Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness (2024)

Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness

Today, Subaru of America introduced the latest member of its Wilderness family, the 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness, at the New York International Auto Show. The car combines Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and an updated drivetrain with standard X-MODE, a high 9.3-inch ground clearance, and exclusive body cladding, making it the most robust and trail-ready Crosstrek to date.

In addition to its already impressive standard features, the Crosstrek Wilderness has unique mechanical, design, and functional upgrades that increase its ability to handle off-road conditions. Crucially, the new model maintains the Crosstrek's well-known blend of SUV capability and a smooth car-like ride and handling. The Crosstrek Wilderness is also outfitted with various interior and exterior details that make it particularly suitable for carrying outdoor equipment, even when wet or muddy.

The Crosstrek Wilderness has a 2.5-liter direct-injection SUBARU BOXER® engine that produces 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. To enhance the car's off-road performance, Subaru updated the drivetrain by installing a revised differential gear ratio and retuned Lineartronic CVT. The new 4.111 final drive ratio (compared to 3.700) improves the SUV's ability to climb, and the updated CVT tuning optimizes traction on slippery surfaces and at low speeds. Additionally, the car's maximum towing capacity has more than doubled to 3,500 lbs. because of the transmission oil cooler addition.

The Wilderness and other 2024 Crosstrek models come with Subaru's EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology, which has won awards. The tech includes Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Braking, Pre-Collision Throttle Management, Lane Departure and Sway Warning, and Lead Vehicle Start Alert. The new model also has Blind-Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert as standard features.

The Crosstrek Wilderness has Automatic Emergency Steering as a standard feature, which works with EyeSight and Blind-Spot Detection to help with steering control and prevent collisions at speeds under 50 mph. The car also comes with Standard Reverse Automatic Braking, which provides additional safety in narrow trail situations and while parking.

Design + Function = Unique Wilderness Style

The Crosstrek Wilderness design combines style and function to create a rugged appearance that catches attention. To showcase its improved off-road performance, the car has an exclusive look with new front and rear bumpers, a bold hexagonal front grille, larger wheel arch cladding, a metal front skid plate, unique hex-design LED fog lights, and an anti-glare hood decal with a matte-black finish.

The car has Subaru Wilderness badges on the front doors and rear gate. It also has a body-color roof spoiler and black side mirrors with integrated turn signals that complement the SUV's tough look. The car comes in several colors, including the exclusive Geyser Blue for the Wilderness family.

The Crosstrek Wilderness has a versatile ladder-type roof rack system that can carry up to 176 lbs. dynamically and 700 lbs. statically, making it safe for larger rooftop tents. The roof rail design allows for flexibility in fitting various carrying accessories, including Genuine Subaru Accessories from Subaru retailers.

Off-Road Capability

The 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness has exclusive suspension components that give it a 9.3-inch ground clearance, which is over half an inch higher than the other Crosstrek models that are already among the highest in their segment. Longer coil springs and shock absorbers provide the added ground clearance while special tuning maintains the car's dynamic performance.

Longer travel strokes for the front and rear shock absorbers help improve vehicle stability on rough surfaces. The car also has a longer dampening compression stroke that helps absorb shock on rough road surfaces for a smoother ride. Despite the increased ground clearance, the Crosstrek Wilderness still has a low step-in height for easy entry.

The Wilderness model of the 2024 Crosstrek increases approach angle from 18.0 to 20.0 degrees, departure angle from 30.1 to 33.0 degrees, and ramp breakover angle from 19.7 to 21.1 degrees. The SUV also features Yokohama GEOLANDAR® all-terrain tires that are mounted on exclusive 17-inch alloy wheels in matte-black finish and have raised white letters. These tires provide optimal performance in mud, gravel, or snow.

X-MODE for Maximum Control

Subaru's driver-selectable dual-function X-MODE comes standard on the Crosstrek Wilderness. The system includes Snow / Dirt and Deep Snow / Mud modes, which optimize the engine output and CVT ratio positions, increase the Active All-Wheel Drive engagement, and enhance the control logic of the Vehicle Dynamics Control with Traction Control System. The X-MODE display also includes a Roll-Angle Indicator to help the driver assess potentially hazardous situations.

When the X-MODE system is turned on, the Crosstrek Wilderness becomes a nimble climber. The Low Speed / Low Ratio Gradient Control senses when the vehicle is moving at low speed on a steep incline and shifts the CVT to its lowest ratio (4.066:1). With the Wilderness model’s lower differential ratios, this system enhances rough off-pavement, low-speed drivability over rocks and other situations that require repeated on/off accelerator usage.

The vehicle also comes with standard Hill Descent Control that will engage individual wheel braking on downgrades when driven under 12 mph with less than 10 percent pressure on the accelerator pedal. This helps control vehicle speed. All 2024 Crosstrek models come with Active Torque Vectoring, which improves handling stability on both road and trail.

An Interior designed for the Outdoors

Subaru designed the Crosstrek Wilderness interior with both comfort and durability in mind. The seats are upholstered in Subaru StarTex®, a water-resistant material featuring the Subaru Wilderness logo embossed in the front headrests. Bold copper colored contrast stitching accents the interior, matching the anodized copper-finish accents on the shifter, gauge meter rings and leather-wrapped steering wheel. The driver is greeted with a Wilderness logo displayed in the meter at start-up.

The black pillar trim, assist grips, overhead console, and headliner are paired with Gunmetal Grey trim on the dash, doors, and shifter plate. All-weather floor mats feature a unique Wilderness design. The cargo area includes a removable, water-resistant tray to protect the load floor from wet and muddy gear. Additionally, an LED light on the rear gate provides better nighttime visibility.

The Crosstrek Wilderness has the SUBARU STARLINK 11.6-inch Multimedia Plus system as standard. It features a high-resolution 11.6-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay® and wireless Android Auto™ with full-screen display. Other features include Bluetooth® hands-free phone and audio streaming connectivity, AM/FM stereo, rear vision camera, SiriusXM® All-Access Radio, SiriusXM Travel Link® (4-month free Platinum Plan), HD Radio®, and over-the-air updates.

The multimedia system also doubles as a center information display with on-screen controls for vehicle functions. Additionally, the Wilderness comes with a wireless phone charger located in the center console.

Competitively Priced Adventure Compact SUV

The Crosstrek Wilderness is priced at $31,995 and includes many standard features. These features consist of Keyless Access with Push-Button Start, SI-Drive engine performance management system, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System with individual tire display. The SUV also has USB-A and USB-C ports, dual-zone automatic climate control, and the All-Weather Package with heated front seats, windshield and exterior mirrors. Additionally, the vehicle has steering responsive LED headlights.

You can add an available option package to the Crosstrek Wilderness for $2,270, which includes a Power Moonroof, 10-way power driver seat with 2-way lumbar support, and a Harman Kardon® 10-speaker system with 432-watt equivalent amplifier.

The 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness will be available at Subaru dealerships starting in the fall. It will be manufactured at Subaru of Indiana Automotive in Lafayette, Indiana, along with the other Crosstrek models, Ascent, Legacy, and Outback.

Crosstrek and Crosstrek Wilderness Compared