Topic: I thought the Crosstrek was overrated, then I drove one to Boston

[OliverD]

And I still think it's overrated. 

Seriously, I don't understand why enthusiasts love this car.

My friend picked up his 2024 right around the time they came out, mostly because he was trading in his 2020 Impreza and that's all they had available. The wait for another Impreza would have been months.

On the highway this car is quite noisy. It's an odd, somewhat disconcerting feeling to be high up in a small car like this. When passing other, larger crossovers it feels like you're driving something of a similar size. The CVT seems to exacerbate lack of performance from the small engine. Like most (all?) Subarus the interior is fairly chintzy. I can excuse the lack of some basic amenities since it's a base model but it's a bit odd for a car to have dual zone auto climate and adaptive cruise and such but still have a physical key and no rear armrest.

This is a competent car. The value proposition when compared to a regular Impreza is dubious unless you simply prefer the styling (I don't) or need something that's higher up for ease of ingress and egress. The faster, better equipped Impreza RS is cheaper than all but the most basic Crosstrek. I get why the general public buys these things but as an enthusiast who cares about driving I simply do not see the appeal.

[TheHire]

Yup, it's "competent", but it's also aggressively priced and offers excellent safety ratings.

But yeah, modern Subarus largely feel like they are adequate at best and put together like poo - lots of cheap noises and drone from the CVT. I keep saying it; the flat-four is a neat application for a performance setting, but for the daily, it's just not as smooth as a N/A I-4.

I will say, the Crosstrek, Outback and Forester ride extremely well from a damping perspective; some of the best ride quality in the mainstream segment.

[OliverD]

Mentally I still have a tough time equating aggressively priced with over $30k but then I realize it's barely more expensive than a base Honda Civic.

Agreed that the ride is quite good. For much of the drive it was quite windy and I felt the car was quite susceptible to moving around from that but I have no basis of comparison for that.

[PJungnitsch]

Funny, as I was driving in this morning I was thinking what a perfect city car this is. Lots of ground clearance for the snowfalls and rutted ice we've had lately, good ride over said obstacles, great visibility from the higher seating position and big windows, yet car like handling. Add in the great full time AWD and it's a dune buggy for the street, feels like it can make it through anything

To me the interior is well laid out, solid feeling and very functional, with no buzzes or creaks after a year and a half

That being said, the engine is certainly not the smoothest (although the CVT idles it down to almost nothing with a light foot) and could see a base 2L being somewhat short of features and power too. Can imagine Crosstreks are not super highway cars (we take the RX) but that's not really their mandate either

[sailor723]

Funny, as I was driving in this morning I was thinking what a perfect city car this is. Lots of ground clearance for the snowfalls and rutted ice we've had lately, good ride over said obstacles, great visibility from the higher seating position and big windows, yet car like handling. Add in the great full time AWD and it's a dune buggy for the street, feels like it can make it through anything

To me the interior is well laid out, solid feeling and very functional, with no buzzes or creaks after a year and a half

That being said, the engine is certainly not the smoothest (although the CVT idles it down to almost nothing with a light foot) and could see a base 2L being somewhat short of features and power too. Can imagine Crosstreks are not super highway cars (we take the RX) but that's not really their mandate either

Why would you need ground clearance for snowfalls and rutted ice in the city?  Don't you have a municipal works department? 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Funny, as I was driving in this morning I was thinking what a perfect city car this is. Lots of ground clearance for the snowfalls and rutted ice we've had lately, good ride over said obstacles, great visibility from the higher seating position and big windows, yet car like handling. Add in the great full time AWD and it's a dune buggy for the street, feels like it can make it through anything

To me the interior is well laid out, solid feeling and very functional, with no buzzes or creaks after a year and a half

That being said, the engine is certainly not the smoothest (although the CVT idles it down to almost nothing with a light foot) and could see a base 2L being somewhat short of features and power too. Can imagine Crosstreks are not super highway cars (we take the RX) but that's not really their mandate either

Why would you need ground clearance for snowfalls and rutted ice in the city?  Don't you have a municipal works department? 

