As trucks get more and more power and fancy gizmos, like the Ford Raptor or Ram 1500 TRX. Crossovers are moving into pickup truck airspace. Subaru has always been a bed and lift kit away from the older generation of small pickups like the S10. Well, part of that is happening. Subaru just announced that the 2021 Subaru Outback, Forester, and Crosstrek will be getting the Wilderness package. 

The 2021 Subaru Outback is about to get so much cooler

The Outback will be the first of the line to get the off-road-focused Wilderness package. All of these upgrades included are solely dedicated to making the Outback more off-road worthy. The Forester and Crosstrek will also get the new kit, but they will come later in the year. 

Car and Driver says the Wilderness package will include an upgraded suspension with more ground clearance, trim-specific black six-spoke wheels, and more substantial, knobby tires. Other than the off-road specific upgrades, the Outback with the Wilderness package will have LED fog lights, blacked-out trim, and potentially some bright colored accents with special badging. 

Can any Outback get the Wilderness package?

Nope. Only the Outbacks with the more powerful 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four engine are eligible for the Wilderness package. The turbo-four is only paired with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) and standard all-wheel drive. The standard 2.5-liter 182-hp four will not get this package. 

We still don’t have all the details yet. We know this package will get beefier tires, but Subaru hasn’t said which tires and size yet. 

The Subaru Outback isn’t the only one getting the Wilderness package

Both the Forester and the Crosstrek will eventually get the off-road package. Subaru hasn’t released any images or details about these two models yet, but I assume it will come with the same upgraded suspension, LED fog lights, black wheels, and beefy tires. 

The Subaru Crosstrek is getting cool features piled on left and right. Just last summer, the Crosstrek got a massive upgrade in the form of a new motor. The old 2.0-liter flat-four only made 152 hp and was reported as being painfully slow. 0-60 mph times aren’t that important, but the 2.0-liter Crosstrek’s did it in a grueling 9.0 seconds. 

The 2021 Crosstrek Sport got the 2.5-liter bumps the power up 30 hp and 31 lb-ft of torque. This didn’t make the Crosstrek fast by any means, but it did give it enough power actually to be a functioning ride on the highway. 

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek got more than just a new engine

The 2.5-liter engine was definitely a great upgrade, but it also requires buyers to forgo the manual transmission. This is an enthusiast’s nightmare. You can have more power, but you have to choose to leave the manual transmission behind. It would be one thing if Subaru dropped the manual for the Crosstrek, but you can still get the 2.0-liter version in a three-pedal configuration. To pick an automatic over a manual would tear my heart out, but sometimes it is the better option. 

At least when the Crosstrek Sport gets the Wilderness option, it will be so much cooler than the 2.0-liter version that the decision will be quite easy to make.