Just finished driving my '23 Crosstrek sport cross country, And it performed great! I took it to 6 different national parks, drove across mountains, deserts, and even hit a little bit of Hurricane Helene when driving through the appalachias. The crosstrek had no issues at all during the trip. Great vehicle for what it is
I have seen this mountain goat be tested a bit beyond these guys on driving sports UA-cam videos. It definately is much more capable then what was going on here. Comes down to the driver and knowledge of Subaru vehicles. That’s why TFL has gone down in reliability when they test Subarus….bottom line, they just don’t know what their doing lol unfortunately, anyone with a camera and a hill suddenly becomes test worthy, doesn’t always work that way
I really expected truck people to just bash the Wilderness Edition for not being a 4x4. Needless to say, I was wrong and really appreciate the video. Obviously it can't do what a body on frame truck/Jeep/SUV can but I think when you compare it some other crossovers, the merits of its capability are there. Liked and subscribed; thanks for the video.
This brings us a lot of joy. Thanks for watching, and subbing. We are glad that you heard us out when many simply assume we would unjustly bash a crossover.
Crosstrek does what 90% of what people actually need a vehicle to do. There’s very few who actually push something like a jeep to its capacity. I have a 2020 Crosstrek limited (top model during that year) and best value out there when bought new. I’ve had it up the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the dry rocky deserts of the American southwest, and everywhere else…been an absolute joy. Nothing like being out in the middle of the desert, absolutely nobody around for miles and miles…all while auto climate set at 72f, leather interior with satellite navigation and listening to your favorite music station on satellite radio on the Harmon Kardon sound system, along with Ground clearance and best AWD out there…really can’t ask for much more at all!
The Crosstrek isn’t a hardcore off road vehicle like a Jeep, but it’s still great for its class. If it was the Corolla Cross or the HRV doing this test, both of them wouldn’t have made it up!
I appreciate your reviews, and feel they are fair and honest. I do have two questions: 1. What are you going to do when someone decides to build a house on that property and you lose your hill? 2. Does Craig select his clothes to match the color of the test vehicle?
I got this little CUV…the same color even, and I absolutely love it. It would be nice if they offered a turbo option…and the center console can be a little bit lagging after you start it up sometimes. But other than that, I really have no other issues.
I bought a Crosstrek Wilderness (in Alpine Green of course) 5 months ago, and love it. I've only hit the trails in my area twice since I got it, but it's quite capable for my uses. The difference between normal mode and snow/dirt is like night and day on some obstacles.
A little painful to watch, but I think some slightly bigger and more aggressive tires would've made a huge difference. Does the Forester have a better approach angle?
You have to admit the rain added a layer of difficulty that isn't typically experienced during these tests. It would have been nice if they had a comparison with this one on a dry day.
Thank you @@MNsaint it means just half inch higher. But I’m asking because the regular limited model does not have off road wheels, so, if you compare the wheels it is a huge difference, the crosstrek looks amazing and is super capable, but…… Lifted does not sound fair to me. Thank you for your answer 👍🏼
If I needed to get up that embankment I would have backed up, leaned right and used momentum to gain the incline. I appreciate trying to do it from where you are but that isn’t accurate. No body wants to struggle unnecessarily!
Oh we test them all equally to give everyone consistent results across all vehicles. That being said, you are on to something. We call this “R” mode and have used it in the past. It makes a front wheel drive Kia Soul become rear engine, rwd, rear steer, happens to double the approach angle, and has a near crawler gear ratio in reverse. Yes this episode exists, yes it works great. Thanks for watching!
@@TexasTruckChannel Thank you for explaining. I want to purchase the crosstek wilderness and am looking at all reviews. Thanks so much for your time and take care.
