The Subaru
Outback is just a great little compact car. There's probably more of an elegant way to put that, but the Outback regularly impresses with thoughtful touches and overall quality. With the Subaru Outback Wilderness, though, Subaru hopes to turn the compact into an off-road beast. According to Car and Driver
, the goal for the Outback Wilderness variant is to help the Outback succeed on different terrains. Well, it succeeds sometimes anyway. The test drive by Car and Driver demonstrated what the Subaru Outback Wilderness can do—as well as what it can't do. The Subaru Outback Wilderness is ready for off-road driving
The Subaru Outback Wilderness takes the base Outback and adds tweaks throughout to prepare it for driving off the road. Naturally, the Wilderness includes four-wheel-drive, but this is standard for almost all Outback models. Real changes can be seen elsewhere in the compact.
For starters, the Wilderness is powered by a 2.4-liter 260-horsepower engine. There are more powerful engines out there, but it gives the Wilderness the extra power necessary to go out beyond the road.
Suspension is important when facing obstacles off-road, and the Subaru Outback Wilderness sports a lifted suspension to help clear tough terrain. The Wilderness is also equipped with a skid plate and all-terrain tires.
How well does the Outback Wilderness perform in different terrains?
MORE: Toyota Uses Its RAV4 Prime to Dethrone the Subaru Outback
These specs make the Subaru Outback Wilderness sound capable, but how does it perform in practice? On Car and Driver's test drive in an off-road park, the results were mixed.
The Wilderness had moments where it thrived, doing more than a standard Outback could ever do. For example, when the test driver encountered a fallen log, they were able to clear it with no problems. However, there were other moments where the compact SUV struggled.
For example, the driver encountered water and decided to power through it after seeing ATVs successfully clear it. However, when the Subaru Outback Wilderness tried to make it through, it stalled. They were able to restart the vehicle, but after traveling a bit further, it stalled again.
Another rough moment came when the Outback Wilderness got stuck in the mud. When this happened, they had to use a powerful Ford Raptor to tow them out. Any vehicle can get stuck in the mud, though, so this should not be seen as a big strike against the Wilderness.
For normal driving, the Subaru Outback impresses
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The Subaru Outback Wilderness is a capable, albeit limited, off-road compact. How does the regular 2022 Outback perform, though?
Car and Driver
gives the Outback a mostly glowing review with praise directed toward the vehicle's comfort and technology. There is plenty of space for passengers and cargo, and the Outback has a comfortable ride.The base Outback also has impressive suspension. Even though it isn't meant for off-road driving like the Wilderness, the Outback could still clear small obstacles if it needed to.
However, even though the Outback has a lot going for it, it isn't a perfect compact. Its base engine could be seen as underpowered, which means that the Outback isn't going to impress in terms of speed or acceleration.
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