Subaru Crosstrek Pros and Cons: What To Know When Weighing Your Decision

in Car Comparisons
Rear view of a Subaru Crosstrek

Source: Flickr

The Subaru Crosstrek is an impressive offering from Subaru. It’s a subcompact crossover SUV ready for adventure and fitted with excellent safety controls to keep riders and drivers confident the entire time. However, everything about the Subaru Crosstrek isn’t spectacular. Is it worth it to purchase the Crosstrek for yourself?

Car shopping involves much more than just picking your favorite car and buying for yourself. The Subaru Crosstrek pros and cons are a great place to start with your vehicle investment as these items will reveal how the Crosstrek stands out from the competition in good and bad ways. Let’s dive into it to help you make the right choice.

What We Love: Subaru Crosstrek Pros

Of course, we have to start with what we love about the Subaru. Let’s gloss over the best of the Subaru Crosstrek pros and cons.

Excellent Refinement

First, you’ll find excellent refinement in the Subaru Crosstrek. The car comes with the ever-reliable 152-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which can struggle if paired with the wrong powertrain. Luckily, the Subaru Crosstrek has designed the car well for an excellent refinement opportunity.

In the Crosstrek, you’ll find a powertrain that works overtime to reduce vibration and noises inside the cabin. When off-roading, you’ll get the treat of more stability and top-notch comfort even over the roughest terrains. 


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Adventure Prepared

Subaru is a brand known for adventure, which is where much of their following comes from on the market. The Subaru Crosstrek is no different. It comes with standard all-wheel drive and a high lift that almost makes it possible to turn off the highway at any random moment and hit the nearest dirt path.

The Crosstrek also comes with a roof rack, which is enough to support bikes, canoes, and even a platform if you want to camp on top of your vehicle. The Crosstrek is always prepared to hit the ground running in any conditions, rain or shine. 

Better Safety Systems 

Not only does the Crosstrek care about adventure, but it also takes advantage of many safety systems to ensure passengers and the driver finish their adventure in one piece. The Subaru EyeSight Suite is a game-changer and helps scan the world around the car for a confident experience on the road. It’s built for every type of adventure, including driving the family.

Top features include lane departure warnings, forward collision alerts, and more. The Crosstrek also favors flashing lights over loud noises, which will ensure drivers are less likely to turn them off for higher rates of safety and a lower likelihood of crashes that come from the safety features not being available to help drivers avoid dangerous conditions.

Solid Controls

The controls in the Subaru Crosstrek are also a winner. The vehicle comes with an 11.6-inch touchscreen, placed vertically inside to take up less room on the dash. It’s simple to use and bright enough that you won’t struggle to see what’s happening on the screen. Climate controls sit at the bottom and multimedia rests on top for simple separation and access.

Functions that are used often still have physical knobs and switches, which was an excellent choice from Subaru Crosstrek. These are much easier to use while behind the wheel. Of course, some might prefer the touchscreen, but we think the choice to integrate both types of controls is an excellent move from the iconic brand. 


THE MOST RELIABLE YEAR FOR THE SUBARU CROSSTREK

If you’re interested in this vehicle, it’s a good idea to settle on a used option to keep more money in your pocket. If this option appeals to you, you might wonder - what is the most reliable year Subaru Crosstrek offers?


Comfortable Cruising Feel

Finally, we love the comfort that the Subaru Crosstrek offers once you hit a cruising speed. This comfort comes from softer springs on the suspension, allowing better absorption over uncomfortable terrain and beyond. It’s easier than ever to relax in the back of a Subaru Crosstrek.

The handling is relaxed, but the Crosstrek remains in control. You won’t feel a thing no matter how many cracks and potholes are located on the road ahead. It’s a winner in this category by far.

What We Dislike: Subaru Crosstrek Cons

Naturally, the worst must follow a list of the best in the Subaru Crosstrek pros and cons. These are areas where the Crosstrek is significantly lacking.

Lacking Cabin

Unfortunately, the cabin of the Subaru Crosstrek does seem to be lacking in a few areas. It’s very spacious and incredibly finished, but the room for passengers isn’t always where it should be. When adding the optional moonroof, the area for the passenger’s head seems to shrink. This issue could cause discomfort for riders.

There is no adjustment opportunity for the passenger seat when considering height, which can be a problem for passengers who are taller than others. They might have to duck a little or lean back. This tactic will get uncomfortable over time.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto exist to reduce the number of cables in the vehicle. However, many reported the pairing process to be a pain in the Crosstrek.

Limited Power

You will get an incredible, smooth drive from the Subaru Crosstrek. Unfortunately, the base engine comes with limited power options. The Crosstrek isn’t the car you would use to impress your friend with how fast it can go from 0-60 mph. 

The Crosstrek is already semi-lethargic but will become slower with cargo and passengers. If you’re hunting for something with speed and energy, the Subaru Crosstrek isn’t for you. Its off-roading ability is one of its selling points.


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Should You Buy a Subaru Crosstrek?

We’ve touched on the Subaru Crosstrek pros and cons, so now what? Is it a good idea to go for a Subaru Crosstrek, or should you stay away?

Although the Crosstrek can falter in the cabin area and has limited power, it’s worth it if you want a versatile vehicle option capable of off-roading and providing comfort for everyone inside. It’s a sleek car with its share of issues, but it’s overall a winner.

If you get the Subaru Crosstrek, avoid the 2016 and 2018 years. These have extensive faults and will cost more to fix than they are worth.



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