As I rolled into my usual front-of-house parking spot yesterday, I saw a new car-face across the street: a fresh Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness in green, just like the one a ways below. I can’t say I’ve thought much about the Wilderness spec since it first appeared, though I did think the cladding was a bit redic when it was first revealed. But in front of me, in the metal (and copious plastic), I gotta say, it looked pretty tough. I even liked the yellow-gold accents. It had presence, and I think it looks much cooler juxtaposed against suburbia (which makes it appear extra-capable) than it does as depicted in press photos on rugged terrain (which only seems to conjure thoughts of its flimsy skid plates peeling off).
Anyway, the Crosstrek got me thinking about cars that deserve off-road/ruggedized trims, and that brings us to today’s Ask. I’m thinking about it in the mode of factory-offered models or dealer-installed packages, but if today’s Q is a good opportunity to muse about your dream off-road project car, go nuts!
Spacer
Though I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as gnarly as the predacious Panther depicted below, it’s fun to think about what Ford might have offered as an off-roadable spec for its classic body-on-frame platform. Would there have been a use-case for it to sufficiently satisfy the need for sales – maybe a police cruiser for rural areas? Probably not … but it’s fun to dream.
I put today’s Ask to Mercedes as our resident rally racer/adventurer/OppoXer, and she dropped a list:
Antti chimed in with a choice I that can totally get behind, as I’m sure a bunch of you can as well:
I would love it if the Toyota RAV4 was again available as the sort of short-wheelbase funster it was in the ’90s. Sure, it was a sort of soft-roader even in its initial guise, but those look great with big tires. Imagine if the current RAV4 was as fun!
Yessssss, via Bring a Trailer.
Your turn:
What Cars Would You Most Like To See Get (Or Wish Had Offered) An Off-Roady Trim Level?
Top graphic image: Mount Zion Offroad / YouTube
I’d settle for a chin-spoiler/airdam/splitter delete option on cars like the Prius.
The next set of tires I’ll see if 195/80R15 size tires will fit.
This would be pretty decent. Mild lift on low slung cars and just call it the gravel edition.
Or the unpaved driveway and the occasional stepladder in your lane on the freeway edition.
I don’t know what the deal is with all the stepladders on the freeway in California — a conspiracy of the anti destination league I guess.
There IS a lift kit for a Prius (I think I heard about it here), and I want to do that. It would make it possible to get out of my street on a snowy day.
A Subaru dealer posted a BRZ Wilderness edition as an April fools joke last year AND I SO WISH IT WAS REAL LOOK AT THIS THING
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5OLiIkOMwO/
Oh it’s easy: all that haven’t do so already.
I knew a guy that had a Firebird body on a mildly lifted Jeep chassis, and it was awesome looking! I’d like to see any pony car built for off road, really.
Previa AWD!
Isn’t that already a thing?
I pretty sure I’ve seen a couple overlanding Previas.
I wish my 2023 Legacy sedan had been given the old-school Legacy Outback option. I’m tempted from time to time to pick up the stock suspension from an Outback wagon…
Just any affordable sporty car really. A WRX that’s actually rally ready out of the box or even better a BRZ seem like the obvious ones that already line up perfectly with the brand ethos. Would be a great way to give those models lagging sales a shot in the arm too.
BRZ. Hit em where they ain’t. Everyone shows up to the meet with dropped and tucked undrivable messes and you roll in with a Stetson and 33″ ATs. Still an undrivable mess, but it’s different.
When I was buying my Golf wagon, the salesman kept trying to get me to upgrade to AWD or the offroad trim which I could care less about.
“but winter” – I’ll be putting proper tires on.
“but safety” – I’ll be putting proper tires on and paying attention.
“but you’ll look cool” – What are you trying to say? That’s getting too personal.
“but…” – Do you want to make a sale or not?
I told my wife about the exchange and she was rightfully perplexed by the obsession with these things.
Once I took delivery of the standard issue 2WD perfectly fine car, she found an Avis rental sticker somewhere and put it in the corner of the windshield. “There now you have an offroad car”. Honestly though, the only offroad it sees is in the dealer service bay, which is fortunately not all that much. I definitely don’t need any extra ground clearance or plastic cladding for that.
Honda Element with AWD, 8-9” ground clearance, skid plates and a modern powertrain. No butchy-cladding needed, and keep the square back end. My lower back was happy this winter for the clearance and plates my current ride provides, while it is actually more than what I need.
I’m surprised Honda hasn’t revived the Element, seems like it would do well considering current trends.
I suppose the Passport Trailsport is getting close to the concept, but with none of the charm of the Element.
I don’t know of another car that has seats that can fold up against the walls, leaving a flat, low floor. I imagine some military vehicles have done that.
I was dangerously close to lifting my Crown Victoria when I had it. I still wish I did, and I regret selling it. So I agree an off road Crown Vic would have been neat.
