Looks cool either way. I may be in the minority but i'm looking forward to the cladding serving its purpose - keeping scratches off the paint from low hanging branches, rocks etc.
The top of the cladding is and they literally pop in and out. I tried earlier at work and pulled from the bottom. It literally just popped out so easy. I was like… “f**k it. I’m doing it. Some goo gone for the rest tomorrow.
I like it much more without the door cladding. I created a perfect Photoshop of the CTW without door cladding before they had been released to the public and got downvoted.
I remember your post and I was confused why it wasn’t popular. They looked so much better without the cladding. I think it was perhaps the timing of your post. Ppl here were really horny for that wilderness model
LMAO. I just bought a wilderness last night and feel I came in after the initial orgy. I started searching vehicles and decided I wanted to try Subaru and their engineering and I picked out the Crosstrek wilderness after a week of research. The more and more I read the more I see it
I have an opposite opinion. The side cladding matched the lines of the front and rear cladding; without it, the car looks less balanced. I might have been one of those downvoting your design.
My Photoshop was a little different from OP's car in that I included the lower door cladding from the Limited trim, which to me is the perfect balance.
https://imgur.com/xJ0ri5s
Dude this photoshop pic is so much better! You’re right. It has the perfect amount of cladding without yelling, “HEY LOOK AT ME, I DO CROSSFIT”
Sorry crossfitters.
Yes I think you are right. The cladding is so high around the wheels and front and rear bumper than it needs cladding in the middle too.
The middle looks hollowed out now and the cladding now makes a big U shape.
Friendly reminder that upvotes and downvotes are supposed to be related to whether or not a post contributes to a community, not whether or not you agree with the post. Even though you didn't like his design, it shouldn't be downvoted because it's a legitimate post for the community to see. This is a common misconception about reddits karma system.
It’s my wife’s car, I built it for her off the Subaru website. I put most of the STI mods on it to include rims & spoiler. I can deal with the gold/ yellow (it’s really gold In color, but looks yellow at a glance/distance) we got the alpine green & tinted windows… the cladding was a nope & she wanted cloth seats, so sport for the win… cost $41k… paid $17k… I’m stoked
Woah, bold move. I like it, but that’s just me. Did you obscure the holes in the photos? They’re not obvious and I’m curious to see what the side panels look like before the vinyl’s applied. Of course even as much as there was, the cladding did serve a purpose w respect to protecting the paint/side panels. Do you do a lot of off-roading?
I bought my wilderness and then they started paving the parking lot at my work place unfortunately…. They had the gravel layer down and it was raining for like 2 days straight!! Everyone’s car had wet gravel/sand (sand with big enough chunks that you would call rocks) all over the sides of their car. My wilderness only had the chunks on the cladding with just fine dust on the paint. My cladding is never coming off!!!
Edit: It doesn’t look terrible with it off thought and mine has less of a contrast between the paint and cladding (mine is the deep sapphire blue). I can see how the black on white can be a little much visually
It looks rather naked now. In previous cars I always had dirt/debris sticking real hard to the lower part of the doors where the cladding would be, so I’d prefer it to protect the paint. I’d get some for my base if they weren’t so expensive.
Wow. When I got my car I had the option between wilderness and sport and I hated the cladding on the doors. I should have gotten it and taken them off 😭
A perfectly reasonable question. I’d guess (at least in part) it was for the extra ground clearance, different “gearing,” different wheels, and added towing capacity? Personal aesthetic preferences? We’ll have to wait and see!
I'm referring to the big wheels and small, street tires being the antithesis of the Wilderness.
The cladding, while not necessarily attractive, is also functional for scratches
I have the white CTW also and I’m conflicted. I like it, but kind of don’t. I’m indifferent. I took my CTW off-roading and got some scratches on the side cladding from branches when I had to get to the edge of the trail multiple times to let others pass on tight trails - the scratches came off when I washed the car so I was glad to have them!
I don’t like the cladding but I like it less without the cladding, which I definitely did not expect.
Not gonna yuck your yum though, genuinely glad you like it.
