AMENIA, N.Y. — Following the March debut of the Wilderness version of the Outback, Subaru's rugged trim line is expanding to its top-selling model, the Forester.
Standing 0.7 inch wider and 1.4 inches taller than a standard Forester and with a half-inch more of ground clearance, the five-seat 2022 Forester Wilderness compact crossover is equipped with a number of mechanical and cosmetic features for customers looking to conquer the outdoors.
Other Wilderness-themed equipment includes exclusive matte black wheels with Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires, water-repellent StarTex seats and a roof rack that can support up to 800 pounds while parked (compared with the standard Forester's 700 pounds), meaning it can support larger rooftop tents.
Like other Foresters, the all-wheel-drive Wilderness comes with a four-cylinder, 2.5-litre boxer engine rated at 182 hp and 176 pound-feet of torque, paired with the CVT. It can tow up to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms).
While the Wilderness is the Forester's sixth trim line in the United States — two slots below the top Touring model — Subaru Canada hasn’t released the lineup or pricing in Canada, yet.
South of the border the Wilderness starts at $33,945 (all figures in USD), including shipping, a $7,625 premium over the base 2022 Forester. A $1,850 option package adds an 8-inch multimedia system with navigation, Harman Kardon speakers and a power rear gate.
It begins arriving at dealerships in both countries in October.
In the first half of this year, Subaru sold 95,965 Foresters in the United States, a 12-per-cent improvement over the same period in pandemic-stricken 2020.
Canadian sales through the first half of 2021 were up 36 per cent to 5,732.
