The verdict: The 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness is an off-road-themed trim level of the easy-to-recommend Forester, bringing increased off-road and towing capabilities. Versus the competition: Fortified with more than just stickers and plastic fenders, the Forester Wilderness is more suited to its purpose than most off-road-themed compact SUVs. The Subaru Forester is a perennial Cars.com favorite: It’s finished on the podium in our past two compact SUV tests, placing second in 2019 and third in 2021. For 2022, the standout change for the Forester is a new Wilderness trim level, which takes a small SUV with impressive ground clearance and standard all-wheel drive and turns it up a notch, making what Subaru says is the most trail-capable Forester yet. Three…

Subaru hopes to make “Wilderness” the “STI” of off-roading. The "STI" name holds a special place in the hearts of Subaru performance enthusiasts. Usually affixed to the rump of a WRX in this country (but also found on Foresters, Legacys, BRZs and more in Subaru's home market), STIs are the ultimate road-going Subarus. With the launch of the new 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness, the second off-road focused Wilderness model in the brand's portfolio, Subaru hopes to make the Wilderness sub-brand just as meaningful for fans and buyers. After beating on the new Forester Wilderness for a day on Central Oregon's forest roads, we think the company may be on to something. What Is The 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness? The Forester…

With its tidier dimensions and lower price, the hiked-up Forester Wilderness proves that less is more—until you stab the throttle. When we first saw it, there was little doubt the Wilderness treatment would spread beyond the Subaru Outback. The hardcore-crossover concept has been quietly gaining steam, which only makes sense given that compact SUV sales are off the charts. Crossover lift kits and knobby-tire upgrades are now a thing, and practically everyone says "overlanding" when they mean "car camping." Subaru owners modding their rides have been at the leading edge of this trend, so it was only natural the parent company would cash in. Enter the 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness, the second example of the outdoorsy new trim level. We've…

From the Archive: Subaru has the goods, presenting us with an exceptional, clairvoyant, delectable new rear-wheel-drive sports car. Some things just don't make sense. Why is the food at Outback Steakhouse mostly Cajun style? Why can't Jennifer Aniston find true love? And why would Subaru and Toyota, two companies whose fortunes are built on mainstream sedan sales, collaborate on a rear-drive sports car? The latter question is a bit easier to answer from the Subaru BRZ perspective. For one, Subaru has a currently breathing reputation for building sporty cars: They may sell in limited volumes, but the WRX and STI are nevertheless Subarus. And Subaru says that the engine in its BRZ, a 2.0-liter flat-four making its first public appearance…

Has a class leader gotten even stronger? Being a segment leader is hard work, especially in a segment as hot as subcompact SUVs, which continues to grow rapidly. Subaru already has a solid foundation to stay on top, and now, the Forester's 2.5-liter flat-four engine is finding its way under the Crosstrek's hood in Sport and Limited trims. Will a more powerful engine be enough to keep this crossover relevant and fend off new rivals? We got a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport in to find out. Does The Subaru Crosstrek Drive Better With More Power? We've been begging Subaru for a more powerful Crosstrek since it made its debut as a 2013 model. Seven years later, the automaker finally obliged.…