To anyone paying attention, it became apparent that SUVs were going to be the next big thing back in the early 1990s. The category was enjoying steadily increasing popularity, even as Ford Explorers (the vehicle credited with starting the SUV boom) were rolling over like mobsters trying to skirt RICO charges. Recognizing the trend, Subaru realized it had nothing to offer, so it came up with an idea that proved wildly successful.

The company’s engineering team raised the ride height of the Legacy station wagon, fitted it with more aggressive tires and lower body cladding and named it “Legacy Outback.” Today, Outback is a standalone model (still based on the Legacy wagon BTW), and has spawned siblings. Which brings us to the subject of this review, the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. The Crosstrek, which is heavily revised for 2024, is also based upon one of Subaru’s cars—the Impreza.

In order to provide you with an honest and unbiased review, I drove the vehicle reviewed in this article on a daily basis throughout the course of daily life for a period of one week. For detailed insight into testing procedures and data collection, please review our methodology policy .

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness First Impressions

This raises the question; is the Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness really a compact SUV, or is it just a hatchback that likes to hike? And, if the latter is the case, does that mean the basic Crosstrek is just an Impreza that enjoys long walks in the woods? After all, the Crosstrek Wilderness is essentially the Crosstrek outfitted to deal with exceptionally rugged terrain. To this end, Subaru’s engineering gurus specified a taller set of springs to elevate the Crosstrek’s ride height by six tenths of an inch—for a total of 9.3 inches. An aluminum skidplate was added underneath to defend against any misjudged obstacles that might otherwise tear the bottom out of the little Subaru. The Wilderness also got a set of Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 tires mounted on black 17-inch wheels. The Yoko’s beefy treads gave the Wilderness good bite on loose soil and gravel. They’re also better suited to dealing with sharp rocks.

Visual cues included large areas of matte black plastic cladding, a redesigned grille and gold accents on the bumpers and the roof rack. Far from just cosmetic though (okay, yes the gold accents are just for show), the additions really do improve the Subaru’s mountaineering skills. The result is an Impreza that does quite well in offroad situations.

Exterior Dimensions

Driving Impressions And Performance

Remarkably though, even with its upgraded propensity for doing dirt, the Crosstrek Wilderness remains comfortable on pavement. In fact, it could be argued the suspension enhancements actually made it ride more comfortably on the road. That said, I found the steering feel could have been better, as it came across as somewhat numb. On the other hand, the Wilderness did exhibit minimal body roll and more than sufficient grip on twisty pavement.

Naturally, the Crosstrek Wilderness employs Subaru’s outstanding all-wheel drive system, which, in this case, is supplemented by Subaru’s X-Mode. This enabled me to adapt the powertrain’s transmission, throttle, and torque distribution calibrations to suit the various types of terrain I encountered. The X-Mode also introduced hill descent control, which could limit the Crosstrek’s speed to 12 miles per hour on steep downhill sections without any input from me—once it was activated and set.

Power comes from a 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four, which feeds 182 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque through a continuously variable transmission. Given the Crosstrek Wilderness weighs 3,447 pounds, this isn’t a lot of power and the Crosstrek Wilderness cannot credibly be called quick—or fast for that matter. Top speed is a quoted 120 miles per hour, while its zero to 60 came in at just under nine seconds in my timed test runs.

On the other hand, the engine proved itself more than capable of sending the Crosstrek Wilderness scurrying over loose gravel, slogging through streams and climbing the steep inclines at which I pointed it. I attributed this to the fact the Wilderness has a 4.11:1 final drive ratio, compared to the standard Crosstrek’s 3.70:1. This shorter gearing made the most of the torque generated by the engine, when I pressed the Wilderness Crosstrek to perform vigorously.

Performance Specifications

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness Fuel Economy

The EPA says you can expect to see 25 MPG in the city, 29 on the highway and 27 overall. According to the Subaru’s trip computer, I averaged 24.7 MPG over the course of a week of varied types of driving. This included short freeway stints, aggressively attacking two-lane back roads with lots of curves and a day of mild off-roading. Happily, the Crosstrek Wilderness wasn’t all diva-ish about its fuel preference, as it ran quite contentedly on regular.

Interior Design And Comfort

Inside, those golden accents were repeated on the steering wheel and the stitching on the “StarTex” synthetic fabric upholstering the seats. Rubber floor mats are part of the Wilderness package as well. Aside from those differences, the interior design is shared with the other Crosstrek trim levels. Perhaps best thought of as utilitarian, the accommodations were low on pizazz and high on functionality. All controls were logically placed, which meant I didn’t have to hunt around when I needed something right away. The Crosstrek Wilderness was also surprisingly quiet, even with the Yokohama’s exaggerated tread patterns.

The seats were supportive, the driving position was comfortable and there was more than sufficient legroom in the front seats. Rear-seat passengers would be okay for short trips. Don’t expect to spend a full day off-roading with four adults though—unless two of them have very short legs.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

The Crosstrek Wilderness, positioned as it is at the top of the Crosstrek range, has the 11.6-inch infotainment display that looked to me like somebody grafted a full-sized iPad into the dash. The screen was so large it became the focal point of the interior. Flanking it were conventional dials for volume control and tuning the radio. I found these to be particularly user-friendly when I needed to make adjustments while under way. Grasp, twist and release were all it took, rather than trying to accomplish precise adjustments by sliding a finger on the touchscreen. More automakers could learn from this example. The screen’s iconography was large and easily comprehended, which made accessing the features it controlled pretty straightforward.