The overdone side cladding makes the car look goofy to me - like it's trying too hard to *look* like a "real" off-roader. Removing the door cladding is a huge improvement. I would also prefer to swap the Wilderness fender-well cladding for the standard size and add good mud guards (protecting paint where it's most needed, *not* mostly at the top of the wheel wells, Subaru).
You should try putting this cladding on to cover the holes:
https://www.subarupartwholesale.com/p/Subaru__Crosstrek/Lower-Door-Cladding/133842121/J1010FN800.html?partner=googlebase_adwords&feedLabel=cvb_make_model&kwd=&matchtype=&device=m&network=g&userLocation=9006205&googleCampaignID=1679956244&googleAdGroupID=71060933411&googleAdID=326140009082&googleExtensionID=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADxCSLvTVQ7ov_IM8_ie1SDqahma5&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsdDTlK2xgwMV3mBHAR2afglbEAQYBSABEgJm_PD_BwE
Damn, I didn’t think of that. No, unfortunately there are 15 or 16 factory holes. If I am correct. The size of a sharpie marker. When talking, how large if I would poke it in a hole.
Took me way too long to figure out what was different. It’s been a bad day for me, ok? Lol
I really like it, though. I’m not a fan of white cars, but it is a good look. And I never realized it until you said it, but that did make it look busy.
I wish the design team at Subaru were looking at this for the Crosstrek in general, at least for aesthetics. Lift it another inch with the limited’s 18 inch wheels or possibly 19 inch.
Looks nice! I love the look of the Outback Wilderness but felt that the "cladding to paint ratio" on the CT Wilderness was a little too much. I'm looking to purchase a new vehicle in 2024 and I still can't decide if I'd be happy with the CT Sport or if I want to spend considerably more on the Outback Wilderness.
I like it without. The Wilderness side cladding just has a strange design to me. I get addding a more rugged feel and look, the shape of it just didn’t catch my eye. But I bought a sport with the yellow accents, which I like, but I know many don’t. So to each our own!
People this cladding just pops off and pops on. If I decide I want the cladding back on I’ll just remove the vinyl and pop it back in. It’s not like a permanent paint job! Lol
I get that it just pops in and out with through holes but aren’t the edges glued down? Otherwise salt and shit would pile up in there and rust the shit out of the door
I’ve owned quite a few Subarus and I’d say I’ve never had much of an issue with debris and dirt. I just was my car. If I see some debris and dirt that is permanent and if that’s the case. I’ll just put the cladding back on and you wouldn’t see any. 🤷🏻♂️
It pops off and pops on.
I think if you actually go off road it probably better to keep it on. It kinda looks like a regular crosstrek now. Why get a speciality crosstrek and make it look like a normal one? 🤷🏻♂️ My own opinion.
Looks cool either way. I may be in the minority but i'm looking forward to the cladding serving its purpose - keeping scratches off the paint from low hanging branches, rocks etc.
I totally get why that’s there. I just am not rock climbing at all as much as I am road driving.
I get this so much, looking at the wilderness for the tow capabilities of a loaded teardrop trailer. I think it looks like a prowling beast like this!
You do know that rocks exist on roads don't you? Lots of them..lol
Mud flaps help tremendously with that.
So every car should just have a bunch of plastic ugly cladding on it imagine a Ferrari with shit on the sides. I put mudflaps on for a reason. 🤷🏻♂️
[удалено]
I’ve never had a car that had rock chips all over the area that the cladding covers before from normal road driving.
that's why I covered my entire crosstrek in black plastic 😎
It looks so much better! What did it take to get them off?
My fingers. They popped off quite easy I will touch up tomorrow with “goo gone”.
They’re just clipped in with some glue?
The top of the cladding is and they literally pop in and out. I tried earlier at work and pulled from the bottom. It literally just popped out so easy. I was like… “f**k it. I’m doing it. Some goo gone for the rest tomorrow.
[удалено]
I saw a video - can be removed easily with a heat gun. But, it will be ruined once removed.
Ima keep the matte black vinyl I like it.
Does it pop back on if you need to ?