I have one and had also been very CVT resistant. Hopefully this post is of interest and/or helpful. This CVT is fine. CVTs in part get a bad rap because Nissan was one of hte first to take them mainstream and theirs aren't great. Nissan uses a push belt, which is entirely different, held together by steel ribbons and it completely implodes when it fails, which they're known for. Contrariwise, the Subaru CVT is an actual chain drive, beefed up with both a lower final ratio in the Wilderness and a transmission cooler. It's rated to tow a bit, 3,500 pounds which is unusual for a CVT. There are also cars with non-CVT transmissions known to have problems *cough, Ford, cough* and I think you would be hard pressed to make a case that the CVT in the Wilderness is less robust than the transmission in something like the Bronco Sport. The 4-cylinder Bronco sport even has a transmission rated for less torque than the engine makes, yikes! As for how it drives, eh. The car handles and rides just fine. Subaru has the CVT or TCM or something mapped out a certain way that I don't love. Here is my opinion: 0-40 mph = Feels like it has plenty of torque, responsiveness and acceleration. 40-60 mph = Feels like it is slow to respond and lacks power which probably has to do with less low end torque due to not being a turbo model. 60-80 mph = Seems like it has plenty of power again. I get a combined 26mpg in the Wilderness Edition Crosstrek. My 2022 1.5L Ford Escape (basically the same drivetrain as the Bronco Sport) was getting 28mpg. The turbo definitely gave it more low end torque though. That was nice but it had far too many problems for a new vehicle. I ditched it for a non-turbo and got the Subaru. Hope that information is helpful. I think this Subaru CVT is fine.
Right, good. Now in the interest of fair comparison, you should go gather all the other simarly classed vehicles and redo their test on that hill under the same crappy, wet, muddy conditions that you inexplicably felt necessary to subject this Crosstrek to. Just saying.
If we had control over Mother Nature we would be happy to. But we don’t, and you certainly know that. Luckily one can see how well the wilderness did in the wet, which helps bolster how well it can do in the dry. We also have a dry hill test of a non wilderness Crosstrek from earlier this year. Thanks for watching.
Most Google responses say new car tires should last 50,000 miles. I found I typically do it around 40k miles. It really frustrates me when I'm trying to watch a review or test of a new car and the tester puts aftermarket tires on it to make it "fair". I think the test becomes meaningless. The vast majority of buyers, myself included, are not going to replace brand new tires on new car until they've driven it for years. Yes, it would be nice to see the Crosstrek Wilderness on dry ground or just an idea, some other car on the same day. A friend once said they should make a regular person run events next to Olympic athletes so that you could see if the athletes were actually anything special. I would probably recommend something similar. You could have a stock Jeep Wrangler and a Toyota camry to both try it at the same time as a test vehicles if it is ever in a non-standard location or condition. Anyway, just a thought. I really liked the video and prefer the use of OEM tires.
@@s.gibson9329 most drivers don’t take their vehicles, particularly new ones, on rutted muddy terrains on a rainy day either. When your use case is on the fringe, you need specialized equipments, like a lift, underbody protection and special tires.
Very much disagree - the point of the test is to push the limits of the vehicle as it comes 'out of the box'. Absolutely no question that the Crosstrek Wilderness would be among only a small handful of vehicles IN THIS CATEGORY that could successfully complete this test under these conditions. IMHO these types of tests are extremely worthwhile for those potential buyers who want to have some idea of its off-road abilities. I have a 2022 Outback, which is my 4th Subaru Liberty/Legacy/Outback to date. I very rarely take it off-road, but its superior ground clearance and constant AWD system have been a godsend when needed eg. during extreme inclement weather, or having to tackle a deeply rutted muddy paddock etc.
If Subaru thinks they can produce a capable off road vehicle just by jacking up the suspension and downloading some new software into a normal hatchback they are kidding themselves, and anyone who actually believes them are potentially putting their lives at risk driving this into the wilderness.
The Crosstrek Wilderness is actually a very capable vehicle. If you don’t believe me, then go watch Driving Sports TV’s off road review of the Crosstrek Wilderness.
Just finished driving my '23 Crosstrek sport cross country, And it performed great! I took it to 6 different national parks, drove across mountains, deserts, and even hit a little bit of Hurricane Helene when driving through the appalachias. The crosstrek had no issues at all during the trip. Great vehicle for what it is
Considering that the test was done on a rainy and muddy conditions, the Crosstrek definitely did an amazing job.
I have seen this mountain goat be tested a bit beyond these guys on driving sports UA-cam videos. It definately is much more capable then what was going on here. Comes down to the driver and knowledge of Subaru vehicles. That’s why TFL has gone down in reliability when they test Subarus….bottom line, they just don’t know what their doing lol unfortunately, anyone with a camera and a hill suddenly becomes test worthy, doesn’t always work that way
I really expected truck people to just bash the Wilderness Edition for not being a 4x4. Needless to say, I was wrong and really appreciate the video. Obviously it can't do what a body on frame truck/Jeep/SUV can but I think when you compare it some other crossovers, the merits of its capability are there. Liked and subscribed; thanks for the video.
