Here is a dilemma we hear from Ohio buyers constantly: you want one vehicle that commutes to Columbus or Cleveland five days a week, then spends Saturday on a muddy access road in the Hocking Hills. Do you buy the 2025 Ford Maverick Tremor, a small pickup with real off-road hardware, or the 2025 Subaru Outback Wilderness, a wagon that has been training for this exact job for years?
Both cost about the same money. Both wear all-terrain tires, skid plates, and lifted suspensions from the factory. Both will get you to the trailhead in February when Interstate 71 is a slushy mess. But they solve the cargo problem in completely different ways, and that difference — an open bed versus an enclosed wagon — is what should make your decision.
Our early verdict: if your weekends involve lumber, mulch, a dirty motocross bike, or anything you do not want inside the cabin with you, buy the Maverick Tremor. If your weekends involve dogs, kids, camping gear that must stay dry, and long highway miles, buy the Outback Wilderness. The details below explain why.
Quick Verdict
- Performance: Subaru Outback Wilderness — 260 hp beats the Maverick's 238 hp, and it feels it on the highway.
- Off-Road Hardware: Ford Maverick Tremor — twin-clutch rear drive unit that can lock, plus a far better 30.8-degree approach angle.
- Towing: Subaru Outback Wilderness — 3,500 lb vs. the Tremor's 2,000 lb.
- Hauling Dirty Gear: Ford Maverick Tremor — an open 4.5-foot bed beats any cargo area.
- Comfort & Family Duty: Subaru Outback Wilderness — more rear legroom, a quieter and roomier cabin.
- Value: Tie — the Wilderness starts $1,035 lower, the Tremor includes a 360-degree camera and a bigger touchscreen.
At a Glance
| Spec | 2025 Ford Maverick Tremor | 2025 Subaru Outback Wilderness |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.0L EcoBoost turbocharged inline-4 | 2.4L turbocharged SUBARU BOXER flat-4 |
| Power | 238 hp | 260 hp |
| Torque | 277 lb-ft | 277 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic | Lineartronic CVT |
| Drivetrain | AWD with twin-clutch rear drive unit | Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, dual-function X-MODE |
| Ground Clearance | 9.1 in | 9.5 in |
| Fuel Economy (EPA) | 21 city / 27 highway / 23 combined mpg | 21 city / 26 highway / 23 combined mpg |
| Towing Capacity | 2,000 lb | 3,500 lb |
| Payload | 1,140 lb | — (wagon; see cargo) |
| Cargo | 4.5-ft bed, 33.3 cu ft | 32.6 cu ft behind seats / 75.6 cu ft seats folded |
| Starting Price | $40,995 MSRP (plus destination) | $39,960 MSRP ($41,355 with destination) |
Design & Exterior
The Outback Wilderness keeps the familiar long-roof wagon silhouette and adds matte-black cladding, a tougher front fascia, anodized copper trim details, and reinforced roof rails designed for loads like a rooftop tent. Its 9.5 inches of ground clearance actually beat the Ford's 9.1, but the Subaru's long front overhang limits its approach angle to about 20 degrees. On gravel and snow that hardly matters; on a rutted climb with a sharp break-in, it does. The Subaru is also nearly eight inches shorter overall, making it easier to thread through a crowded trailhead lot.
Interior, Comfort & Technology
Inside, the Maverick feels like a clever small truck rather than a cheap one. The 2025 refresh brought a standard 13.2-inch SYNC 4 touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — a bigger screen than the Subaru offers — and the Tremor includes a 360-degree camera that helps as much in a parking garage as between trees. Storage is smart, with bins under the rear seat. That rear seat is the compromise: legroom measures 36.9 inches, fine for kids and workable for adults on short hops, but tall passengers will notice the upright seatback on a two-hour run to Lake Erie.
