Subaru Doubles Down on Off-Road Adventure With 2022 Forester Wilderness
Subaru is steadily revealing its 2022 lineup, and there’s one particular widespread thread we’re psyched about: Wilderness. Coming on the heels of the 2022 Outback Wilderness debut, the Japanese automaker has unveiled the 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness, and it takes the company’s compact SUV even additional into off-highway adventure territory. With updates like improved floor clearance and a beefed-up roof rack, it is aimed squarely at campers and outside fans of all stripes.
The revamped Forester lineup includes various trim stages in addition to the Wilderness package deal, but all are powered by Subaru’s 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine, which places out 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque. That electricity will get despatched to all four wheels by way of the company’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Generate program and a normal constantly variable transmission. But all those are just the essentials, and Subaru has offered the Forester Wilderness some important tweaks to make it far more able off the pavement.

The most notable variations are in the suspension and drivetrain. The Forester Wilderness will come with longer coil springs and shock absorbers to give it 9.2 inches of ground clearance—a fifty percent-inch bump around the standard Forester. That’ll assist it generate around obstructions (a entrance skid plate supplies protection if you do scrape a rock), and the greater suspension vacation will better soak up bumps on rough trails, much too. It’s geared up with a terrain-certain X-Mode selector that can enhance the engine’s torque and the CVT’s equipment ratios to aid you ability by way of snow and grime, as perfectly as deep snow drifts and muddy conditions.
The Wilderness also arrives with exceptional 17-inch alloy wheels in a smooth matte-black finish, and they have on Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires for trusted grip in the free things. And if you do control to punch a gap in one particular, there’s a full-sizing spare below the ground of the rear cargo area.

Like rooftop tents? You are in luck: The SUV comes with a strengthened roof rack that can handle up to 220 pounds when relocating and support up to 800 lbs . although parked—a 100-pound boost above the 2021 Forester’s static roof load rating. The rack also characteristics designed-in tie-down spots to preserve your gear in spot and dazzling orange metallic accents that match the trim on the relaxation of the auto. If tow-powering campers are much more your thing, the Forester Wilderness can accommodate that, also: It capabilities a towing capability of up to 3,000 kilos.

To enhance the mechanical variations, the Wilderness bundle contains a restyled front grille, larger wheel arch cladding, and hexagonal LED fog lights. Even the interior is punched up to deal with the outside: The seats are clad in a drinking water-resistant cloth to avert stains. The lone optional upgrade will get you an even more luxe practical experience inside, which includes an eight-inch infotainment screen and a Harman Kardon sound process. Who claims you have to tough it when you’re in the backcountry?
[Starting at $32,820; subaru.com]
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