Subaru Crosstrek owners - opinion/advice

We went on vacation this year to Utah/Idaho/Wyoming and rented an SUV. The rental place gave us a 2018 Crosstek. We put 1200 miles on it and my wife loved it. She bought a brand new one within a week of getting back home. She loves it.

 

Love our 3.6 Outback. Prob gonna lift it and put some KO2’s on it, brah

 

My wife has a 16 Crosstrek and she loves it. It's extremely easy to control and steer, and can be a fun little car to throw around every once and awhile. She averages above 30 mpg consistently and has about 20k miles now. No issues, except that the radio's bluetooth isn't always consistent, it will cut out every once and awhile. People will complain that it's slow, but it's fast enough to get the job done. The CVT aids with that and gives the Crosstrek a little extra pep at the low end to get it moving quicker. These things are popular for a reason. For the price, it's probably your best bang-for-the-buck, especially considering it has AWD. Definitely recommend.

 

Thanks to all the responses. Good info and feedback here, much appreciated!

 

Good info.....We're planning on a 3-4 week road trip when my wife separates from the Air Force next year and the plan is to visit some of the western states and ghost towns. The Taco is great and all, but my wife doesn't want to learn to drive a manual and I don't want to do 100% of the driving, so I think we'll probably buy a Crosstrek and slap the RTT on it.

 

I think that would work well. And if you go offroad at all (obviously easy trails), the Subaru does extremely well. I was following my wife up a hill (I was in 2wd), and she easily got up it, whereas I was spinning my back tires before going into 4wd. It really is a good vehicle, and I'm pretty sure they maintain their value really well also.

 

Son in Chattanooga has one. He lives in a pretty hilly area, and has just a bit of complaint about power. However, he does love it on their occasional snow days and frequent rain days. Uses it to take the kids to trail heads for waterfalls and such, does pretty well in wet red clay over roots, washouts, etc.

I *think* it's a bit small for what I'd like to replace the '04 Highlander with. And the newer Outbacks are actually bigger. I'm thinking a Forester may be the solution.

Can anyone confirm the Forester is decent on the interstate? I mean surely it's as good as my 5 lug power wise. But what about seat comfort, noise, etc.?

 

My wife has a ‘18 Crosstrek Limited and loves it for the most part. It’s a little small at times with our big German Shepherd and groceries so maybe the Outback or Forrester would have been better, but she prefers the looks of the Crosstrek at the end of the day. Quiet interior. Nice tracking LED headlights. Not perfect but a good compromise for all the features it offers. I’m sure it’s a thing with modern cars and touchscreen HUs but the screen even on Auto Brightness can be a bit much at night. CarPlay also gets a little spotty. Doesn’t always want to connect (maybe 1 out of 10 times) so you have to turn the car off and back on for it to connect.

She does say that it doesnt have the same get up and go as our old 2005 V6 Accord but I drove it the other night for the 2nd time and I thought it was fine for our needs.

 

We have less than 5k miles on it though so hard to say about durability and what not. But the Subaru dealers have been good with the first oil change/quick maintenance and even the nail we had in the tire.

 

I appreciate the feedback!

The wife ended up going a different direction and purchased a 2018 Mazda CX-5. Same price range and has a lot more to offer, I even like the damn thing.

Thank you though

 

I know a lot of people that have Subaru's, love them, and become loyal buyers...

My wife wanted a Forester however I hate CVT's. I then talked to a co worker whose ENTIRE family owns Subaru's except for him and he was saying how awesome they are however his wife gets a new Forester or Outback through work every year. The last three all had CVT failures between 30 and 50,000 miles and her current Forester had been the shop for 7 months while they were waiting for a replacement factory CVT.

I still think they're awesome and reliable vehicles I just wish they still had a traditional Automatic.

 

My wife had a 13 forester and now has a 17 crosstrek. I drive/drove both often and they are great cars. I’ve never thought they were uncomfortable in anyway and I’m 6ft. Lots of things I actually like better than my Tacoma. Passing in the interstate takes some planning if you’re used to driving 90 but otherwise at sane speeds it’s good. I’m actually planning on getting one once my 09 has reached its limit but that’s at least a few years down the road.

 

Don't expect Toyota/Honda levels of reliability. The best thing Suburu has ever built is their brand image.

 

Currently own all three, and based on real world experience, I wholeheartedly disagree.

 

This has not been my experience at all. Subaru is at least equal if not better.