It's different out West.  Typically out here, when we get snow, it immediately gets extremely cold, and the snow and ice freezes into ruts.  Salt doesn't work.  Not much the plows can do about it.  Just about the only thing that will touch the ice is big motor graders, which only get pulled out after very large snow accumulations.

[Gurgie]

Funny, as I was driving in this morning I was thinking what a perfect city car this is. Lots of ground clearance for the snowfalls and rutted ice we've had lately, good ride over said obstacles, great visibility from the higher seating position and big windows, yet car like handling. Add in the great full time AWD and it's a dune buggy for the street, feels like it can make it through anything

To me the interior is well laid out, solid feeling and very functional, with no buzzes or creaks after a year and a half

That being said, the engine is certainly not the smoothest (although the CVT idles it down to almost nothing with a light foot) and could see a base 2L being somewhat short of features and power too. Can imagine Crosstreks are not super highway cars (we take the RX) but that's not really their mandate either

Why would you need ground clearance for snowfalls and rutted ice in the city?  Don't you have a municipal works department? 

That's just how it is further north in pretty much every province. Plus Alberta doesn't use road salt (or very little now), so it's just a mess when it freezes onto the road like that.

[sailor723]

Funny, as I was driving in this morning I was thinking what a perfect city car this is. Lots of ground clearance for the snowfalls and rutted ice we've had lately, good ride over said obstacles, great visibility from the higher seating position and big windows, yet car like handling. Add in the great full time AWD and it's a dune buggy for the street, feels like it can make it through anything

To me the interior is well laid out, solid feeling and very functional, with no buzzes or creaks after a year and a half

That being said, the engine is certainly not the smoothest (although the CVT idles it down to almost nothing with a light foot) and could see a base 2L being somewhat short of features and power too. Can imagine Crosstreks are not super highway cars (we take the RX) but that's not really their mandate either

Why would you need ground clearance for snowfalls and rutted ice in the city?  Don't you have a municipal works department? 

That's just how it is further north in pretty much every province. Plus Alberta doesn't use road salt (or very little now), so it's just a mess when it freezes onto the road like that.

I guess I'm spoiled. Main roads here in town are normally bare pavement within 12-24 hours of the storm ending. Even our dead end residential street will see a plow/salt truck a couple of time during a storm and then to tidy up within a day or so  after it's ended. 

[PJungnitsch]

Not here . Cul de sacs almost never get the plowed the whole winter. Main arteries they get to fairly quick but secondaries can take a while

Edmonton has 3X the amount of roads as Montreal, but half the population. They budget 60 million on snow clearing vs 200 million. Something has to give. I think Saskatoon and Regina have it worse yet

On the plus side, high ground clearance and soft suspension is good for potholes in the summer too!

[HeliDriver]

I’m still really enjoying mine. I think it’s a fun and engaging drive for what it is, but having a manual is a big part of that. I did test drive a ‘23 2.0 CVT and it was better than I expected, though. I think the 2.5 with the CVT would still be fine, but I do understand the lack of love from some.

I’m alone in the car probably 85% of the time, and I have a blast driving it. Kind of reminds me of being a teenager in my grandmother’s Volvo 240 or my mom’s Chevy Cavalier: you just drive with your foot to the floor all the time! Yeah it’s noisy and the engine sounds kind of gruff, but it’s smooth and loves to rev (slowly!) out to redline. I feel like I’m driving it like a hooligan, while hardly breaking the speed limit.

But then I’ll have a passenger in the car (my wife or 83-yo mother) and I feel a little self conscious and silly. I was in traffic on the freeway the other day and kept it in fourth gear, just to have some jam to get around traffic and get up a small hill. It will do whatever you need it to, you just have to work for it. The engine is revving around 4k and making its usual noise, and my wife just turns to me and gives me “the look.” 