The Outback Wilderness is the better road-trip cabin, full stop. Rear legroom is 39.5 inches, the seats are more generously padded, and the wagon body keeps highway noise lower than in the pickup. Subaru's 11.6-inch STARLINK touchscreen is vertically oriented and easy to reach, and the Wilderness gets StarTex water-repellent upholstery that shrugs off wet dogs and muddy boots, plus a full-size spare under the cargo floor. If family comfort is half the brief, this round goes to Subaru, and it is not close.
Performance & Driving Feel
On paper the Subaru wins the power contest: its 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four makes 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, against 238 horsepower and the same 277 lb-ft from the Ford's 2.0-liter EcoBoost. A note for shoppers comparing brochures: Ford lowered the EcoBoost's rating from 250 hp for 2025 after fitting a gasoline particulate filter, so older listings showing 250 hp are out of date. In practice, both feel strong merging onto an Ohio freeway. The Subaru pulls a little harder at highway speed; the Ford answers with a conventional 8-speed automatic that most drivers will prefer over the Subaru's CVT, which can drone under hard acceleration even though Subaru tunes it with stepped ratios.
Off pavement, the personalities swap. The Maverick's twin-clutch rear drive unit can send power to the rear wheel with grip and can be locked for low-speed work, working with Trail Control — essentially cruise control for trails — and a one-pedal trail drive mode. The Subaru counters with dual-function X-MODE, which adds Deep Snow/Mud settings and hill descent control to a full-time all-wheel-drive system that is always on, never waiting to engage. For an icy morning on an unplowed township road, the Subaru's set-and-forget system is arguably the better answer. For deliberate, slow trail work, we would take the Ford's hardware. Cross-shopping smaller trail crossovers? See our Related reading: Ford Bronco Sport Free Wheeling (2025) vs Jeep Compass Trailhawk (2025): Compact Adventure SUV.
Fuel Economy
There is no winner here, and that is remarkable given the shapes involved. The EPA rates the Maverick Tremor at 21 mpg city, 27 highway, and 23 combined, with roughly 380 miles of range from its 16.5-gallon tank. The Outback Wilderness posts 21 city, 26 highway, and the same 23 combined, and its larger 18.5-gallon tank stretches range a bit further per fill. Both drink regular gasoline. The open bed costs you essentially nothing at the pump versus the wagon, and neither punishes you for choosing the off-road trim the way a body-on-frame SUV would — compare their numbers with the big rigs in our Related reading: Chevrolet Suburban Z71 (2026) vs Ford Expedition Tremor (2026): Off-Road Family SUV Battle.
Safety & Driver Assistance
Subaru makes this section easy: EyeSight driver assistance is standard on every Outback, including the Wilderness, bringing adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, and lane-keep assistance, plus blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert. Ford equips the Maverick line with its Co-Pilot360 suite of pre-collision assist and lane-keeping aids, and the Tremor's standard 360-degree camera is a real safety asset when bikes and coolers surround a campsite parking spot. Both give you the modern essentials; the Subaru bundles more in as standard, while the Ford's camera is the single most useful feature of the pair at low speed.
Pricing, Trims & Value
The Outback Wilderness starts at $39,960 MSRP, which becomes $41,355 after Subaru's $1,395 destination charge. The Maverick Tremor starts at $40,995 MSRP before destination. So the sticker gap is roughly a thousand dollars in Subaru's favor, before equipment: the Ford counters with its bigger screen and surround-view camera, the Subaru with its EyeSight bundle, full-size spare, and stronger tow rating. One caution applies to both: a Maverick shopper tempted by the 4,000-lb 4K Tow Package should know it is not available on the Tremor, and an Outback shopper should know only the turbocharged XT-based trims, Wilderness included, get the 3,500-lb rating.