This brings us a lot of joy. Thanks for watching, and subbing. We are glad that you heard us out when many simply assume we would unjustly bash a crossover.
Crosstrek does what 90% of what people actually need a vehicle to do. There’s very few who actually push something like a jeep to its capacity. I have a 2020 Crosstrek limited (top model during that year) and best value out there when bought new. I’ve had it up the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the dry rocky deserts of the American southwest, and everywhere else…been an absolute joy. Nothing like being out in the middle of the desert, absolutely nobody around for miles and miles…all while auto climate set at 72f, leather interior with satellite navigation and listening to your favorite music station on satellite radio on the Harmon Kardon sound system, along with Ground clearance and best AWD out there…really can’t ask for much more at all!
I've got a 2024 Forester Wilderness and love it.
I've been looking for this! This test is so helpful. Simple, concise, and clearly communicated.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.
The Crosstrek isn’t a hardcore off road vehicle like a Jeep, but it’s still great for its class. If it was the Corolla Cross or the HRV doing this test, both of them wouldn’t have made it up!
That is very true…..crv also though
I think it’s great you guys are reviewing these
We have another this week. More to come.
I appreciate your reviews, and feel they are fair and honest. I do have two questions:
1. What are you going to do when someone decides to build a house on that property and you lose your hill?
2. Does Craig select his clothes to match the color of the test vehicle?
1. We have some back up plans 🙃
2. Absolutely!
@TexasTruckChannel I thought so. He is more with it than guys who only talk about Pickups and SUVs.
I got this little CUV…the same color even, and I absolutely love it. It would be nice if they offered a turbo option…and the center console can be a little bit lagging after you start it up sometimes. But other than that, I really have no other issues.
Given that steep hill, the weather and poor conditions, it did a brilliant job for a vehicle that isn't an outright 4x4.
I bought a Crosstrek Wilderness (in Alpine Green of course) 5 months ago, and love it. I've only hit the trails in my area twice since I got it, but it's quite capable for my uses. The difference between normal mode and snow/dirt is like night and day on some obstacles.
Is the weather radar/nav. something unique to your truck, or is that available for Android Auto?
It’s an app called MyRadar
A little painful to watch, but I think some slightly bigger and more aggressive tires would've made a huge difference. Does the Forester have a better approach angle?
You have to admit the rain added a layer of difficulty that isn't typically experienced during these tests. It would have been nice if they had a comparison with this one on a dry day.
I don't remember the exact numbers, but the Forester has slightly worse approach and departure angles and 0.1" less clearance
It is this Wilderness really lifted half inch or is just the beefier wheels that make it lift?.
It's lifted a bit higher from the factory vs the other Crosstrek models (9.3" vs the standard 8.7").
Thank you @@MNsaint it means just half inch higher. But I’m asking because the regular limited model does not have off road wheels, so, if you compare the wheels it is a huge difference, the crosstrek looks amazing and is super capable, but…… Lifted does not sound fair to me.
Thank you for your answer 👍🏼
If I needed to get up that embankment I would have backed up, leaned right and used momentum to gain the incline. I appreciate trying to do it from where you are but that isn’t accurate. No body wants to struggle unnecessarily!
Oh we test them all equally to give everyone consistent results across all vehicles. That being said, you are on to something. We call this “R” mode and have used it in the past. It makes a front wheel drive Kia Soul become rear engine, rwd, rear steer, happens to double the approach angle, and has a near crawler gear ratio in reverse. Yes this episode exists, yes it works great. Thanks for watching!
@@TexasTruckChannel Thank you for explaining. I want to purchase the crosstek wilderness and am looking at all reviews. Thanks so much for your time and take care.