So, maybe not the greatest vehicle for family use and road trips, but we have the Yukon for that. Overall, I’m not missing the GTI at all: I’d say the Crosstrek is more fun to drive in the winter and damn near as much fun enjoyable to drive in the summer.

[ktm525]

More fun to drive a slow car fast than the other way around. I am still considering adding a Crosstrek to the the family fleet at some point.

[Jaeger]

More to fun to drive a slow car fast than the other way around. I am still considering adding a Crosstrek to the the family fleet at some point.

That's definitely how I feel about my wife's car.  And her motorcycle, for that matter.

[ktm525]

i just need to learn to type... The slow thing is a big point. Almost every time I drive the Ridgeline I am full throttle at some point winding the revs out because it needs to be flogged to perform. I floored the XC60 yesterday and I was in licence revoke territory much too fast.

[rrocket]

Funny, as I was driving in this morning I was thinking what a perfect city car this is.

Yea, some of these cheaper offerings fall down on the highway a bit.

But around town they can be quite good!

[Fobroader]

Funny, as I was driving in this morning I was thinking what a perfect city car this is.

Yea, some of these cheaper offerings fall down on the highway a bit.

But around town they can be quite good!

The Terrain we had in Vegas as a rental was definitely a city only offering. Not good at high speed at all

[Blueprint]

I did take my '22 2.5 on a roadtrip when new and it did just fine. The CVT makes the engine inaudible in the 70-100 km/h range, but yeah in stop-and-go or hills it revs a lot, and noisily at that. The new Impreza RS I reviewed was much quieter inside, as is the Outback I'm driving this week.

The Crosstrek is a hoot in the snow or gravel, always ready for a rally stage, or potholes. It's been awhile since I've driven a 2.0 Subie though.

[OliverD]

More fun to drive a slow car fast than the other way around. I am still considering adding a Crosstrek to the the family fleet at some point.

Sure, I agree, but there's plenty of slow cars that are more fun than the Crosstrek.

People talk about the ground clearance being useful but honestly that's never been an issue for me. I can remember bombing down my rural road in my GTI after big snowfalls and I never had an issue. And even my friends who live out west get by with FWD cars just fine. I suspect the benefits of the increased ride height are somewhat overblown.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

More fun to drive a slow car fast than the other way around. I am still considering adding a Crosstrek to the the family fleet at some point.

Sure, I agree, but there's plenty of slow cars that are more fun than the Crosstrek.

People talk about the ground clearance being useful but honestly that's never been an issue for me. I can remember bombing down my rural road in my GTI after big snowfalls and I never had an issue. And even my friends who live out west get by with FWD cars just fine. I suspect the benefits of the increased ride height are somewhat overblown.

I've driven more than a few winters in a low slung car - most recently a Mazda3 Sport.  There are definitely instances where you can hear the belly of the car dragging along snow - even more so when driving over a windrow that a plow has left in the entrance to a parking lot.  Two winters in the CX-5, and I have yet to experience anything like that.  The extra few inches I've gained in changing from the hatchback to the hatchback on stilts makes a difference. 

Now, did it ever stop me in the Mazda3?  No.  I had good tires, and a little extra momentum carried me through any trouble spots.  But I still had to dedicate part of my brain towards 'driving' the car through the deeper part of the snow.  I haven't thought once about windrows or deeper snow even once in the CX-5. 

[WP v3.32]

Yeah it's the same here in winter,  the snow turns into ice and it packs up on the streets, not the main ones but in residential areas.   The ruts can be deep and hard ice.  Even the highlander is borderline dragging the belly on bad days.   Not this winter though.   On normal winters the ice is so think it's usually 6" above the sidewalk height.

[bridgecity]

There were two days during our last snow storm (30-40cm) that the boys Civic didn't leave the driveway because of lack of ground clearance, and on the third day it was still dicey until the ploughs came down our residential street.  However, those snowstorms are fairly rare (< once per year). 

I should note he's running blizzacks, so tires aren't the issue.