This summer, we’ll offer you a 6-component overhaul of the new Wilderness variant of the 2022 Subaru Outback. Today, component four, in which we faint in the forest. No compass.
See also: 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Long-Term Review, Part 1: A Crazy Idea That Wasn’t So Crazy
See also: 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Long-Term Review, Part 2: Wilderness Under the Badges
See also: 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Long-Term Review, Part 3: Back on the Road!(Or, how about a little Willie Nelson with his Wilderness?)
There is a term for the maximum angle of the slope that you can climb by trapping your vehicle’s nose on the ground.
This is called the angle of (or attack).
Similarly, there is a maximum angle that can be passed by the friction of the rear bumper opposite the ground.
This is the departure (or flight, or departure).
Finally, there is a maximum angle of the impairment that the vehicle can overcome without the middle of its floor scraping the impediment. This is the ventral angle (or rupture or ridge).
These specifications (ramp angles) do not occur when it comes to a car, whether compact, medium or a giant limousine. For what? Because he cares. You’re not going to go up hills in your Mercedes S-Class.
Search for cars for sale near you
It’s a tale when it comes to SUVs designed in components to take winding, bumpy roads. Take the Jeep Wrangler, for example. In its Unlimited version, it is rated for the following angle grades: 38. 4 (approach), 31. 4 (start) and 20. 8 (peak), thanks in large part to its ground clearance of 254 mm (10 inches).
The higher a vehicle is on its legs (and the shorter its overhangs, i. e. the component of the suspension frame in front of the front axle and rear axle), the more it can absorb wide angles.
This fact is at the center of what is the Subaru Outback Wilderness.
It’s not a Jeep, and it’s not an SUV; It’s a cart. A van. But without the imitation wood on the sides.
But trolley or not, we went with him.
As we know, this is something that the Max Subaru do well. Most members of the family circle have a ground clearance of 220 mm, with the exception of the WRX (135) and BRZ (130). The Outback Wilderness, meanwhile, gets 230mm. (I came across references made through colleagues at 241mm; to be clear, that’s true in the US). In the U. S. , where the Outback Wilderness comes without the underfloor protective plates — a popular feature here. )
This clearance of 230 mm translates into attractive ramp angles: 19. 6 degrees for the technician (against 18. 4 for the normal but still capable Outback), 23. 6 for the start (21. 7) and 21. 2 degrees for the ventral (another 19. 4).
For cruising, the Wilderness’ charming 11. 6-inch center shows the steep slope the vehicle is about to conquer. However, although it is easy to know the topography of the terrain, I discovered that this Subaru does not. Hesitate to fend for yourself. He instinctively knows what to do.
This way for the tour! A stopover in all pals in St-Hippolyte, in the Laurentides north of Montreal, an opportunity to see all this. Elizabeth and Alain’s space is perched on a clump of plants overlooking Lake Connelly. Your castle of Santa Paz!
They park their Bolt on a steep, gravel road where Alain has MacGyver loaded. Then it’s a steep climb, almost as steep as the steps of St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, to reach its fortress.
On the outskirts of this fortress, there is a path reserved for summer cars that leads to the most sensitive of a hill, a few steps from the house. Very tempting when you need to climb the stairs of penance with your arms loaded. It is being mandatory to be able to go up there with your vehicle.
Since it had rained heavily for the past two days, the dirt road and crushed stone was as loose as a piece of butter on the counter. Furrows and ravines crisscrossed on its surface.
Seeing this, I said to Alain: “We will have to bring the desert here!”
Which we did with the enthusiasm of two teenagers until it wasn’t good. If it weren’t for mosquitoes, we would still be going up and down this hill as professional specialists.
Continue to page