The Subaru lineup is famous for one thing. They have a knack for the wild side. For many years, the Subaru Forester has been the signature model for challenging terrain and brutal onslaughts of the wilderness. In 2022, the Japanese automaker turned up the volume with a wilder treatment - the 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness. Ryan Douthit of Driving Sports TV took the Forester Wilderness to a test hill to determine if its Dual X-Mode system is above the competition.
For the 2022 Model year, Subaru added a new Wilderness trim to the already popular Forester Compact Crossover. The Wilderness package has more ground clearance, up to 9.2-inches compared to 8.6-inches in the standard models.
It also comes with off-road tires, rugged plastic cladding, and an optional skid plate in case the trail gets tough.
Under the hood is the same 2.5-liter, four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated boxer engine that puts out 182 HP and 238 Nm of torque. The engine pairs to Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system that’s now enhanced with the Dual Function X-Mode terrain system. Douthit’s test model costs $34,165.
The first test is on a country road covered in compacted ice and snow. Douthit drives the Forester Wilderness at about 15 to 20 mph (25-30 kph) with no unique settings. He notices the system does a great job of pushing power to the back wheels for improved grip on the slippery surface. According to Douthit, compared to the Ford Maverick FX4 and Jeep Compass Trailhawk, the Forester Wilderness allows for more throttle oversteer into the corners, exposing its rally car heritage.
Going up a steep snow-covered hill in snow mode, the Wilderness goes up without a hitch. The next hill is steeper with deeper snow. Douthit sets it to a deep snow/mud setting that allows for a lot of wheel spin. It goes uphill effortlessly. So how does the Forester Wilderness do it?
Using all the ground clearance available, the Forester successfully plows through the fresh snow with the X-Mode shifting power around as necessary. If and when the wheels exceed X-Mode’s 25 mph (40 kph) limit, the system disengages temporarily. It re-engages when wheel spin drops under 22 mph (35 kph).
Based on Douthit’s experience, Deep Snow Mode is fantastic in X-Mode. Will it conquer everything? No. Is it good enough for 90% of what you need to do? Yes, it is.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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