The Bronco Sport and Jeep Wrangler are small SUVs that are built to go off-road, but, by and large, any small SUV that isn't a dedicated off-roader is likely to have a hard time on the trail. For instance, the entry-level 2026 Ford Escape starts you off with a 180-hp three-pot in front-wheel drive, with less than eight inches of ground clearance. Hardly an off-road beast.But when we're talking Subaru, it's a different story. Subaru is a brand that doesn't even like to acknowledge the existence of front-wheel drive, and wouldn't even sell the rear-wheel drive Subaru BRZ until Toyota twisted Subaru's arm on the matter. So it should come as no surprise that the Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness delivers on its promise of four-wheel fun, no matter how rough the road gets. The Crosstrek Wilderness Is Everything You Want In A Compact Off-Roader Nicole Wakelin/CarBuzz/Valnet The 2026 Subaru Crosstrek starts off trail-ready, with Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel drive system, and that chunky body-cladding that's synonymous with the brand. Any entry-level Subaru SUV can handle rough roads and bad weather, but the Wilderness line adds a host of upgrades that turn the off-road-capable Crosstrek into an honest-to-goodness adventure vehicle.The entry-level Crosstrek can tow 1,500 lbs, and it stands at a ground clearance of 8.7 inches. The cabin doesn't exactly feel cheap or outdated, but it's not embarrassed by its status as one of the more affordable SUVs on the market, and you'll find basic cloth and hard plastics throughout. Onboard tech is up-to-date, but basic, including an 11.6-inch multimedia display and automatic dual-zone air conditioning.This is to say that a base Crosstrek is a fine purchase, but it definitely feels its low price. The Wilderness model feels much more upscale, starting at $33,795, and adding the following. All-terrain tires Hexagonal LED fog lights Heated StarTex front seats Heated leather steering wheel 9.3 inches of ground clearance 3,500-lbs maximum towing capacity The Crosstrek Wilderness features a ladder-style roof rack that can hold 700 lbs when stationary. This means that it can support a rooftop tent, so that's pretty cool. X-Mode Is The Perfect Co-Pilot On The Trail Nicole Wakelin/CarBuzz/Valnet The Wilderness is loaded with cool features and upgrades over the entry-level model, but the main attraction is X-Mode, Subaru's off-roading system including hill descent control, and advanced traction control on mud, ice, snow, and dirt. X-Mode is intended for low-speed crawling, and can only be activated if you're going under 25 mph, with hill-descent designed for 12 mph climbs.It should be noted that the Subaru Crosstrek is a really solid daily driver in the city, too. Many off-road-dedicated SUVs, like the Wrangler, will have you wondering if the suspension is made of cinder blocks. The Crosstrek is tough enough to eat up rocks and cracks on the trail, but provides a smooth ride on city streets, as well. It's more versatile than the vast majority of off-roaders, especially those in the sub-$40,000 range.If there's one thing you might say is missing in a Crosstrek Wilderness, it may be that the doors and roof don't pop off like in a Jeep Wrangler. Other than that, the SUV delivers everything you could ask for in an entry-level adventure vehicle. The Crosstrek Is Famously Reliable Subaru Subaru has always had a reputation for dependability, ranking as the sixth most-reliable brand in the latest J.D. Power survey, with the Crosstrek claiming the award for highest ranked small SUV, beating out runners-up like the MINI Countryman and the Buick Encore GX, with an 85/100 Quality & Reliability rating.The Wilderness model has been available since the 2024 model year. If we take a look at the SUV's repair data on CarComplaints since then, we find that it hasn't had one lousy year.Going over the 2025 and 2024 model years, the worst issue we can find with the Crosstrek has to do with a 2024 owner who reports their horn not working at just 50 miles. The driver provided no further information as to the cause of this problem, or the cost to fix it. In any event, if this is the biggest issue you have to worry about in a Crosstrek, it's no wonder J.D. Power rates it so highly. The Crosstrek Is Cheap To Maintain Subaru RepairPal puts annual maintenance for a Crosstrek at just $492, with the following making up the most expensive common fixes. AC recharge $259 - $343 Engine leak inspect $122 - $179 Brake system inspect $122 - $179 Vibration diagnosis $122 - $179 Drive axle assembly drain & refill $99 - $139 If you've ever driven a Subaru, a reliable powertrain and cheap repairs should come as no surprise. All we're doing here is getting the numbers to confirm that the Crosstrek Wilderness is no exception. It's not going to break down halfway up the trail, it'll get you to the campsite and back home. Brand-New, Or Gently Pre-Owned? Subaru At this point, a Crosstrek Wilderness buyer has three model years to pick from, being the 2024, the 2025, and the 2026 Crosstrek. Our trending price tool shows the 2024 Wilderness selling at around 90% of its original MSRP, adding up to a difference of just $3,097 at the time of this writing.Meanwhile, the 2025 model has lost less than $100 on the used market. Subarus tend to be slow depreciators, given their dependability, but this is remarkable even for such a new model. A car typically loses at least 10% of its value in the first year off the lot, but the 2025 Crosstrek is still commanding like-new prices.For 2026, a brand-new Wilderness starts at $33,795. The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek is still listed as available on Subaru's configurator page, at an MSRP of just $33,360. The price difference is the only thing that really sets one apart from the other, as Subaru made no major changes to the Wilderness trim for 2026. You Might As Well Buy Brand-New Subaru If we're talking about cars that are still on the market, it rarely makes sense to go shopping for a used model before it hits that first big value drop-off, which usually occurs sometime between the car's third and fifth year on the road.The Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness doesn't make a lot of sense as a pre-owned buy right now. A used 2024 model isn't saving you much money for something that may already have 45,000 miles on the odometer, and 2025 models, new or used, cost roughly what you'd spend on a brand-new 2026 model.If you can find a never-before-driven 2025 Crosstrek Wilderness and save yourself $400 on the price of purchase, go for it. But, checking on Subaru's inventory page, these one-year-old models are frequently listed with a substantial dealer markup, in the $38,000 range, which is a pretty big price bump when you consider that the sub-$35,000 price point is a big part of the SUV's appealYou might be able to talk a dealer into cutting you a break if you'll take last year's model off their hands, but the best way to secure a deal may be to keep your ear to the ground for sales events. We're writing this in late March, and the SUV hasn't even been on the market for three full years at this point, having debuted in April 2023. Give it a couple of years, and we'll probably be singing this SUV's praises as one of the best used off-roaders out there, but, for the time being, we can't think of one good reason to not buy brand-new.