How To Get The Highest And Best Use From Your Subaru-Part 2

If you are able to get outside and enjoy spring, here are ways to use your Subaru Forester, Outback, or Crosstrek properly. Have you used X-Mode to its full potential?

Yesterday we talked about how Subaru Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek SUV are best used when you get them off-pavement and fully use their rally-bred all-wheel-drive system. It’s a good time to get away from the madness in our world and have some fun with your “go-anywhere” Subaru vehicle. But you can even do more with your vehicle.

Since 2014 when they introduced X-Mode on the Forester compact SUV, Subaru brings an extreme off-road feature no other brand offers. Forester, Outback and Crosstrek models all come equipped with the X-Mode system which can be used best off-road. The fun gets more extreme with it.

The highest and best use of your Subaru Forester, Outback, or Crosstrek X-Mode feature is to get away from the city, find a trail, and explore the wilderness that other SUVs can’t get to. You only need an unmodified Subaru vehicle to do it. You have 8.7-inches of ground clearance, Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, and X-Mode, all from the factory. Here’s why you should use it.

Subaru's solution to improving off-road capability is its X-Mode that works by altering 5 key areas of the vehicle, starting with the engine and working its way out to the brakes. Throttle mapping, transmission mapping, center clutch torque distribution, and brakes are all utilized to improve the off-road ability of the vehicle.

X-Mode is all you need

When you do get off-pavement this spring, you’ll likely encounter sticky slick mud because of the melting snow in the high country. Colorado received near-record snowfall, so it could last to early summer at higher altitudes. When the wheels begin to slide or slip, just push the X-Mode button on the console.

X-Mode immediately kicks in and reduces accelerator input for increased control of engine output, helping control wheel-spin for better traction when you are driving on slick slippery surfaces. When you activate the system, wheel-spin is reduced and grip enhanced by controlling the engine, transmission, AWD system, brakes, and the Vehicle Dynamics Control System (VDC).

Newer models get Dual-Function X-Mode

If you have a 2019 or newer Forester or a newly-redesigned 2020 Subaru Outback wagon, they come with an upgraded Dual-Function X-Mode allowing you to switch from Snow and Dirt mode to the new Deep Snow and Deep Mud Mode. This mode allows the vehicle to maintain momentum when you get off the beaten path in more extreme deep snow and mud situations.

You don’t need any special equipment to enjoy extreme sports

Without any modifications, your Subaru Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek has everything you need to get out this spring and enjoy extreme sports far away from civilization and the crazy world.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!

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Photo credit: Subaru