Subarus are probably the most capable awd vehicles. Imagine a cr-v or even worse the bronco “sport” which is pretty terrible compare to the non-“sport” version.
They are.
I guess I take offense to the "don't leave the pavement" bit. 90% of trails around the world are not technical in any way. Why discourage some adventure? I think some people would be surprised by how capable their vehicle is, even 2WD.
Maybe that's it? Most people are over or under confident, and reality is in the middle (as it often is).
If anyone wants a deep-dive on how the different types of 4WD and AWD systems actually work and their different pros and cons, this video from Alex on Autos is worth your 20 minutes- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD4dNv-jBOY
Should you take either vehicle on roads where the NPS says not to? Of course not! But there's a wide range of conditions between "gravel road" and "rock crawling in Moab", and a properly-equipped AWD vehicle will handle most of them. Know your vehicle, know your skill level, know the conditions you're going into, bring appropriate supplies in case you run into trouble, travel with a group and/or have a reliable way to call for help, etc.