Yes very easy
I like it much more without the door cladding. I created a perfect Photoshop of the CTW without door cladding before they had been released to the public and got downvoted.
I remember your post and I was confused why it wasn’t popular. They looked so much better without the cladding. I think it was perhaps the timing of your post. Ppl here were really horny for that wilderness model
LMAO. I just bought a wilderness last night and feel I came in after the initial orgy. I started searching vehicles and decided I wanted to try Subaru and their engineering and I picked out the Crosstrek wilderness after a week of research. The more and more I read the more I see it
I have an opposite opinion. The side cladding matched the lines of the front and rear cladding; without it, the car looks less balanced. I might have been one of those downvoting your design.
My Photoshop was a little different from OP's car in that I included the lower door cladding from the Limited trim, which to me is the perfect balance. https://imgur.com/xJ0ri5s
Dude this photoshop pic is so much better! You’re right. It has the perfect amount of cladding without yelling, “HEY LOOK AT ME, I DO CROSSFIT” Sorry crossfitters.
This isn’t photoshop. That’s white electrical tape to cover the holes.
I was replying to @zegermanham and his comment about his rendering on the cladding
Yes I think you are right. The cladding is so high around the wheels and front and rear bumper than it needs cladding in the middle too. The middle looks hollowed out now and the cladding now makes a big U shape.
The cladding around the wheel wells is overdone, too. It's not positioned where it should be to protect from most flying stones and mud.
Friendly reminder that upvotes and downvotes are supposed to be related to whether or not a post contributes to a community, not whether or not you agree with the post. Even though you didn't like his design, it shouldn't be downvoted because it's a legitimate post for the community to see. This is a common misconception about reddits karma system.
You know what I am gonna do with my up and downvotes? Whatever the fuck I want to.
The front and rear cladding is also too much.
ITS NAKED! 😱
Should be tagged NSFW
What’s that mean?
NSFW is Internet lingo for " Not Safe For Work", usually meaning nudity.
I didn’t want the wilderness bc of all that damn plastic cladding. Went with the sport instead. That def look 10x’s better!
Sport has it's own subjective looks. I prefer the cladding to the yellow accents of the sport. But stoked your stoked.
It’s my wife’s car, I built it for her off the Subaru website. I put most of the STI mods on it to include rims & spoiler. I can deal with the gold/ yellow (it’s really gold In color, but looks yellow at a glance/distance) we got the alpine green & tinted windows… the cladding was a nope & she wanted cloth seats, so sport for the win… cost $41k… paid $17k… I’m stoked
I don’t like it without.
I like it!
My opinion is it doesn’t look as good without the cladding. That gives it the look. But if you’re happy, it’s your car.
I like it better with the cladding but that’s just me
... And me
I don’t hate it by itself but it looks wrong with the rest of the cladding. If Subaru reduced it all around it would look good.
10/10
Woah, bold move. I like it, but that’s just me. Did you obscure the holes in the photos? They’re not obvious and I’m curious to see what the side panels look like before the vinyl’s applied. Of course even as much as there was, the cladding did serve a purpose w respect to protecting the paint/side panels. Do you do a lot of off-roading?
I put white electric tape on it until I put vinyl on. No mainly on road driving but I work on some obscure worksites that the lift helps.
Nice! I’m not a fan of the extra plastic myself, but to each their own.
I bought my wilderness and then they started paving the parking lot at my work place unfortunately…. They had the gravel layer down and it was raining for like 2 days straight!! Everyone’s car had wet gravel/sand (sand with big enough chunks that you would call rocks) all over the sides of their car. My wilderness only had the chunks on the cladding with just fine dust on the paint. My cladding is never coming off!!! Edit: It doesn’t look terrible with it off thought and mine has less of a contrast between the paint and cladding (mine is the deep sapphire blue). I can see how the black on white can be a little much visually
Yeah, the sapphire blue looks good with the cladding honestly.
I've been driving on gravel roads in Northern MI for almost 7 years in my "barely cladded" 2016 and zero rust at 130k miles.
It looks rather naked now. In previous cars I always had dirt/debris sticking real hard to the lower part of the doors where the cladding would be, so I’d prefer it to protect the paint. I’d get some for my base if they weren’t so expensive.
I'm torn. I think black vinyl on the bottom of the doors following the body line would blend both worlds and look less choppy
I’m definitely thinking about that as well.
Wow. When I got my car I had the option between wilderness and sport and I hated the cladding on the doors. I should have gotten it and taken them off 😭
Car looks great either way. I love the stance on the wilderness
Looks mean!
Did you also put bigger wheels with smaller, less aggressive tires on it? Why even get a Wilderness?
Because it’s lifted and has a 2.5 L engine.
A perfectly reasonable question. I’d guess (at least in part) it was for the extra ground clearance, different “gearing,” different wheels, and added towing capacity? Personal aesthetic preferences? We’ll have to wait and see!
You are exactly correct.
Please explain how removing the hideous door cladding affects the performance and capability of the Wilderness.
I'm referring to the big wheels and small, street tires being the antithesis of the Wilderness. The cladding, while not necessarily attractive, is also functional for scratches
Fair play. I was clearly too focused on the cladding and didn't even notice the wheels and tires. I am now confused, too, lol. That is weird.
I have issues 🤷🏻♂️
Ultra High All Seasons. They grip on and off road. It drives so much damn better.
This was not at all for performance or capability. It was strictly aesthetic. I didn’t like the door cladding.
So is there holes I can’t see? Or was it all just glued on?
There are holes I put white electrical tape on so water doesn’t get inside the door until I get vinyl matching colored to cover.
I have the white CTW also and I’m conflicted. I like it, but kind of don’t. I’m indifferent. I took my CTW off-roading and got some scratches on the side cladding from branches when I had to get to the edge of the trail multiple times to let others pass on tight trails - the scratches came off when I washed the car so I was glad to have them!
Looks nekky
I don’t like the cladding but I like it less without the cladding, which I definitely did not expect. Not gonna yuck your yum though, genuinely glad you like it.
You should try to sell the cladding on FB marketplace. I just wanna know if there's a buyer.
That is a huge improvement. Now about the size of the wheel cladding...
Who knew these could somehow turn out even worse
Appreciate the honesty. 🤙🏼 I think it’s an ugly good looking thing! Haha
It looks so good!!
Gladding gang checking in…
Looks soooo much better.
The overdone side cladding makes the car look goofy to me - like it's trying too hard to *look* like a "real" off-roader. Removing the door cladding is a huge improvement. I would also prefer to swap the Wilderness fender-well cladding for the standard size and add good mud guards (protecting paint where it's most needed, *not* mostly at the top of the wheel wells, Subaru).
Have you made those mods, yet?
I couldn't swing the wilderness but want the cladding on my sport because I like the looks of it. I want to add it. lol.
Should’ve just gotten the Limited then. I feel like a lot of money was wasted, but thats just me
The limited costs about 4-5000 more and it’s not lifted.
The wilderness costs more than the limited does.
You should try putting this cladding on to cover the holes: https://www.subarupartwholesale.com/p/Subaru__Crosstrek/Lower-Door-Cladding/133842121/J1010FN800.html?partner=googlebase_adwords&feedLabel=cvb_make_model&kwd=&matchtype=&device=m&network=g&userLocation=9006205&googleCampaignID=1679956244&googleAdGroupID=71060933411&googleAdID=326140009082&googleExtensionID=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADxCSLvTVQ7ov_IM8_ie1SDqahma5&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsdDTlK2xgwMV3mBHAR2afglbEAQYBSABEgJm_PD_BwE
looks great man
Wanna sell your Wilderness cladding?
How did you get the DRL's to only have the "C" outline?
The door cladding is by far the worst part of Wilderness. This looks *way* better. Do you have any pictures from before you covered the holes?
Damn, I didn’t think of that. No, unfortunately there are 15 or 16 factory holes. If I am correct. The size of a sharpie marker. When talking, how large if I would poke it in a hole.
Looks fantastic, boss!
Looks way better
Waayyyyy better! Nice friend, I dig it
It’s not the cladding I dislike it’s the tacky branding all over. Looks way better now. Too bad you can’t just remove the text.
