Quick summary
- Power is unchanged from other Crosstrek trims: a flat-four with 182 horsepower, a CVT, and standard all-wheel drive.
- Ground clearance rises to 9.3 inches and the tow rating more than doubles, from 1,500 pounds to 3,500.
- It starts at $32,495 before destination, roughly $1,100 above a Limited, and gives up 2 mpg combined.
Short answer: the 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness is not a faster Crosstrek. It carries the familiar 182-hp 2.5-liter flat-four, and what changes is the hardware around it: taller ride height, all-terrain tires, a shorter final drive, and a transmission cooler that lifts the tow rating to 3,500 pounds. Pricing starts at $32,495 plus a $1,420 destination fee.
What are the 2025 Crosstrek Wilderness specs?
Subaru lists a 2.5-liter BOXER making 182 hp and 178 lb-ft, driving all four wheels through a Lineartronic CVT with eight preset ratios and paddle shifters. The off-road numbers are where the trim earns its name: 9.3 inches of ground clearance, a 20.0-degree approach angle, a 33.0-degree departure angle, and a 21.1-degree breakover angle. Standard equipment includes dual-function X-MODE with Hill Descent Control and Yokohama GEOLANDAR all-terrain tires on 17-inch matte-black wheels.
| Spec | Crosstrek Wilderness | Other Crosstrek trims |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.5-liter boxer-4, 182 hp / 178 lb-ft | 2.0-liter 152 hp (base) or the same 2.5 |
| Ground clearance | 9.3 in | 8.7 in |
| Towing | 3,500 lb | 1,500 lb |
| Final drive | 4.111 | 3.700 |
| Approach / departure | 20.0° / 33.0° | 18.0° / 30.1° |
| EPA combined | 27 mpg | 29 mpg |
| Starting MSRP | $32,495 | from $25,695 |
Why it tows 3,500 pounds when other Crosstreks manage 1,500
Two changes do the work, and neither is the engine. The Wilderness adds an extra transmission oil cooler, which is what lets Subaru more than double the rating without touching output, and it runs a shorter 4.111 final drive against 3.700 elsewhere in the range. Shorter gearing multiplies torque at the wheels, which helps both with a trailer and on a loose climb — and it is also why the Wilderness gives up fuel economy. Hitch tongue weight is capped at 350 pounds.
What does it cost in fuel and money?
The EPA rates the Wilderness at 25 mpg city, 29 highway, and 27 combined on regular fuel. A 2.5-liter Crosstrek in any other trim returns 27, 33, and 29. So the all-terrain tires, taller stance, and shorter gearing cost about two combined mpg — a real but modest penalty, and one paid in regular gas rather than premium, unlike most of the turbocharged crossovers it gets cross-shopped against.
On price, the Wilderness sits $1,100 above the Limited and nearly $3,000 above the Sport. Our 2025 Crosstrek guide covers the rest of the lineup, including which trims get the 2.0-liter engine.
Who should skip it
If the trailer and the trail are hypothetical, the extra clearance and knobby tires mostly cost fuel and road noise, and a Limited keeps the nicer interior for less. Buyers who want a small crossover with more power rather than more clearance are better served elsewhere — the turbocharged 2025 Hyundai Kona makes 190 hp for less money, though Hyundai does not publish a US tow rating for it.
Sources: Subaru U.S. Media Center pricing release for the 2025 Crosstrek (outputs, clearance, towing, final drive, angles, equipment, MSRP) and EPA fueleconomy.gov ratings, October 2026. Photos: Alexander Migl (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Charles from Port Chester, New York (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
