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Subaru’s off-road enhanced Wilderness variants confirmed for Australia

 

High-riding Outback, Forester and Crosstrek variants on the cards to spice up the local lineup


After much anticipation, Subaru Australia has confirmed to Chasing Cars that the Wilderness off-road oriented variants will be coming to local shores. However, it has stopped short of confirming whether it will be offered in Outback, Forester or Crosstrek guises.  

Subaru Australia’s managing director Blair Read said that the Australian arm was working hard to bring the off-road focused variants to local dealerships. 

“Wilderness will come within the range. We are working hard on plans to get Wilderness models to Australia.

Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness 2023 trailer
The upcoming Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness with a trailer!

“So they will come. I can’t tell you when or in what way just yet, but they’ll definitely come in the future,” Read said. 

What is Wilderness, exactly?

Wilderness is an off-road trim grade that was first launched for the North American market. It started with the Outback model which had raised ground clearance, specific off-road suspension, underbody protection and an off-road wheel and tyre package. 

2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness rear 3/4
Subaru also makes an Outback Wilderness that could come to Australia

Currently, in the US, the Wilderness grade can also be optioned on the Forester, and has most recently been announced for the upcoming 2024 Crosstrek. 

The Crosstrek will feature much of the same off-road appearances, a higher 236mm ride height, increased arrival and departure angles, a revised differential ratio, but no additional performance changes to the engine. 

2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness camping setup
The 2022 version of the Subaru Forester Wilderness with rooftop tent

Although so far unconfirmed, it’s possible that the Crosstrek Wilderness in Australia could bring with it a more potent 2.5-litre flat-four engine that currently produces 135kW/238Nm in the US market. 

As the Crosstrek Wilderness has only just been announced in America, it’s likely that the first Wilderness models we will see locally will be for the Outback and Forester.

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