2024 Subaru OUTBACK
Wilderness Review
Driving this armoured station wagon feels like just that: something high off the ground and not particularly athletic in the corners, but incredibly smooth over beaten roads and potholes. The amount of travel in the suspension system is impressive as it simply takes the hits. I drove this thing during a generous portion of snowfall and the thing never flinched.
Subaru is sometimes seen as the black sheep of the automotive industry. It’s an underdog, if you will. It builds atypical, all-wheel-drive vehicles, powered by Boxer-style engines, and these cars cater more to adventurous, outdoorsy types, than to sleek, suitand-tie entrepreneurs.
In recent years, Subaru has capitalized on this outdoorsy promise. It’s done so by adding more plastic cladding to its vehicles and transforming almost all of its vehicles but three — the BRZ, the Impreza and the Legacy — into some form of raised, adventure-ready utilitarian apparatus. The trim on the Wilderness, therefore comes as no surprise. It’s the inevitable evolution of the breed. Subaru now offers it on the Forester and the Crosstrek, but the Outback was where that it all started.
This lifted station wagon on steroids illustrates everything the Subaru brand represents.
From a mechanical standpoint, the Outback Wilderness is the model’s most potent form. Sitting at the core of the lineup (there are seven trim levels to choose from), with a starting price of $47,311, this fortified station wagon comes out of box with some significant modifications that, according to Subaru, enables it to claw its way up that next mountain adventure even better.
For instance, its ride height is raised by 25 millimetres, while its shock absorbers have been replaced by beefier units, specially designed for Wilderness duty. Skid plates have been installed underneath to protect the engine, the transmission, and the rear differential (enables the wheels to move at different speeds).
Subaru then fiddled with the
design of the front and rear bumpers to improve the angle of attack and departure on the car, so it can drive over an obstacle without damaging its underpinnings. These have gone from 18.4 degrees to 19.6 degrees, and from 21.7 degrees to 18.4 degrees, respectively. The car’s sole transmission option, a continuously variable type (CVT), has been modified via revised programming, while the rear differential got a revised ratio to help the Outback crawl its way out of a slippery chasm better.
Subaru wraps the entire package in Yokohama Geolander G015 off-road tires, tow hooks, unique LED fog lights and a fortified roof rack that can sustain up to 700 pounds (318 kg) of payload weight — ideal for a tent, or a pair of professional surf kayaks. This is serious stuff, kids.
Only one engine powers the Outback Wilderness, Subaru’s now ubiquitous 2.4-litre, turbocharged flat-fourcylinder (Boxer-type, that is to say the cylinders are arranged horizontal to the crankshaft and jab outwards like a, er, boxer), mated to the company’s tried and proven symmetrical allwheel drive system. It’s good for a stout 260 horsepower and 277 pounds-feet of torque (driving force).
Loaded with four-wheel grip and never afraid to take on the elements, the Outback Wilderness is the companion you’ll want during the apocalypse.
While not particularly attractive, this Subaru proves once more that a station wagon is, indeed, a formidable format for family use. Rear leg and head room are on par with most SUVs in this segment, and the available 2,140 litres of total cargo space when all seats are folded flat humiliates some competing crossovers.
Punch the accelerator pedal in the Wilderness and there’s never a shortage of power on tap. That overfed Boxer engine provides a generous amount of instant torque as well as a linear delivery of power. The goeverywhere hardware does, however, increase the car’s fuel consumption. I could barely keep it under 11 litres/100 km while I had it. This is the price you pay to conquer all conditions.
There are some flaws, but they are few. The drivetrain is buzzy due to a CVT that’s constantly hunting for the right RPM. General sound-deadening isn’t on a par with some of its rivals, and Subaru’s EyeSight driving aid technology really doesn’t like bad weather; it kept sending pestering beeps my way. Flashing bright yellow warning signs in the instrument cluster stated that the system had failed the moment a bit of snow fell on the car. That’s odd, considering the Wilderness’ tackle-anything promise. But you can turn this off, so you and your family can focus on your survival route.