I’ve always been a fan of the Subaru Forester, mainly because it’s just so square. As in boxy and kinda uncool. But therein lies its appeal. It has a tall greenhouse, great visibility, tons of room, Subaru’s all-wheel-drive, sensible ergonomics, and it’s comfy as well. Yeah, with 182 horsepower the Forester is no rocket, but what’s the rush?
Subaru has given its fifth-gen Forester a mid-cycle refresh for 2022, and with that comes this new variant, the Wilderness. Like its big brother the Outback Wilderness, the 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness gets an extra helping of legit off-road capability. This new rough-and-tumble Forester has an all-in price of $38,995 — that’s about $8,000 over the base model and $4,000 below the top-tier Premier.
Subaru’s next-gen EyeSight safety system debuts in the 2022 Forester. The camera that peers ahead from the top of the windshield has a wider field of view, enhancing functions of adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation, lane centring, and lane departure assist. It takes up less real estate on the windshield too. If a collision is imminent, new-for-2022 auto emergency steering will check immediate surroundings and make avoidance maneuvers up to 80 km/h if the driver doesn’t react.
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
As with all Foresters, the Wilderness runs with a 182-hp, 176 lb-ft 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated flat-four hooked to a continuously variable transmission. You won’t be winning any drag races, and there’s some moaning when your mud-caked Wellie hits the rubber floor mat, but overall this is an agreeable, and reasonably fuel efficient drivetrain.
So what turns the regular Forester into a Wilderness? Its stability control and suspension are tuned for more off use, and ride height is raised by 15 mm over the regular Forester, although with its engine and rear differential skid plates, overall ground clearance increases by 9 mm to 299 mm. Yokohama Geolander 17-inch all-terrain tires are standard, and the corners of the lower front fascia are tucked in to provide a better approach angle. Should you slice a tire on your outback adventure, there’s a full-size spare in the underfloor wheel well.
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
For 2022, the dual-function X-Mode (selectable by a rotary dial aft of the shifter) gets a new “standby mode.” Previously, when exceeding 40 km/h, X-Mode would shut off and would have to be re-enabled manually. X-mode now automatically re-engages when speeds drop below 35 km/h. A new front view camera with a near 180-degree view is a bonus when negotiating blind crests, and the Wilderness also gets LED steering responsive headlights.
The Wilderness gets a shorter final drive ratio (4.11 vs 3.70), giving it more pull and better low speed throttle control. It can tow up to 3,000 lbs — double of its stable mates.
If rooftop camping is your thing, the Wilderness roof can support a static weight of 363 kg, which translates to a three-person tent. All Foresters get a new pair of hooks in the hatch ceiling, perfect for hanging dripping wet suits or your dry cleaning.
With the Ford Bronco Sport, Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and Toyota RAV4 TRD in its sights, the Forester Wilderness ups the visuals with extra body cladding, anodized copper-look accents, a flat-black hood decal, and white lettering on the tires. Inside we see more copper trim, water resistant upholstery, aluminum pedal and rubber floor mats emblazoned with big Subaru Wilderness logos.
TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE SPECS OF THE WILDERNESS VS THE COMPETITION
Of course, we had to get as much muck as possible on these clean mats, so it was off to our secret off-road locale for some splashing, jostling, and mud-plugging. Time for the Wilderness to put its money where its skid plates are.
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness Photo by Peter Bleakney
Turns out this scrappy little Subie ain’t no poseur. It takes to the muck with unbridled glee. I’m not sure who was having more fun, me or the Wilderness, such was its ebullience while bouncing over this goopy, rutted and half frozen tract passing loosely as a road. With Dual X-Mode in the deep snow/mud setting, it felt unstoppable. And yes, I hit the skid plates pretty hard a couple of times on some deep ruts. Hill-descent control kicked in when nosing down a particularly steel incline, with the new 180-degree giving a good view. The Forester’s tidy dimensions, terrific outward visibility and direct, natural steering add to this enjoyable cocktail.
So does all this off-road mojo hurt the Wilderness’ on-road civility? A little bit. It’s not quite as planted on the road as the regular variants, the all-terrain tires generate a bit more noise, and with its shorter final drive, fuel economy drops marginally. But it still rides comfortably, tracks well on the highway and handles well. Let’s face it, most will buy the Wilderness for the visuals. As Huey Lewis said, “It’s Hip to Be Square.” And even hipper when jacked up and wearing knobby tires.
Keyword: SUV Review: 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness