Subaru Crosstrek owners - opinion/advice

Not sure if this is the appropriate place for this, if not please delete.

The wife is in the market for a Subaru crosstrek. She isn’t interested in th new body styles (she prefers 13-16).

I was just looking for some feedback form current crosstrek owners. What’s the reliability been like? Repairs? Dislikes?

Thanks for any input!

Again, please delete if this is not the appropriate place. I figured they’ll be a few crosstrek owners on here.

 

Try Subaru forums. I highly doubt you will get many responses in a Toyota Tacoma forum.

 

I figured I’d try here first before I try finding a forum and having to create an account. Not a huge fan of Subaru so I’m trying to avoid that.

 

My wife has an Outback we love, of course it’s only 6months old. Huge forums for those, I would try subatuoutback.org as it’s a good forum like this.

 

We have a ‘16 manual Impreza (same body and engine, different suspension) that we’ve been quite happy with. It seems to eat some oil (not a terrible amount), but it’s a boxer engine, so what are you gonna do. A good friend has a ‘14 CVT Crosstrek, there’s definitely more goo lag than with the manual, but it’s only noticeable if you’re coming from the manual. If I had to do it again, I’d go for the crosstrek, couple times we’d wished we’d had the additional clearance.

 

Probably not a huge amount of help, but back in 2013 we were looking at a '13 Crosstrek for my wife. After test driving one on two separate occasions we just couldn't get over the lack of power. We're not speed freaks but the power plant was really lacking. Otherwise we really liked it, it was a nice little hatchback.

 

My mom has had a 17 gas Crosstrek for about 2 years and has had zero issues.

 

My F-I-L had a 2014 Crosstrek and traded for a 2018 Crosstrek earlier this year. Both of the models are the middle (Premium?) version. He had a little less than 50K on the ‘14 at trade (he’s retired). I remember that he had an ABS sensor issue with the ‘14 right after he got it. It was covered under warranty, but he still had to take it back to the dealership a few times. Other than that, I don’t think he did anything more than oil/filter and tire rotations.
FWIW, I think they are great vehicles and wouldn’t hesitate buying one if I didn’t need a truck.
Good luck!

 

We went to test drive one and the power was “okay” nothing to be impressed by though. Im a fan of how the car looks on the outside and inside (premium mode or higher) I’m just not familiar with the power train and reliability. She has a 2014 civic and I feel like she’s gambling with that but I’m doing the research for her because you gotta keep the wife happy right?

 

Good to know there’s some positive feed back there. It’s hard to find any solid answers because they are fairly recent cars so there isn’t any I’ve seen over 150k miles.

 

If your wife finds the power output and CVT acceptable, then it's good to go. (My 2011 Impreza makes 170 hp from its 2.5L engine, so losing 20 horses would be more noticeable for me.) Powertrain reliability should be ok. By now Subaru has worked out the oil consumption issues some reported when the 2.0L was first introduced ~2012. She'd be gambling more if she bought a new Civic today with its 1.5L turbo and CVT.

 

I have an 18 so I cant really comment on the older years. But I love it. 34 MPG and AWD... amazing.

 

I'm a subaru ambassador and had two in the past. They are certainly amazing cars but one thing to watch out for is the CVT as that is typically the weak point in any vehicle with that transmission. I've heard great stories from some but horrible stories from others. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to get a Crosstrek as that would be my ideal daily driver instead of the taco. Great gas mileage, AWD standard, comfy, and has enough space for camping if needed. I have a buddy that even wheels his crosstrek lol

If you want/need a $500 voucher towards a lease or purchase of a new one feel free to PM me and I can email you the voucher.

 

We have a 2017 Forester, normally aspirated, 6 speed manual. Only reason it's been in the shop since buying it was to have the ECU flashed with updated fuel map. Subaru offers an optional TSB if you have a manual that significantly reduces the rev hang.

The only other thing to note is it tends to consume oil at a rate of about 1 to 2 quarts per 5,000 miles if you use the suggested 0W20 in the book. We get between 25 and 35 MPG depending on the task and it's only a little sluggish going over passes. Falls somewhere between a 4 cylinder and V6 Tacoma in power IMO.

We've had Hondas and VWs in the past and honestly I think Subaru in my mind has supplanted Toyota as the one making basic and reliable cars. Our Forester could have been a 2000 Toyota, no fluff, lots of room, functional. Doesn't try to be anything it isn't. Plus ours is 95% Japanese made.

 

My wife has a 2014 with 70000 + on it. never had any issues other than being kinda boring to drive what with the CVT lol. That thing is a drama free tank in the snow.

Not much pep off the line but it pulls all the hills around here well once you get it up to speed

Oh yeah Subaru brakes suck, at least in our experience

 

If Subaru was to replace the plastic splash plates with metal and put a two-speed transfer case I think these cars would be legitimate off road vehicles. It still makes me shake my head when we'll be engaging lockers and spotting each other into a camping spot only to find a couple of hippies in their Legacy wagon already there.

 

Heh, that used to be me in my old '98 outback. Good times.

 

There is one in my extended family. I have to give it a hearty Meh. Seats are ridiculoulsy uncomfortable, and the hybrid version didn't come with a spare tire...even though the sales guy assured us that it did. Acceleration is unreliable at times. Your mileage may vary, but I'm not a fan.

 

I don't know if the drive train differs form the Forester, but some of our good friends love the Forester.

I think our next new vehicle will likely be a Crosstrek.

 

I’d love to see a cross trek sti lol