Changes from 2014 to 2024 Dire Wolf:

• HP decreased from 37 to 22.
• Perception increased from +3 to +5 (and passive perception increased from 13 to 15)
• Darkvision of 60' has been added.
• Keen Hearing and Smell has been removed.
• Bite damage reduced from 10 (2d6+3) to 8 (1d10+3) damage.
• Bite now always knocks the target prone if it is huge or smaller, instead of invoking a strength saving throw.

Interesting how keen hearing and smell was seemingly ditched across the board and overall Perception was increased instead. Seems reasonable, and less guesswork for the DM to determine what perception technically involves smell and hearing or not.

It is now an automatic prone on hit (a +5 hit with potential advantage), jeez that is rough and the reduced HP does not make up for it. 

Quote from RawCauliflower >>

It is now an automatic prone on hit (a +5 hit with potential advantage), jeez that is rough and the reduced HP does not make up for it. 

 It's really not, and you have it backwards.
They have one attack and pack tactics, knocking you down means you just get back up on your turn. It makes little difference.
It won't grant them advantage nor impose disadvantage on you.
Losing so much HP and damage is a much bigger deal, even if it's being used as a war-beast for creatures that don't have pack tactics, that HP matters.
Guess it can yoink your horse though.

It costs half your movement to get up from being prone. That does limit options

Gotta think strategically.  Wolf one knocks you down.  Wolf two grapples you.  Now you can't stand up without wasting an action to break the grapple.  Then they can drag you 25 ft per turn.  At that point they just eat you.  

It's a CR 1 creature, so it isn't going to ever be a menace by itself, but if you run it right, a pack of these can wreck a lower leveled party.  

Also attacks against Prone creatures have advantage, although that's of dubious value when you consider pack tactics. Although it does mean that once an enemy has been knocked over, more wolves can focus on other targets.

Sure, but attacks FROM prone creatures have disadvantage.  If a wolf pack sneaks up on the party, picks one that isn't with the group, knocks it down and drags it away?  The party member's gonna have a hard time getting out of that grapple and attacking back.