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Subaru has been the off-road SUV brand for decades, and now Kia wants in on the action. Which off-road model is the best, the 2023 Kia Telluride X-Pro or the 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness?
Edmunds took both out for some off-pavement testing. Edmunds says, "If you're not doing hardcore off-roading, today's crop of off-road-minded crossovers might take you farther than you think."
Edmunds pits the Kia Telluride X-Pro and Subaru Forester Wilderness, two of their favorite models. They wanted to find out if these pricier variants have any actual off-road ability, "so we brought them out to the desert to climb stuff," says the report.
The Forester Wilderness and Telluride X-Pro have new off-road trim levels that take different approaches to the same problem. How far off-pavement will a family SUV take you?
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"We wanted to see if there's any merit baked into this industry trend: Is there real value for shoppers with these models, or is it simply off-road cosplay? We grabbed two of our favorite family-minded crossover SUVs that newly received new off-road trims, Kia Telluride X-Pro and Subaru Forester Wilderness, and headed out into the dirt."
What does Edmunds say about the Forester Wilderness?
"Subaru has long been a brand loyal to adventurers who love a bit of camping and light off-roading. But over the last year or three, many other automakers have been inching their way into the rough-and-tumble crossover SUV segment that Subaru essentially created."
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What does Edmunds say about the Telluride X-Pro?
"The Telluride has long been one of our favorites, and this new X-Pro variant certainly looks compelling. It features everything we love about the standard three-row Telluride but adds all-terrain tires, a bit more ground clearance, and additional cooling for increased capability.”
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Edmunds says Forester has more off-road capability.
"The Subaru Forester's new Wilderness trim takes things a step further, with even more ground clearance, revised gearing, and a more capable X-Mode drive setting for when the going gets rough," says Edmunds.
Are the 2023 Subaru Wilderness and Kia Telluride X-Pro just appearance packages, or are authentic off-road vehicles fit for the dirt? We won't spoil the answer if one is just a pavement princess.
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Check out the Off-Road Tested video: Kia Telluride X-Pro vs. Subaru Forester Wilderness | Just an Appearance Package?
Denis Flierl brings over thirty years of combined auto industry and automotive journalism experience to Torque News readers. He is an accredited Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP) member. The last twelve years have been spent with Torque News, covering Subaru vehicles and the latest news. Check back daily for his expert Subaru analysis. You'll find the latest stories on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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