It’s no secret that car enthusiasts have been a bit down on Subaru recently. With the company’s World Rally Championship days a distant memory and the newest iteration of the competent WRX lacking an STI to look up to, it feels like the days of exciting Pleiades-emblazoned vehicles are behind us. Foresters, Outbacks, and Ascents for Pacific Northwest-residing soccer moms seem to be the main output of the company, and while they’re good, they’re not pulse-pounding.
Steering is accurate enough to feel competitive with the non-sporty entries in the crossover class—off-road trim or otherwise—and the only hint that this isn’t a pavement-bred SUV is in hard cornering, where body roll is noticeable, albeit not alarming. It was honestly impressive to watch the Crosstrek Wilderness handle the nine-inch heels it wears like they’re flats, and it really felt like there was almost no tradeoff in handling versus the tamer Sport and Limited models.The 2.