Wireless Carplay and Android support were included, as was an inductive charging pad for my iPhone. Driver assistance tech included Subaru's “EyeSight” package, which monitored traffic movement and optimized the cruise control to match. EyeSight also warned me when I approached the lines delineating my lanes on the freeway. It also helped keep the Subaru centered in its lane.

Cargo And Storage Space

Folding the rear seats afforded me some 64 cubic feet of cargo capacity. The rear hatch opened widely, and the floor was low. This made loading freight easy to do. That space contracted to 32.1 cubic feet with the rear seat deployed, which I still found to be generous, given the overall size of the Crosstrek. The storage pockets in the front doors were deep and featured cutouts for holding water bottles in place.

2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness Vs. Its Competitors

Given its price point, size and offroad prowess, cross-shopping the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness against the Jeep Compass Trailhawk and Ford Bronco Sport Badlands makes good sense. Pricewise, Crosstrek Wilderness is the least expensive, starting at $32,195. Bronco Sport Badlands starts at $38,390 while the Compass Trailhawk starts at $33,895. The Crosstrek is also the smallest of the three. However, it is capable of going pretty much anyplace the Ford and the Jeep will go—and bringing you back again.

How The Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness Compares To The Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

• 	2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness	2024 Ford Bronco Sport
  Model	Crosstrek Wilderness	2024 Ford Bronco Sport
  Engine	2.5-Liter Horizontally Opposed Four-Cylinder	1.5L Ti-VCT GTDI I-3 / 2.0L Ti-VCT GTDI I-4
  Transmission	CVT W/ OD	8-Speed automatic SelectShift w/ paddle shifters
  Horsepower	182 HP @ 3,700 RPM	181 HP @ 6,000 RPM / 250 HP @ 5,500 RPM
  Torque	178 LB-FT @ 3,700 RPM	190 Lb.-Ft. @ 3,000 RPM / 277 Lb.-Ft. @ 3,000 RPM
  Driveline	Front Engine/All-Wheel Drive	4x4 / Advanced 4x4
  Starting Price (MSRP)	$32,195	$31,230 - $38,390
  Towing Capacity	3,500 Pounds	2,000 - 2,500 Pounds

Like the Subaru, the Bronco Sport Badlands is the most off-road capable version of its model line, which is based on the Ford Escape. Power is sourced from a 250-horsepower turbocharged and intercooled inline-four, which also makes 277 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission feeds all four wheels. Thus, in addition to being the most expensive of the three, it’s also the most powerful. On the other hand, it’s also the heaviest, though not by a significant enough margin to make it slower than the Jeep or the Subaru. Bronco Badlands is also thoughtfully equipped, offering features like lane keeping assistance, a cargo compartment capable of holding two mountain bikes and a bottle opener in the rear hatch.

How The Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness Compares To The Jeep Compass Trailhawk

• 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness

  Make

  Subaru

  Model

  Crosstrek Wilderness

  Segment

  crossover

  Engine

  2.5-Liter Horizontally Opposed Four-Cylinder

  Transmission

  CVT W/ OD

  Horsepower

  182 HP @ 3,700 RPM

  Torque

  178 LB-FT @ 3,700 RPM

  Driveline

  Front Engine/All-Wheel Drive

  Range

  481.4 Highway

  0-60 MPH

  8.6 Seconds

  Quarter-Mile

  16.4 Seconds

• 2024 Jeep Compass Trailhawk

  Make

  Jeep

  Model

  Compass Trailhawk

  Segment

  SUVs

  Engine

  2.0-Liter Turbocharged DOHC Four-Cylinder

  Transmission

  Eight-Speed Automatic w/Overdrive

  Horsepower

  200 HP @ 5,000 RPM

  Torque

  221 LB-FT @ 1,7500 RPM

  Driveline

  AWD

  Range

  432 Miles Highway

  0-60 MPH

  7.5 Seconds

  Quarter-Mile

  15.8 Seconds

In addition to being the mid-priced offering here, it’s also middle of the road in terms of performance. The Jeep runs a 200-horsepower turbo four, which is capable of generating 221 lb-ft of torque. Like the Ford, an eight-speed transmission does power routing duty to all four wheels here as well. The Jeep offers slightly less cargo capacity than the Ford and isn’t quite as fast—though it’s still respectable for a vehicle in this category. Being a Jeep, the Compass Trailhawk’s offroad prowess is well in line with the Subaru’s and the Ford’s. However, the Jeep can also be said to be more nicely equipped than the Ford or the Subaru.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, I’d be most inclined to go with Jeep here. It’s the best looking of the three. It’s priced right in the middle and it’s equipped better. That said, the Subaru does make a convincing case for itself overall. However, it can’t match the Ford or the Jeep in terms of power output or sheer offroad capability. It doesn’t measure up in terms of cargo capacity either. Don’t get me wrong, the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness is remarkably capable. And, I certainly wouldn’t dissuade you from buying one. I just think the Jeep is a better fit in this category if you’re really into off-roading and other types of outdoor adventures.