Subaru has always been the quintessential “Ski Bum” car of choice spanning back to the era of the Subaru Wagon. I was one of the many skiers who grew up watching Phil and Steve Mahre dominate the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics and ensuing World Cup – all riding in the US Ski Team Sponsored Subaru.
We all remember Phil and Steve Mahre as US Ski Team Olympic Gold & Silver Medal Winners – The height of Subaru’s sponsorship of the US Ski Team
Ever since, the Subaru has been minted and deeply embedded into the skiing lifestyle of everyone growing up in the 80’s. Over the years Subaru has continued to build on their heritage and rugged ready designs. That said, Subaru had become a bit more of a suburban dweller with a more refined and polished look appealing to a bit more upscale market.
In my opinion – THE FUN IS BACK! with the new Subaru Outback Wilderness Edition for 2022. With it’s increased ground clearance of 9.5 inches and off road tires coming as standard equipment – this is an off road ready fun machine!
All of the Subaru Outback’s come with a powerful 270 HP Boxer Engine. The more standard models get about 30 MPG, but with the rough tires, off road transmission, and higher suspension the Wilderness gets about 24 MPG. You’re not going to beat the Porsche Panamera 4S Turismo off the line, but it does come in with a respectable 0-60 in 6.1 Seconds.
You get a pleasant ride, descent acceleration, and all the capability of an SUV built into a more compact wagon design. Cornering is not exceptional due to the height and softer touch, looser steering – but you can navigate the highways at full speed.
Inside the cabin you get plenty of room to stretch out, and more rugged materials to handle muddy boots, wet ski clothes, and all your snow gear. Of course it lacks the polish and real wood of a $100k lux ride, but that’s the whole point. This vehicle is ready to go, and you don’t need to be all that tender in how you jump and go.
The Wilderness Edition comes with just about everything you need, so you won’t get blasted with a bunch of unwanted upgrade options. You can expect to pay about $39,000 for a well equipped build. This is quite affordable and fits into most skiers budgets compared to the competition.
Of all the wagons we review – the Subaru Outback Wilderness Edition 2022 is the most off road capable and screams the word FUN!