2018 Subaru Crosstrek gets a complete redo
Craig and Deanne Conover
The 2018 version of Subaru’s extremely athletic crossover, or Crosstrek, is new from the ground up as the second generation has descended upon the U.S. market. Although everything is new, we would be willing to wager that the average person will not notice the subtle differences in design right away.
The differences are there, and we are of the opinion that the Crosstrek is growing up and becoming more modern in its look and feel. Being introduced back in 2011 as an XV Crosstrek, it was really just a lifted version of the Impreza with a very unique looking body style.
Back then, the look was very unique in the market. It’s something that Subaru is familiar with — looking back over their history, they are the manufacturer that brought the world the very futuristic XT Coupe. It seems they must have been able to see the future as compact SUVs have become one of the hottest selling items Today. The Crosstrek is now selling over 100,000 units per year in the U.S. — more than double its brother, the Impreza — showing just what a popular segment this is.
We were very impressed withits look as Subaru has chosen to round off some of the hard corners and angles that accentuated the first generation, taking away the kind of chunky look of the Crosstrek and giving it a more modern exterior.
The grill is now smaller and almost completely black, except for a line of chrome and the Subaru logo in the center. The headlights now have a hawk-like look, complete with LED steering responsive lights. In other words, they would automatically level themselves when they were turned on and then move into a turn with spin of the steering wheel. This is a feature we don’t often see on a vehicle like this and most likely would expect the price point to be north of $70,000.
The designers have added more black cladding around the car, in the wheel arches and rocker panels that are a very nice contrast to the body color. Our test ride came in Sunshine Orange which Craig’s mom Pat really liked. There are eight to choose from in the Crosstrek color pallet, but the inside stitching remains orange throughout the line, a very nice accent to our ride’s orange exterior.
This new Crosstrek is the second in the Subaru line to become part of their new Global Platform, the first being the Impreza of course. This new platform will allow Subaru to have the same underpinnings beneath all of their vehicles, while still maintaining all the safety and security the brand is known for. It will allow multiple vehicles to be made in same plant.
This platform will still allow for the gas-sipping boxer (flat) engines to be incorporated, along with adding high-strength steel that will give the car a 70 to 100 percent stiffer body, improving impact energy absorption by 40 percent. All this is designed to reach for the highest level of collision safety possible. The design will also lower the center of gravity, which should make the Crosstrek even more fun to drive when not avoiding accidents.
The gas mileage department is where Subaru really excels in its class. As if getting anywhere were not enough, it can do it by pretty much sipping gas from the tank. The Crosstrek arrived with a whopping 600 miles to empty on the gauge. That of course, would be caused by the drive from Denver, but after a week of driving over 400 miles, we still had over a quarter tank left. With an EPA estimate of 23/26/29 mpg we averaged right at 26.5 mpg for the week.
This is all accomplished with a 2.0-liter boxer engine that is horizontally opposed that has become Subaru’s trademark. This year, they have added direct injection for the fuel and upped the motor to 152 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft. of torque. It is not going to win any drag races soon, but it will pretty much get the Crosstrek anywhere. The fact that the motor is flatter than others allows Subaru to gain even greater ground clearance in the Crosstrek, adding to its ability to get over the roughest of roads.
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is not standard on the Limited edition that we drove; all others can be had with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The setup included paddle shifters that did increase the entertainment value on our ride. The CVT, however, did have a tendency to growl when driven hard. We are on the fence if our choice would be manual or automatic if purchasing the Crosstrek.
The Subaru also features symmetrical all-wheel drive, where the engines have split the power 50-50 to the front and rear wheels, and it will also distribute more power to any wheel where it is needed when driving on uneven terrain or through a patch of snow. This all-wheel drive is standard on the Subaru, where much of the competition will start with a front-wheel drive-only version.
Inside the new Crosstrek, the designers have really done a great job adding premium materials throughout the cabin while keeping the price down. A leather-clad dashboard, doors and steering wheel with the orange stitching really stood out to us. The 8-inch touchscreen was surrounded in high-gloss black plastic for a very upscale look. It also included gesture control, or the ability to just wave a certain way in front of the screen to make things happen. This is a pretty cool, new technology Subaru has incorporated into the Crosstrek.
The Subaru Eyesight system from the engineers at Subaru is also part of the Limited package. What this does is add an extra pair of eyes, and even an extra foot on the brake if needed. There really are two new sensors that are located on each side of the rearview mirror at the top of the windshield that continually scan the road ahead and to the sides of the vehicle.
This made it possible for the Crosstrek to alert us if we started to wander outside of the lane, and would also nudge the vehicle back into the lane with Subaru’s version of lane keep assist. We found that the system performed very well even in the dark of night on the concrete freeway where the lines are sometimes hard to see. It even alerted us if we seemed to be weaving back and forth in the lane, something that might happen with drowsy driving.
It also came with adaptive cruise control that would keep the Crosstrek at a certain distance behind the next vehicle in the lane, even bringing it to a complete stop if necessary. The engineers have even taken this technology one step further by providing an audible beep when the car ahead clears, allowing the Crosstrek to return to the set speed.
This system would also hit the brakes if it thought that the Crosstrek was in imminent danger of a front collision. It will also reduce throttle control and apply the brakes if the danger is not as imminent at it may appear, thus either avoiding or greatly diminishing a front-end collision. IIHS gives the Crosstrek the highest rating possible when it comes to front-end collisions, as it comes equipped with the Eyesight system.
Our test ride would even give us a beep if we had been stopped for a minute and the car in front had moved forward, helped avoid those awkward moments when we were not paying complete attention to traffic ahead after stopping at a light.
After our week with the Crosstrek, it was very easy to see what it is that makes Subaru a Subaru! See this great new redesigned vehicle today at Doug Smith Subaru in American Fork at 523 W. Main St., (801) 492-1110.
Base Price: $26,295
Price as Driven: $30,655
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