What Cars Would You Most Like To See Get (Or Wish Had Offered) An Off-Roady Trim Level?

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 in the topshot (via abimelecdesign, who you can find on Insta here), 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!