Subaru Australia has previewed a more extreme off-road variant of the Crosstrek small SUV at the Subinats Subaru owners’ event in Sydney this weekend. Officially dubbed the Crosstrek Boost Gear, the new Crosstrek concept car gives a preview of if a more extreme variant of the Crosstrek were to be put into production. Different from the Crosstrek Wilderness that’s just gone on sale in North America, the Boost Gear is a Subaru Japan concept car that’s touring Australia.
Subaru Australia’s Managing Director, Blair Read, stated: “The Subaru Boost Gear Crosstrek concept is as it’s named, gear that boosts the owners use and enjoyment from their vehicle. We know our owners like to explore the outdoors thanks to the benefits of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and this concept is a way we can extend their use of their vehicle even further.”
Over the regular Crosstrek lineup, the Boost Gear Concept adds:
- All-terrain tyres
- Suspension lift kit
- Matte wrap and bonnet decal
- Front and rear under guard protection
- Scratch-resistant paint on select surfaces
- Black wheels
- Mud flaps
- Additional fog lamps
- Turquoise accents
- Alloy side steps
- Rubber bonnet protector
- Rubber lamp protector (which serves as support for bikes or skis)
- Side cladding that transforms into a tool holder
- Magnetic rear quarter tool/phone holder
- Front wide fender for a more rugged appearance
- Shade awning
- Rhino-Rack storage platform with an LED light bar
But on sale in North America – alongside similar variants of both the Forester and Outback – is the Crosstrek Wilderness, which is a similar concept to the Boost Gear, but actually in production. Like the Boost Gear, it features more off-road friendly bumpers and an increase in ground clearance to 230mm, but features the larger 136kW 2.5-litre petrol engine used in the Forester and Outback that we hope makes it to Australia in the Crosstrek.
The Wilderness’ gearbox also features a revised final gear ratio for increased low-speed off-road ability.
Subaru Australia is yet to announce plans of a more off-road capable variant of the Crosstrek, though we’d be surprised if a similar model didn’t eventually come to fruition. Stay tuned to DiscoverAuto for the latest automotive news and reviews.
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