2024 Subaru Crosstrek Review: Making a Great Crossover Even Better

Crossovers, as they were originally defined, were meant to be a cross between SUVs and cars: an intermediate point in the market, offering a mix of the qualities of both. Yet to look at most of them nowadays, you might suspect that the SUV side had the dominant genes when it came to looks. Tall, boxy flanks, slab-sided windows and elevated beltlines are all too common, even on vehicles whose skeletons are closely related to the likes of Civics and the like.

The Crosstrek, however, looks much more like what it is: a car that's aspiring to take on some SUV traits. It sits at the same sort of height and offers a similar view of the road as other compact crossovers, but it comes across as more of the elevated hatchback it is than, say, a baby Bronco. Subaru's design language has long operates this way — the Outback, Ascent and even Forester are much the same — and it is, at least to my eyes, refreshingly unpretentious in an era where carmakers are masquerading almost everything as an SUV of sorts.

It may be less the case nowadays than it was back in the early days of SUVs, when every model was seemingly sold on its ability to summit Mt. Rainier, but the implication of off-road ability is still part of the appeal of the sport-ute. From the humblest Ford EcoSport to the most ostentatious Lamborghini Urus, the idea that hey man, I don't need to worry about roads, I've got an SUV remains inexorably tied to the appeal of the class.

Yet the Crossover's less-ostentatious appearance hides, arguably, some of the best off-road performance in the class. 8.7 inches of ground clearance goes a long way towards hopping over many obstacles; the Crosstrek's relatively short overhangs make it a bit easier to navigate steep slopes; and the X-Mode off-road driving assistance systems that optimize power delivery for different conditions might as well be called E-Z Off-Roading, given how they reduce the amount of skill needed to scramble through the rough stuff.

Of course, if you're really planning on doing serious off-roading, it might be worth climbing to the top of the lineup, where the Crosstrek Wilderness lies. It packs added ground clearance — more than the new Toyota Land Cruiser, in fact — standard all-terrain tires, revised gear ratios for better acceleration and control off-road and a few other tweaks to better help it tackle terrain. Those changes don't come at the expense of on-road comfort or real-world usability, though.

Read our full review of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness here.

The 2024 Crosstrek line consists of five trim levels: base model, Premium, Sport, Limited and Wilderness.

My time was spent driving the Sport and Limited trims, which differentiate themselves from the lower-priced pair not just through surface-level features, but through powertrain; while the base and Premium use a 2.0-liter boxer-four that makes 152 horsepower and 148 lb-ft, the upper trims pack a 2.5-liter four that adds 30 horses and 37 lb-ft to that. If that doesn't seem like much, think of it as a percentage; the bigger engine makes about 20 percent more horses and 25 percent more torque. It makes a noticeable difference, at least versus previous lesser Crosstreks I've driven. (Also, for you Buy American types: the 2.5-liter models are made in Indiana, while the 2.0-liter ones hail from Japan.)

As for deciding between the two big-engine models, it effectively comes down to which you'd rather have: a sunroof or leather seats.

Equip the Sport with the cleverly named "Optional Package," which adds rear cross traffic alert and blind spot assist, a power driver's seat and a moonroof, and it's effectively the same price as the Limited's MSRP. To get a moonroof in the Limited, you have to fork over $1,795–$2,445 for another option package, and the other pieces of it — a Harmon Kardon stereo and navigation — aren't worth it; the regular stereo is fine for this sort of car, nd there's no real need for a navigation system when you have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

On top of all that, while the leather seats of the Limited are fine, the Sport's cloth upholstery feels a little more in tune with the overall vibe of the car. (You don't buy leather hiking boots, do you?) So if you're trying to maximize your value, the Sport offers a little more bang for your buck ... and a bolder color palette, to boot.

Subarus, by and large, are among the easier cars to live with in the day-to-day grind. They don't ask you to relearn how to, say, shift the transmission or use your blinkers or open the doors or read the gauges; if you've ever driven a car before, be it from 1950 or 2023, you can probably figure out a new Subaru.

Inside, all but the base Crosstrek uses the 11.6-inch portrait-style infotainment screen found in many of the other Subie models — but software tweaks have made it better For example: There's a constantly-accessible button on the infotainment screen to turn off the automatic stop-start function — unlike Legacys and Outbacks, which force you to dive several layers deep into the menus to find it.

There are other aspects where this Subie outdoes its siblings. The Crosstrek doesn't come with the Driver Monitoring System found on many Subarus, a camera-based system with which the road to hell is paved that beeps at you when you glance away from the road or scratch your face and block its view. And the seat heaters, blessedly, are still good old-fashioned physical switches — much like the many buttons on the steering wheel, the shift lever, the volume and tuning knobs, the most vital climate control functions and the trip odometer. (Pay attention, VW.)

From the driver's perspective, many modern Subies suffer from two slight irritants: the steering wheel and the gearbox. The new Crosstrek, blessedly, resolves both of them.

The dual-pinion steering may not pack Porsche-like feel, but it's accurate and direct, with no dead spot on center; in my experience, it makes the car genuinely more pleasant to drive than some of its Subie siblings, be it on the rough dirt roads of the Catskills or the pavement of New York City. And the Crosstrek's CVT suffers from little of the sponginess or rubberiness found in many examples of the breed, responding in most cases much like a traditional automatic that just has a lot of cogs to choose from. (That said, using the paddles to shift it as a de facto Tiptronic is a better way to exploit the engine's power band during spirited driving.)

Indeed, it's in the driving experience where the biggest differences between this generation and its predecessor show. Not only is it more fun to drive, but it's quieter — thanks to improved aerodynamics and added sound deadening — and rides wonderfully, soaking up potholes and even speed bumps without compromising handling.

Be it ones from mainstream nameplates or luxury brands, the compact crossover class is hardly hurting for entries these days. The Crosstrek stacks up most directly against the likes of the Honda HR-V, Volkswagen Taos, Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona and Kia Seltos — all of which start between $22K–$24K and tap out in the mid-$30K range fully loaded.

Base Price / Price as Tested: $26,390 / $32,210–$33,985

Powertrain: 2.0-liter boxer-four / 2.5-liter boxer-four; continuously variable automatic; all-wheel-drive

Horsepower: 152 / 182

Torque: 145 lb-ft / 178 lb-ft

EPA Fuel Economy: 27 mpg city, 34 mpg highway / 26 mpg city, 33 mpg highway

Seats: Five

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