Adventure is always out there, and what better way to explore than having a trail ready utility to take you there! We packed our bags and flew out to St. George, Utah to experience the new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness through Zion National Park. So, let’s brave the wilderness for a first drive and see what this rugged Crosstrek has to offer.

We recently tested the all-new 2024 Crosstrek in mainstream Premium trim, and it’s easy to see why it is among Subaru’s heavy hitters here. But this is the first time the bolder Wilderness treatment has been applied to Crosstrek. It joins the Forester and Outback in the Wilderness family, and is ready to tackle just about any terrain ahead.

Wilderness includes the 2.5 liter boxer 4-cylinder that is optional on other Crosstrek trims. Power is still just decent, at 182 horsepower and 178 pound feet of torque.

Mated to that engine is Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT transmission that is specifically retuned for off-road performance. A revised differential gear ratio is also added, the 4.11 final drive ratio optimizes climbing capabilities and better traction at lower speeds.

“So if you’re looking to find a new adventure, a Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness is definitely going to wind up taking you there. Definitely don’t expect to be crawling through any sort of major terrain, like rock crawling is definitely not going to be this vehicle’s strong suit, but what will be your strong suit is going through some snow, some dirt, mud. The X-Mode definitely helps provide a good experience going through those kinds of terrains as well as the all-terrain tires. But not only that while you’re on the highway for you daily commutes, you’re going to have more than a comfortable ride to get you there.”

While yes, the vehicle is plenty comfortable on the highway, the majority of my time was spent on dirt roads and rocky trails. With the help of Subaru’s dual function X-Mode, tackling different terrains was a breeze. The X-mode display allowed me to see my roll angle indicator to gauge hazardous scenarios. For those times where my eyes popped out of my head, I remembered I had 9.3 inches of ground clearance, a front skid plate, and hill descent control to help me out.

The ride quality off-road felt great! Longer coil springs and shocks provide longer strokes of suspension travel that helped keep the tires in contact with rough surfaces, and maintained overall stability. During my time behind the wheel, I had nothing but confidence in the Crosstreks capabilities.

The exterior shows that it is geared towards an off-pavement lifestyle. Exclusive 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tires are the perfect shoes for climbing. Other exterior qualities include trim specific front and rear bumpers, a hexagonal grille, led fog lights, and a matte black anti glare hood decal, all of which really set the Wilderness apart from other Crosstreks. And we can’t forget the ladder-type roof rack designed to carry accessories ranging from bicycles, to kayaks.

The interior is simplistic in the best of ways. Water resistant Subaru Startex material provides comfort you seek. Copper accents on the gauges, shifter, and steering wheel provide a stylish look. Subaru’s Starlink 11.6 inch infotainment system is the centerpiece of the dashboard displaying plenty of information.

Pricing for the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness starts at $33,290 with destination. An options package is available that includes amenities such as a sunroof and a Harmon Kardon stereo for a little more than two grand.

We wish we could have spent more time exploring in the Crosstrek Wilderness, and hope to venture out again soon for a future trail packed road test. So keep it locked, right here on MotorWeek.