, it helps to know what kind you want and to put it to the test. However, for those who want a car that can do it all off-road, it’s a little harder to test.

You can’t just take a shiny new car off the lot and drive it through muddy backroads. Or can you?

Subaru Forest Wilderness vs Toyota RAV4 TRD at Mudfest

While you can’t take a car off the lot and drive it anywhere you please to test drive; you can sometimes go to annual events and test drive cars on specific tracks.

For off-roading capabilities, Mudfest, an annual event hosted by the Northwest Automotive Press Association, is your event.

The Northwest Automotive Press Association has been around since 1991 and after postponing at the start of the pandemic, it’s continued to its 27th annual Mudfest competition at the Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington.

Mudfest offers a couple of courses to drive, with various types of terrain for vehicles to test their mettle on, such as a general road, water-crossing, obstacles like log piles and deep rutted muddy terrain, as well as gravel.

At the event, journalists tested about 20 different vehicles from various companies and awarded winners for a variety of categories. But one fun thing that came from it is learning how vehicles like the Subaru Forest Wilderness and Toyota RAV3 TRD stack up, not just on paper.

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On paper Subaru Forest Wilderness vs Toyota RAV4 TRD

The Subaru Forest Wilderness’s base level price is $33,945 and is an all-wheel drive vehicle with space for five. It’s not particularly speedy, getting to 60 mph in 8 seconds, according to

Car and Driver

. But speed isn’t what you want for off-roading.

The Toyota RAV4 TRD’s base level price is $37,155 and is also an all-wheel drive vehicle with space for five.

Car and Driver

report it takes 8.4 seconds to get to 60 mph, and there’s a plethora of expensive add-ons, pushing prices upwards of $40,000.

Both vehicles run on 2.5 Liter 4 cylinder engines with no turbocharging. They have hill descent control and standard skid plates but no axle locking. They both have standard dual-zone climate controls, power front seats, off-road terrain modes, and similar safety features.

The Subaru Forester Wilderness debuted recently in 2022, while the Toyota RAV4 TRD joined Toyota’s lineup in 2020. The Subaru offers 26 mpg combined, while the Toyota offers 28 mpg.

For power, the Subaru can tow a max of 3,000, while the Toyota can tow 3,500 pounds, but the Subaru offers a roof rack that can hold 800 pounds. As for ground clearance, the Subaru has 9.2 inches while the Toyota has 8.6 inches clearance.

When it comes to built-in additions, the Toyota offers a plug-in with 120 volts to charge whatever you need on your camping trip. But the Subaru offers a spare tire (full size), 6-point LED fog lights, and a rear hatch light also LED.

Subaru Forest Wilderness’s vs Toyota RAV4 TRD interior tech

Strength and power aside, the comfort of the Toyota RAV4 TRD wins out internally. Though mostly through optional add-ons, like luxurious sculpted seats that can be heated or ventilated, rubber climate knobs and an intuitive control panel, and a wireless charging pad for your phone.

An optional 360-degree overhead camera, rearview mirror monitors, heated steering wheel, optional rain-sensing windshield wipers, and reverse automatic braking can up how much your car costs and your comfort. There are about $5700 worth of optional add-ons.

The Subaru Forest Wilderness, on the other hand, is less fancy, with cheaper interior materials, a smaller infotainment screen, and a cubby for a phone, though whether your phone will fit or not will depend. It’s got better legroom at 39.4 inches. (Toyota’s is 37.8)

The reverse automatic braking comes standard on the Subaru and has great visibility. You can even add a camera to see the obstacles in front of you and zoom in.

Forbe’s test of the Subaru Forest Wilderness vs Toyota RAV4 TRD at Mudfest

Now that we’ve established that the Subaru Forest Wilderness is cheaper but the Toyota RAV4 can lug all your gear, charge your campsite, and is nicer on the inside, it’s time to look at how they fare in real life and off-roading.

Forbes

sent some of their journalists to Mudfest to figure out which one was better for off-roading, and they found that while driving, the Subaru Forest Wilderness’s cheaper interior lets in a whole lot of road noise. But the Toyota RAV4 TRD isn’t completely quiet.

They both offer these off-roading capabilities however the system in place for off-roading for the Toyota RAV4 TRD makes itself known and tends to be noisy or sound like it’s struggling to handle leaving a regular trail for anything moderately challenging, which seems to be a theme.

On a general track, the Toyota RAV4 TRD had heavy steering that caused a lot of lean-on turns, while the Subaru Forester had quicker and better handling. Its ground clearance allowed it to leave the trails and have a good time while the Toyota felt every kick of gravel.

The Subaru offers an “X-Mode,” allowing it to keep traction on slippery surfaces and types of terrain like snow and mud, allowing it to get through deeply rutted mud. In contrast, the testers of the Toyota felt all the terrain unless it was gentler.

The winner depends on what you want from it.

For an off-roading adventure into the wild, the Subaru Forester Wilderness is for you and will be kinder to your wallet. But if you want to go glamping and drag all your creature comforts with you, the Toyota RAV4 TRD will get you there in style.

MORE: What Should You Spend on Off-Road Lights?

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