Just like the imaginary Spaceballs sequel, the Subaru Forester Wilderness can rightfully carry the subtitle, the search for more money. Similar in concept to the Outback Wilderness that came before it, the Forester Wilderness takes a popular platform, adds some Instagram-ready overlanding-ish accessories, and puts a s*itload of money into Subaru’s coffers. Lonestar would be proud.

And you know what? The formula works, especially on the Forester. Having now sampled both of Subaru’s Wilderness-edition vehicles, we can’t help but feel that the Forester is just a bit better.

But before we dive into that, let’s cover what makes the Forester Wilderness different from your run-of-the-mill Forester. The first thing you’ll notice is the added black plastic cladding, which adds more flare to the fenders, and adds more bash-worthy protection to the lower front fascia, lower doors and side rockers, and rear bumper. From there, your eyes will be drawn to the unique 17-inch black wheels wrapped in knobbier Yokohama GEOLANDAR tires with raised white lettering. You may also notice the extra half-inch of ride height, which gives the Forester Wilderness 9.2-inches of ground clearance. Keep your eyes peeled and you may notice the front skid plate. And if you use those eyes for reading (which we’re assuming you do, as you’re reading this and all), you can dive into the specs to see that the Forester Wilderness’ roof rack can support a static weight of 800 pounds. So, you know, throw a tent on there or something.

Inside, you get a basic, if not comfortable interior, adorned with orangey-bronze accents, and seats trimmed in water-resistant StarTex.

Mechanically, there’s nothing unique about the Forester Wilderness. Like all other Subaru Foresters, the Wilderness version is powered by a 2.5-liter boxer four rated at 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque. Your only transmission choice is a ho-hum CVT. And as the Forester Wilderness is based on the Forester Premium, an all-wheel drive X-MODE system with hill-descent control is standard.

Maybe someday, when we’re able to escape the hell that is Los Angeles gridlock, we’ll get a Subaru Forester Wilderness on some dirt. But until that time comes, we’ve got to keep this thing on the pavement. Luckily, LA offers plenty of potholed roads to let us put the off-road tires and ground clearance through its paces.

Compared to the Outback Wilderness, the Forester Wilderness feels the more agile machine. It’s not radically shorter, but something about the chassis makes it feel more ready for daily driving duties, whether that’s on the freeway or parking lot. Even the tires, which seemed to lose traction in the Outback, do a better job of holding the road here.

Given its engine and transmission specs, the Subaru Forester Wilderness feels neither powerful nor fast. But it’s well-suited for the job at hand, offering just enough power to move along with city traffic, and get up to freeway speeds without fear. Ride quality, as is expected, is excellent. Even with the increased ride height and knobby tires, the Forester Wilderness drives like a car. It’s just a car that won’t make you wince with worry every time you hit a pothole, train track or speed bump.

But where the Forester Wilderness, or rather all Foresters shine, is the incredible outward visibility. It’s damn near identical to the amazing all-around views found in ‘90s Japanese cars, only here in the Forester, the roof won’t cave in if a pillow lands on it. Throw in plenty of room for passengers front and rear, and a generous cargo area, and you’ve got a vehicle ready for whatever you can throw at it.

It's odd, this Forester Wilderness. A big part of us still longs for the Forester of old. That slightly boxy wagon that can be outfitted with an STI engine and slammed to the ground. That classic, in-the-know vehicle that, in all honesty, probably now smells of vape juice. But no matter how much we wish it to be, that kind of Forester is never coming back. But the Forester Wilderness is an enthusiast vehicle at heart. It’s factory-modified to appeal to a small subset of drivers, all of whom will come to represent a new type of Subaru fan. And if enough people buy this, who knows? Maybe we’ll get an STI version in the future.

Or maybe Subaru will just keep pumping these out and collect those fat stashes of cash until the end of time.

The 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness

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