The cvt is the only thing keeping me from trading my Corolla for one of these. I’ll have to test drive one to see if this cvt is better
I have one and had also been very CVT resistant. Hopefully this post is of interest and/or helpful. This CVT is fine. CVTs in part get a bad rap because Nissan was one of hte first to take them mainstream and theirs aren't great. Nissan uses a push belt, which is entirely different, held together by steel ribbons and it completely implodes when it fails, which they're known for. Contrariwise, the Subaru CVT is an actual chain drive, beefed up with both a lower final ratio in the Wilderness and a transmission cooler. It's rated to tow a bit, 3,500 pounds which is unusual for a CVT. There are also cars with non-CVT transmissions known to have problems *cough, Ford, cough* and I think you would be hard pressed to make a case that the CVT in the Wilderness is less robust than the transmission in something like the Bronco Sport. The 4-cylinder Bronco sport even has a transmission rated for less torque than the engine makes, yikes!
As for how it drives, eh. The car handles and rides just fine. Subaru has the CVT or TCM or something mapped out a certain way that I don't love. Here is my opinion:
0-40 mph = Feels like it has plenty of torque, responsiveness and acceleration.
40-60 mph = Feels like it is slow to respond and lacks power which probably has to do with less low end torque due to not being a turbo model.
60-80 mph = Seems like it has plenty of power again.
I get a combined 26mpg in the Wilderness Edition Crosstrek. My 2022 1.5L Ford Escape (basically the same drivetrain as the Bronco Sport) was getting 28mpg. The turbo definitely gave it more low end torque though. That was nice but it had far too many problems for a new vehicle. I ditched it for a non-turbo and got the Subaru.
Hope that information is helpful. I think this Subaru CVT is fine.
Right, good. Now in the interest of fair comparison, you should go gather all the other simarly classed vehicles and redo their test on that hill under the same crappy, wet, muddy conditions that you inexplicably felt necessary to subject this Crosstrek to. Just saying.
If we had control over Mother Nature we would be happy to. But we don’t, and you certainly know that.
Luckily one can see how well the wilderness did in the wet, which helps bolster how well it can do in the dry. We also have a dry hill test of a non wilderness Crosstrek from earlier this year.
Thanks for watching.
@@TexasTruckChannel "If we had control over Mother Nature we would be happy to."
You do! Just wait until it stops raining. 😉
mud terrain tires will solve the issue just saying
Absolutely, we just don’t test them that way. Also, it made it regardless.
Falken Wildpeak AT4W's
get the power wagon on that little anthill
You need mud tires. Without mud tires this is a stupid test.
Hardly, this is a real test for the vehicle as sold. It shows the OEM starting point. Thanks for watching.
Most Google responses say new car tires should last 50,000 miles. I found I typically do it around 40k miles. It really frustrates me when I'm trying to watch a review or test of a new car and the tester puts aftermarket tires on it to make it "fair". I think the test becomes meaningless. The vast majority of buyers, myself included, are not going to replace brand new tires on new car until they've driven it for years. Yes, it would be nice to see the Crosstrek Wilderness on dry ground or just an idea, some other car on the same day. A friend once said they should make a regular person run events next to Olympic athletes so that you could see if the athletes were actually anything special. I would probably recommend something similar. You could have a stock Jeep Wrangler and a Toyota camry to both try it at the same time as a test vehicles if it is ever in a non-standard location or condition. Anyway, just a thought. I really liked the video and prefer the use of OEM tires.
@@s.gibson9329 most drivers don’t take their vehicles, particularly new ones, on rutted muddy terrains on a rainy day either. When your use case is on the fringe, you need specialized equipments, like a lift, underbody protection and special tires.
Very much disagree - the point of the test is to push the limits of the vehicle as it comes 'out of the box'. Absolutely no question that the Crosstrek Wilderness would be among only a small handful of vehicles IN THIS CATEGORY that could successfully complete this test under these conditions. IMHO these types of tests are extremely worthwhile for those potential buyers who want to have some idea of its off-road abilities. I have a 2022 Outback, which is my 4th Subaru Liberty/Legacy/Outback to date. I very rarely take it off-road, but its superior ground clearance and constant AWD system have been a godsend when needed eg. during extreme inclement weather, or having to tackle a deeply rutted muddy paddock etc.
If Subaru thinks they can produce a capable off road vehicle just by jacking up the suspension and downloading some new software into a normal hatchback they are kidding themselves, and anyone who actually believes them are potentially putting their lives at risk driving this into the wilderness.
The Crosstrek Wilderness is actually a very capable vehicle. If you don’t believe me, then go watch Driving Sports TV’s off road review of the Crosstrek Wilderness.
Why people putting cvt on off road🤣🤣🤣then awd get banned for this car🤯