The Outback annually battles the Forester for Subaru sales leadership, while deliveries of the two nameplates combined challenge the dominance of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 in the Middle CUV segment, Wards Intelligence data shows.

The Wilderness edition’s 9.5-in. (241-mm) ground clearance is an extra 0.8 in. (20 mm) higher than the standard Outback, itself 2.8 ins. (71 mm) higher than the Legacy upon which it’s based.

Tucked-up front and rear bumpers and extended-length shocks and springs give the Wilderness improved angles on approach (20 degrees vs. 18.6), departure (23.6 vs. 21.7) and breakover (21.2 vs. 19.4).

That extra clearance combined with powertrain revisions enable the Wilderness to tackle the tough terrain Subaru throws at us as part of a test drive here at a former sand-and-gravel pit now turned into a public off-roading park.