I do think there are not enough RWD off-roaders these days, like the Tacoma Prerunners (which came back). I always thought those were cool and I’d like to see more of them.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1696056667248312/posts/3037641356423163/?comment_id=3037667426420556&reply_comment_id=3037667716420527
Another factory effort from Porsche for the Cayenne. Something like the first generation (post facelift) Transsyberia.
They made very few of those, but given how many 1st gen Cayennes are being transformed into (very capable) off-roaders, you’d think there’s a market there.
Call it “Cayenne Dakar”, charge $250k and it’s easy money for Porsche.
None.
Just about any car can go do mild off road duty without a trim package. Anyone who wants to go further than that would be replacing the wilderness type stuff with more capable items.
Off road trim packages are giant rear wings on stock honda civics.
For rural and non hardcore off road we used our cars as is. For rougher environments it was whomever volunteered their 1/2 ton. I used to use the parents international traveler. A friend had a 70 fj Toyota long box thing that was unstoppable.
Miata
Honda Fit
https://offroadium.com/a-honda-fit-like-no-other-battlewagon-for-off-road-adventures.html
They sell a ruggedized version of the current Fit in Japan and Europe! It’s called the Fit CrossStar. https://www.honda-haese.de/images/content/tuning-country/unitegallery_thumbs/Country%201_300x100000.jpg
Full sized vans. They would be great overlanders.
None of them.
If you need 4WD or AWD, then just buy a 4WD truck or an AWD SUV.
Let cars be cars.
no
Let cars be
carsstupid, if you want.I just want driveway capability in a small car. I’m not so worried about getting stuck as breaking expensive stuff off of the bottom.
A rear wheel drive car or pickup with dual handbrakes would be fun though.
Honda Fit. Call it HR-V but do NOT do what Honda actually did and give it its own, pointless, expensive body stampings. Make it a trim level of the Fit.
I posted this elsewhere in the thread.
https://offroadium.com/a-honda-fit-like-no-other-battlewagon-for-off-road-adventures.html
A couple of oldies that would have made cool off-roadish versions:
El Camino seems like it would defeat the purpose of the El Camino.
Fiero/MR2 does sound like it could be an interesting dune buggy type thing
The Ranchaminos still have a car driving position that is lower than a purpose built truck, along with an overall lower sill-to-roof height. So there would be some differentiation from the std trucks. A Falcon-based Ranchero with a 3″ lift and 2″ bigger diameter tires would make a fun little desert runner.
The off-road and often jacked up smart cars have grown on me. A 4×4 version would be a riot.
Some kind of factory or factory looking aftermarket off road setup for kei trucks and vans would be nice. I would settle for some kind of all terrain tire on them. The ATV wheels and tires that are often thrown on them look stupid and obviously aren’t designed for pavement at all.
I think Suzuki would have killed if they offered a more off-roady trim on the Vitara/Sidekick. Chevy actually did with their version of the Vitara, as the ZR2 Tracker. No real substantial offroad updates, except for some really pretty great skid plates, which i have yoinked out of a junk yard. I guess the timing wasn’t quite right, the actually offroad capable crossovers went away, now we have to pretend they are more capable than they really are.
I am hoping crossover continue their slow morph back into the station wagons they really are.
a factory off road / rally spec Evo or STI would be the obvious candidate.
As far as something more modern the Chevy Trailblazer would be a great candidate. put in the 2.7 turbo out of the Traverse, active torque vectoring / locking rear diff , 3 inches of lift and some long travel suspension with remote reservoirs and maybe a factory lightbar/bull bar. go up from 225/60/17 to 235 or 245/65/17 tires.
Subarus are dam good off road. also see the 3 roller tests on you tube
When my Matrix is no longer fit for road duty I’m giving it a lift kit, AWD conversion, and big tires.
As an avid offroader and Jeep owner, I kind of wish they offered less off-road-lite trims. I have come across so many stuck softroader vehicles caused by the owners believing the marketing hype and TV commercials. Admittedly, there is often just as much driver skill as mechanical capability in off-roading scenarios, so I am generalizing heavily here, but I suspect the majority of Crosstrek Wilderness and Explorer Tremor buyers are not going to be experienced off-roaders.
Yeah, I do think that the soft-roader vehicles give people undue confidence. In many cases, I suspect the drivers would do better in the same places with a less capable vehicle because they’d put more thought into it.
Agreed. The irony was most stuck CUVs and SUVs I would find were the off-road trims, yet when I encountered Subarus and CUVs successfully navigating the trails they were almost never the off-road trims and instead of careful, deliberate drivers. I’ve got stories aplenty about overconfident drivers getting stuck in massive, built off-road monsters, but the old lady in a Corolla I encountered on a mine road in a blizzard on a cliff edge at 11,500′ is probably the most impressed I’ve been with another driver ever.
MapQuest said this was the most direct route to Bettie’s house.