About Crosstrek
The Crosstrek is what happens when Subaru takes a compact hatchback, raises it nearly to SUV height, bolts on plastic armor, paints it a bright color and sells it to everyone from college graduates to retirees. It is small enough to park anywhere, tough enough for a washboard forest road and priced well below most crossovers that come with standard all-wheel drive. That formula has made it one of the brand's top sellers and a permanent fixture at trailheads, ski areas and campus parking lots across North America.
It began as the XV Crosstrek, built on the Impreza and sold simply as the XV in many other markets before the Crosstrek name went global. Each generation stayed faithful to the idea while adding refinement, safety technology and larger screens. Its long-running weakness is power: the base engine is adequate rather than eager, and the larger 2.5-liter boxer is the upgrade most reviewers recommend. A Wilderness version adds clearance, all-terrain tires and tougher trim, and owners keep asking, loudly, why Subaru will not give it a turbo or a manual.
The latest lineup adds a Crosstrek Hybrid built around a Toyota-derived hybrid system, which brings better fuel economy and smoother low-speed manners, and Subaru has since added a cheaper hybrid trim. The Crosstrek faces the Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda HR-V, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30 and Hyundai Kona, and it stands apart for standard all-wheel drive and ground clearance. It has been built both in Japan and at Subaru's plant in Indiana.
For shoppers, the main decision is now between the cheaper gasoline Crosstrek and the hybrid, which costs more up front and pays some of that back at the pump over years of ownership. Look here for reviews of both, trim and pricing news, recall notices, sales figures and comparisons with other small crossovers, plus the ongoing debate over whether this tidy little car deserves more horsepower than Subaru has ever been willing to give it.