Subaru Crosstrek 2018 : an evolution of the well

Frédéric Mercier

Wednesday, 20 December 2017 09:50

UPDATE
Wednesday, 20 December 2017 09:50

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I have always hated the winter, and I’ve lost hope that things change one day. Except that this year, let’s say that it started on the right foot.

At the end of the first flakes in the city (despite what they say on the photos above !), I adonnais riding in a Subaru Crosstrek, a car that seems custom-built for our snowy winters.

After you have reviewed the Impreza from A to Z in 2017, Subaru now attacking the Crosstrek, which comes back to us in a whole new light to 2018.

Built from the same platform as the Impreza, the Crosstrek does not lack arguments to charm Quebecers, especially in these times of snow.

Wheel to the full standard, good cargo space, and fuel consumption reasonable, make it a candidate of choice in the niche market of small SUV, alongside models like the Honda HR-V or the Nissan Qashqai, to name a few.

Subaru Crosstrek 2018

Redesigned and for the better

In spite of a body that is refreshed, we can all agree to say that the Crosstrek new generation reinvents the wheel. The designers at Subaru have remained rather shy and offer a product substantially similar to what we saw in recent years. Redesigned, but not reinvented.

Inside, the changes are a little more practical. The quality of the materials has been increased and now includes top stitching in orange on the seats and on the dashboard, in honor of the color “signature” of the first Crosstrek. A nice little nod.

Subaru Crosstrek 2018

We’d also like to take this redesign to finally get rid of the awful infotainment system Starlink, which was the old generation of Crosstrek. Without being particularly exceptional, the new system offers a user-friendliness greatly improved as well as compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. We are going to take it !

Subaru Crosstrek 2018

Under the hood, the Crosstrek uses the same mechanics as the Impreza. We are dealing with a four-cylinder engine flat 2.0-litre 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. A manual transmission still on the menu, even if the majority of buyers are turning instead to the automatic transmission continuously variable transmission (CVT) available as an option.

Still far from the perfection

Nothing is perfect in this world, and the Crosstrek is no exception to the rule.

Soundproofing has always been a weak point of this model, and Subaru has not fixed the problem with the new version. At least, not entirely. It must be said that the engine is rather noisy also does not help. At high speed, it becomes aggressive.

Speaking of the engine, the block four-cylinder engine in the Crosstrek seems sometimes out of breath. We would have liked more power, that’s for sure, but we can at least settle for a fuel economy very reasonable 8.8 L/100 km city and 7.2 L/100 km on the highway. Not bad for a vehicle of which the wheel train full is standard.

With a load capacity now pushed to 1565 litres once the rear seats folded, the Crosstrek is rather nice figure in its class. In SUVS of this size, the Honda HR-V is one of the few models to do better, and it does just that a few tens of litres extra.

Subaru Crosstrek 2018

A funny competition

In addition to the HR-V, the most ferocious competitor the Crosstrek could well end up in the court of… Subaru.

The variant of hatchback, the Impreza offers about the same features as the Crosstrek, and less expensive to share that. Same mechanics and same wheel to the full standard, the Impreza offers even a small litre more in the column of the loading space. All that for 22 635 $, while the Crosstrek 2018 is sold from $ 25 to 535 $.

Apart from ground clearance a little higher and the ability to tow up to 1500 pounds, the Crosstrek is just an Impreza look a little more beefy. So, why offer both models with Subaru ? Because the world only has for SUV’s, simply.

Crosstrek or Impreza, doesn’t matter. Products Subaru’s are made to go play in the snow, and it made my early winter a little less unpleasant. Just a little bit.

Technical data sheet

Name : Subaru Crosstrek 2018
Base price : 25 535 $
Trial Version : Limited with EyeSight
Price of model tested : 34 920 $
Configuration : four-wheel drive Vehicle with engine at the front
Engine : four-cylinder Engine to a flat 2.0-liter
Transmission : continuously variable Automatic
Power/torque : 152-hp/145 lb-ft
Fuel consumption announced (automatic) : 8.8 L/100 km (city)/7.2 L/100 km (highway)
Warranty basic : 3 years/60 000 km
Competition : Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, Nissan Qashqai, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Jeep Compass