Pros and Cons
2025 Ford Maverick Tremor — Pros
- Real truck bed: 33.3 cu ft of open cargo space you can hose out
- Locking twin-clutch rear drive unit and 30.8-degree approach angle
- Conventional 8-speed automatic; 13.2-inch touchscreen; standard 360-degree camera
2025 Ford Maverick Tremor — Cons
- Towing capped at 2,000 lb, and payload of 1,140 lb is the Maverick line's lowest
- Tight 36.9-inch rear legroom and an upright rear seatback
- No hybrid option at this trim; the efficiency star of the lineup is unavailable here
2025 Subaru Outback Wilderness — Pros
- 260 hp turbo engine and a 3,500-lb tow rating — best of both worlds here
- 9.5 inches of ground clearance, full-time AWD, dual-function X-MODE
- Roomy, quiet wagon cabin with 75.6 cu ft of maximum enclosed cargo space
2025 Subaru Outback Wilderness — Cons
- CVT drones under hard acceleration; long nose limits approach angle to about 20 degrees
- All cargo rides inside with the passengers — wet, dirty gear included
- Vertical touchscreen divides opinion, and there is no surround-view camera trick like the Ford's
Who Should Buy Which?
Buy the Maverick Tremor if your cargo is dirty, wet, sharp, or taller than a roofline: mountain bikes after a Mohican ride, a load of topsoil, a hunting dog that found the creek. Buy it if you prefer a real automatic gearbox, want the trail camera, and use a bed at least twice a month. It is the more specialized tool, and the more honest truck.
Buy the Outback Wilderness if your passengers and cargo travel together: kids in the back, a dog behind them, luggage that must arrive dry in Put-in-Bay. Buy it if you tow a small camper up to 3,500 lb, drive long winter highway miles, and want all-wheel drive that is always working without selecting a mode. It is the better daily driver and family vehicle.
FAQ
Can the Ford Maverick Tremor tow a camper?
Only a very small one. The Tremor is rated at 2,000 lb, enough for a lightweight teardrop or a small utility trailer, but not the 4,000-lb rating other Mavericks achieve with the 4K Tow Package, which Ford does not offer on the Tremor.
How much can the Subaru Outback Wilderness tow?
The Wilderness is rated at 3,500 lb thanks to its 260-hp turbocharged engine, which covers most teardrop campers, small boats, and dual personal-watercraft trailers — the strongest tow rating in the Outback lineup.
Which is better in Ohio snow, the Maverick Tremor or the Outback Wilderness?
For most drivers, the Subaru. Its Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive is always engaged and dual-function X-MODE includes Deep Snow settings, while its 9.5 inches of clearance top the Ford's 9.1. The Maverick's lockable rear drive unit is the better tool for getting unstuck from a drifted driveway, however.
What is the real difference in cargo space?
The Outback carries 32.6 cu ft behind its rear seats and 75.6 cu ft with them folded, all enclosed and lockable. The Maverick's bed offers 33.3 cu ft in the open air, under a 4.5-foot floor — similar volume, but it can swallow tall, dirty items a wagon roof would reject.
Which one costs less to buy?
The Outback Wilderness, narrowly: $39,960 MSRP ($41,355 including destination) against the Maverick Tremor's $40,995 MSRP plus destination. Real-world pricing will depend on Ohio dealer inventory, and Tremors tend to be stocked in smaller numbers.
Final Verdict
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This pairing is not really truck versus wagon; it is two definitions of freedom. The Outback Wilderness is the vehicle we would recommend to most Ohio buyers, most of the time: quicker, roomier, stronger on the tow rating, better in a snowstorm, and a thousand dollars cheaper to start. It asks one sacrifice — everything you haul rides inside with you.
If that sacrifice is the whole point of your weekends, the Maverick Tremor is the one we would take home. Its locking rear drive unit, proper approach angle, trail camera, and a bed you can load without thinking twice make it the more capable adventure tool, and it gives up nothing in fuel economy to earn that. Choose by cargo, not by badge.
So, Ohio: are you Team Truck Bed or Team Adventure Wagon — and what is the first trail, lake, or job site yours would see? Tell us in the comments.
— By Stefany Aurora, ABBOhio Editorial