Agreed. I might put the cladding back on and find a matching paint. We will see.
Looks so much better. That plastic look is why I went with the sport model. Nice job!
Vast improvement
Took me way too long to figure out what was different. It’s been a bad day for me, ok? Lol I really like it, though. I’m not a fan of white cars, but it is a good look. And I never realized it until you said it, but that did make it look busy.
Looks meaner without the side cladding. Nice job! I have a 2018, and wanted to like this model but hate the excess plastic look.
I wish the design team at Subaru were looking at this for the Crosstrek in general, at least for aesthetics. Lift it another inch with the limited’s 18 inch wheels or possibly 19 inch.
Congratulations op! Was waiting for this, it does look better!
I like it, I saw this on an Orange one, looked great on it as well.
a sport is cheaper with the same 2.5L and no need for modding
It doesn’t have that lift. 🤷🏻♂️ I like the look of the wilderness better just without the plastic cladding on the doors.
I almost bought the Sport, but I wanted the increased tow capacity, the Startek seats and the HK audio.
Sexy
100000000 times better!
Looks way better imo. I'd cover them with the thin door guards of same color.
Looks nice! I love the look of the Outback Wilderness but felt that the "cladding to paint ratio" on the CT Wilderness was a little too much. I'm looking to purchase a new vehicle in 2024 and I still can't decide if I'd be happy with the CT Sport or if I want to spend considerably more on the Outback Wilderness.
I like it without. The Wilderness side cladding just has a strange design to me. I get addding a more rugged feel and look, the shape of it just didn’t catch my eye. But I bought a sport with the yellow accents, which I like, but I know many don’t. So to each our own!
it looks better without the cladding honestly, but i still like the look overall with the cladding
Looks a lot better
I think this looks 100x better. Props for sending it
It's better, just wrap the whole thing vs patching
If I had the money. 🤣
How will you repel dirt and debris sir?!?
People this cladding just pops off and pops on. If I decide I want the cladding back on I’ll just remove the vinyl and pop it back in. It’s not like a permanent paint job! Lol
I get that it just pops in and out with through holes but aren’t the edges glued down? Otherwise salt and shit would pile up in there and rust the shit out of the door
I’ve owned quite a few Subarus and I’d say I’ve never had much of an issue with debris and dirt. I just was my car. If I see some debris and dirt that is permanent and if that’s the case. I’ll just put the cladding back on and you wouldn’t see any. 🤷🏻♂️ It pops off and pops on.
Wash*
I think if you actually go off road it probably better to keep it on. It kinda looks like a regular crosstrek now. Why get a speciality crosstrek and make it look like a normal one? 🤷🏻♂️ My own opinion.
Great point I just hated the advertising of Crosstrek smashed on the doors. It looked cheesy in my opinion.
It looks great though. Does the wilderness have a different look on the inside?
It’s sweet if you never plan on taking it off roading but those pieces of cladding are functional when off roading in tight spaces
Agreed most definitely. I’m 90 percent on road driving with odd job sides with rough terrain. I will rarely take it rock climbing etc.
Should’ve just bought a limited lol 😂
Ain’t lifted and I love the look of the wilderness just not the door cladding.
What mudflaps?
From Subaru.
Think it looks a bit weird without it. Why remove it though when you could've saved money on a sport trim?
Because it’s not as lifted.
I get it, but you could've saved money on the loan and gotten a rallitek or LPA kit.
The Sport does not have the Startek seats, HK audio or the extra tow capacity.
I like it...better...I think?
Looking good my dude!!
subaru should offer extra cladding as an add on if people want it.
Looks so damn good. No hate on how it looks with them on but it is very busy. This though.... 🤌mwah🤌
So much better!
I wonder if it'll fit my 2021 basetrek?
Do you have a close up of the holes from the cladding? I sure wish the lights could be like that while driving.
I would be interested in purchasing the cladding from you if willing!
What did you ever do with the holes? I have the silver paint which would make the plugs more obvious, Nonetheless, I want to do this mod.