There’s another Subaru Wilderness vehicle in the works, but we don’t know what it is just yet. We do know it’s happening, because Subaru stated as much in a recent teaser announcing plans to expand its Wilderness family. And it will happen on April 5 at the New York Auto Show.
Unfortunately, this single teaser image posted on Subaru’s social media channels is all we have right now.
If we had to guess (and we do), it looks like the badge is on a fender near a wheel arch, based on the pattern of dirt and mud in the lower right portion of the photo. However, if the new Wilderness follows suit with previous packages for the Forester and Outback, we could be looking at a door instead of a fender. Armed with this knowledge, we can take some educated guesses as to what model will gain the rugged upfit.
For starters, we know it’s not Forester or Outback, and it certainly won’t be the BRZ (fabulous as that might be). We don’t think Subaru would offer a Wilderness version of the WRX, Legacy, or Impreza, which leaves us with the Solterra, Ascent, and Crosstrek. It’s tempting to consider a Wilderness trim for the all-electric Solterra as a means of giving it more curb appeal, but that seems an unlikely fit. The Ascent is certainly a possibility here, but its body lines look a bit sharper compared to what we see in the photo.
Hedging our bets, we suspect the Crosstrek will gain its Wilderness badge in New York. It’s freshly updated for 2024, with softer body lines on the doors and fenders that are a good match for the teaser photo. Its smaller size makes it better suited for off-road travel, and there’s also the case of sales. The Crosstrek was Subaru’s best-selling vehicle in 2022, and with rugged trim levels being all the rage with automakers these days, it makes sense to punch up the Crosstrek with grippy tires and some extra ground clearance.
Don’t be surprised to see more teasers from Subaru before the new Wilderness reveal in a couple of weeks at the 2023 New York Auto Show.
