Subaru is about to add another Wilderness model to its lineup. The automaker has been teasing it leading up to 2023’s New York Auto Show, which kicks off this week. The latest teaser from the company is the most revealing, providing a clear look at the headlight and a portion of the front fascia.
The new Wilderness will follow in the footsteps of previous rugged variants, receiving a cladded front bumper and hexagonal LED fog lights. This one stands out from the others by having cladding over the grille, too. A previous teaser revealed that the new model would also have cladding on the rear bumper.
Gallery: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
The added body parts should coincide with the model receiving a raised suspension to increase its ground clearance. This should improve its approach, departure, and breakover angles and require Subaru to add an underbody skid plate for extra off-road protection. The new Wilderness model should also receive unique wheels that will likely come wrapped in Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain rubber.
Inside, we don’t expect Subaru to make a ton of changes. However, in previous Wilderness examples, it has added the water-resistant StarTex material to the seating surfaces. The automaker also adorned the cabins with special graphics and stitching, which we should see in the newest addition.
We don’t expect to see any powertrain changes. Subaru already offers the Outback and Forester Wilderness models, and neither received any engine upgrades, carrying over into the rugged trim unchanged.
Subaru hasn’t said which model will get the Wilderness treatment next, but we expect it could be the Crosstrek as we doubt the company would grace us with a BRZ Wilderness just yet. We also thought the Ascent could be a possible candidate, but the new teaser image reveals enough to see the design looks more similar to the Crosstrek, the company’s best-selling model in 2022.
We will get many details about Subaru’s new Wilderness model on April 5 when it officially debuts. However, we might not know the price until the model is close to reaching dealers. It will likely require a premium over most other trims in the lineup. Subaru launched the Forester Wilderness at $33,945 (including the $1,125 destination fee), a jump over the model’s $26,320 starting price.
