3,500 lb).
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