Are Subaru skid plates supposed to be more… something? They’re… plastic.
I didn’t click the link, I don’t know what the beef is lol
No, the plastic ones are aerodynamic cladding. This is a very thin metal skidplate pushpin attached to the plastic cladding. Completely useless in a situation that skid plates are meant for - sliding the car over obstacles that would otherwise rip apart the engine’s or transmission’s oil pan.
Considering that Subarus have a very bad departure angle (the engine way overhangs the front wheels unlike most cars), this skid plate will be scraped on things, and it should be bolted properly to the chassis, not push pinned into the aero cladding.
The whole wilderness edition trim really should be “poser edition” trim anyway. A ½" factory lift and a 0.2 final drive ratio change can’t hide the fact that the CVT in these cars is less than worthless for any kind of actual offroading. Having a skid plate that’s more of a pebble deflector is just par for the course when it comes to modern Subaru design.
Guess you can say these cars are marketed to people that would otherwise buy a giant SUV because off-road, then proceed to never actually off-road. Mall crawlers.
Subaru engines don’t really hang out front that far, they’re under 2 feet long from bell housing to the front pulley (H6s are 4-5 inches longer) but they tend to have deep sumps down low. Waaaay better than Audis.
VWs with EJ conversions often use short wide replacement sumps (more like Porsche uses). That would be the way to get more clearance, except these are just cars with a little lift.
While I think putting the skid plat on was silly, I think it’s better to have 30mpg cars dressed up as off-roaders driving around on the roads with me, than “real” off-roaders that suck at stopping, cornering, and accident avoidance.
People who buy outback for “off roading” really have no clue what they are doing and are just lifestyle buyers.
The wilderness edition outback is one of the dumbest trims on the planet. The STI died for this. All Subaru sports cars are dead or trash for this crap.
How do I know you’re not a Subaru guy?
I would argue most buyers in the market for an off roader are far better served with a Subaru than a more dedicated off road rig. My current vehicle is a triple locked, solid front axle, lifted Land Cruiser on 33s with rock armor all around. I previously had a Subaru built with upsized all terrain tires and a 2” lift.
The Land Cruiser is undoubtedly more capable, but my Subaru went 90% of the places the LC80 goes, including severe/difficult trails that most Jeep people avoid for fear of body damage. The Subaru in the hands of a skilled driver is already far more capable than most people need, and is 10x more livable day to day than any body on frame SUV.
For someone that simply likes exploring easy/moderate trails with their daily driver, the Subaru is the ticket. This describes almost every 4x4 buyer. A more “serious” 4x4 only makes sense if it’s your second car or your primary hobby is rock crawling on difficult terrain.
I own a 21 outback XT Touring and have owned an STI in the past. I agree it’s far more livable than others. Wilderness is dumb. You lose some of the touring options for better roof rack (which should be an option, it’s bolt on), and a dumb 1" lift.
If Subaru is going to waste money on dumb trims give me an outback sport with the wrx CVT, lowered, and a decent set of tires.
Regardless of your ownership history, many Subaru buyers buy them over alternatives because of an actual desire for capability in snow and dirt roads. Come out to Colorado, you will see tons of Subarus at “high clearance 4x4 access” trailheads. Many of them have small lifts just like the wilderness trim.
A 1” lift is very useful if you actually go in the dirt. If you just want a crossover for the street there are far better options than the outback IMO.
give me an outback sport with the wrx CVT, lowered, and a decent set of tires
If you ask me, this sounds terrible. To each their own. We all like different things, and just because you don’t see the value in a lift doesn’t mean it’s not useful to others.
I’ve done things to my Sorento most shouldn’t off-pavement (the crossover, not the BOF one, good AWD system and transmission I’d say until the engine seizes - probably graduating to a 4Runner when I get the chance for tougher things), there have been a number of times I’ve slid onto my front skid plate.
Disappointed this “skid plate” seemingly wouldn’t stand up to that.
As a proud Sorento owner (cheapest awd 3 row by 15k when i bought it), it is barely good on dirt, off road, or on rocks. To be fair, I haven’t busted the skid plate. That is mostly because it doesn’t handle well in rough terrain, so I don’t push it.
Ayy, fellow 15k budget buyer! Except I was more into that I could lay down flat + my bike fits in the back with the wheels on. (2016)
I forgot to note in my comment that my skid plate is an aftermarket one - 1/4" aluminum, not the stock plastic/fibery cover.
Personally, it’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it well. Mud, sand, dirt, rocks within the limits of it’s dimensions, but I also have some light AT/trail tires on so those help too. I did say I liked the AWD system but it’s not user serviceable sadly and seems to be built and designed to fail eventually. (replaced AWD clutch earlier this year, cha-ching!) The big issue is obviously there isn’t much headroom for errors or tougher conditions.
