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Subaru Outback Will Add a Rugged Wilderness Package

Photo credit: Subaru
Photo credit: Subaru

From Car and Driver

  • Subaru will soon add an off-road-focused Wilderness package to the Outback station wagon, Forester SUV, and Crosstrek crossover, as first reported by Autoguide.

  • The package should include a taller suspension, six-spoke wheels, knobby tires, and rugged appearance tweaks.

  • It should be available by the end of the year on the three Subarus.

UPDATE 3/23/21: Subaru released a teaser image of the upcoming Outback Wilderness, which shows Yokohama all-season tires, orange Outback badging, and rugged side skirts.

UPDATE 3/16/21: Subaru announced today that "something wild is coming" on March 30, and we think it'll be this new Outback Wilderness. The Forester and Crosstrek versions should arrive later. You can watch the live reveal here.

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The Subaru Outback station wagon is looking like it'll be the first in Subaru's lineup to add a rugged Wilderness package that will add upgrades to give the wagon a little more off-road cred. The package will reportedly also be available on the Forester SUV and Crosstrek crossover, and they should all arrive soon.

Photo credit: Brian Williams - Car and Driver
Photo credit: Brian Williams - Car and Driver

The Wilderness package will feature some suspension upgrades, as the test car in these spy photos looks significantly higher than the standard Outback's 8.7 inches of ground clearance. The package will also include a set of black six-spoke wheels that are likely to wear more off-road-capable rubber than what's shown here, though that's not for sure. Other than the off-road equipment, the Wilderness-equipped cars will add LED fog lights and should have blacked-out trim and possibly bright-colored accents and badging.

We expect the Wilderness package to be available only on Outbacks equipped with the more powerful 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four that's EPA rated at 23 mpg city and 30 highway. The turbo four is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and standard all-wheel drive, a Subaru staple. The Outback's standard powertrain is a 182-hp 2.5-liter four.

We'll know more about Subaru's new off-road-focused Wilderness package soon, and it should be available on the Outback, Forester, and Crosstrek by the end of the year.

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