The vehicle comes with an all-wheel drive and the power is produced by its 4-cylinder engine. The powertrain of the hybrid is unrefined but is more expensive and slower as compared to the original model.
The sunrise yellow paint is quite special with the traditional 4 door hatchback. It appears ready to go on back country trips and easily get through troublesome weather (Mother Nature beware!). It's certainly easy to spot in a parking lot full of crossovers.
Engine:
The 148-hp 2 liter engine doesn't have too much power and the manual version took 8.1 seconds to go from 0-60 mph.
But it's obvious the Subaru was not going to be as fast as its cousins the STI and WRX. Judging the performance of the Crosstrek based only on these stats though would mean missing the point of this car. The mantra of the Crosstrek is to complete the journey no matter how bad the weather conditions or the road is.
Drive:
The ride in the car is quite comfortable with hardly any head toss or jostling. Even the body roll is in check. The suspension of the Crosstrek rounds off the edge of any harsh impacts too. The car does come with electric power assist but the steering still feels somewhat organic. The car feels relaxed and is well planted on its center. The response from the brakes is decent and the vehicle has a lot of bite and progressive feel.
Interiors:
Inside, the seats of the Crosstrek are very comfortable and provide excellent support for your lower-torso. They also have some nylon like grippy upholstery. As with an Impreza, the controls and gauges are straightforward and simple. Outward visibility is excellent as well due to the pedestal mounted mirrors, small front quarter windows, and A pillars. It even comes with a reverse camera.
Features:
Apart from the push button start, power sunroof, leather wrapped gear shifter, and keyless access, the Special Edition of the Crosstrek also comes with an upgraded Starlink 7.0 multimedia system and SiriusXM satellite radio as well as iHeartRadio, Pandora, and Aha. It also has voice activated controls and a couple of USB ports.
The Crosstrek's infotainment system is very easy to use and has some large touch points which can be tapped even when it is on bumpy roads. The knobs for tuning and volume are perfect and don't need you to look away from the road at all. There are also some dedicated shortcut keys which line up with both sides of the screen.
If you only look at the performance stats of the XV Crosstrek, you will find it hard to understand why anyone would want to buy this car. You could choose to go for wider tires and lower the suspension in order to improve the driving experience but this would result in the sacrifice of the all-weather appeal of the Crosstrek.
You do not want to lower this car too much or at all since you may have to ride over a rock or a log and you want to be able to do that. If you want something lower then you are defeating the purpose of this car. You may want to purchase a sedan instead.
This small crossover looks comfortable in its skin. It wouldn't hurt if the engine had been a little less sleepy though.
Categories:
Fleet
