Hardcore Subaru Outback Wilderness trademarked for Australia as brand says it's "keeping an eye" on jacked-up off-roader

Subaru could be about to get a little more hardcore, with the brand trademarking the "Wilderness" nameplate in Australia.

The Wilderness tag has so far been applied to the Outback overseas, with some heavy-duty changes seriously upping that model's off-road capability, turning Subaru's wagon into a genuine Toyota LandCruiser Prado or even Toyota HiLux rival on the rough stuff.

The story begins with longer springs and shock absorbers that deliver an extra 20mm of ground clearance, now 241mm.

Read More About Subaru Outback

2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness gets seriously rugged to better rival Toyota Prado, Nissan Pathfinder and Jeep Grand Cherokee Expect Forester, XV and Outback delays as Subaru begins rebuilding supply with chip shortage easing Outback news and reviews

There are also new matte-black 17-inch alloys wrapped in proper Yokohama Geolander All-Terrain rubber, as well as new bumpers, and tough new skid plates which should help you climb what you need to.

The changes have also improved the core off-roading specifications, with approach, breakover and departure angles of 20.0, 21.2 and 23.6 degrees – 1.4, 1.6 and 1.9 degrees better than that of the regular Outback respectively.

Now Subaru in Australia has kept a little coy on its plans for that model, but a recent Trademark listing suggests a Wilderness launch here isn't off the table.

The Subaru Wilderness logo (which is all snow-capped mountains) appeared on Australia's Trademark Register on February 26 this year, and was accepted pending opposition in March, which essentially means the Japanese brand is good to go.

That said, Subaru in Australia has pointed out that a mere listing doesn't mean a guaranteed launch, with the tactic also used to secure nameplate globally.

Still, the brand says "it hasn't been ruled out", telling CarsGuide that it is "keeping a close eye on the Wilderness in the USA."

And with the nameplate now approved for Australia, we'll be watching this space.