2022 Subaru Forester Gets The Wilderness Treatment, New Tech
The refreshed Subaru Forester lineup expands to include a new Wilderness model for 2022, giving buyers a more off-pavement option in the compact SUV class. This new, rugged offering arrives alongside a minor feature update for the rest of the Forester lineup to help justify a $475 price hike for the base model.
Like the Outback, which got the Wilderness treatment earlier this year, the Forester Wilderness gets an upgraded suspension with an extra half-inch of ground clearance, pushing it to 9.2 inches. It didn't really need it; Forester was already one of the more capable compact SUVs on the market, but hey, if the people want more, who are we (or Subaru) to say otherwise? It comes with all-terrain tires too, so that extra ride height doesn't necessarily have to go to waste.
The extra height brings with it increased approach, departure and breakover clearance. It also has an enhanced off-road program built into its drive mode system that is designed for lower-speed trail driving. This transmission logic allows it to adopt a more aggressive crawl ratio when things get tight and technical.
The Wilderness also gets some unique styling cues, including a black honeycomb grille, more pronounced body-side cladding, black five-spoke wheels and the copper contrast-stitched interior treatment that we now know is a Wilderness signature. What, do you think this will be the last one?