2024 Subaru Crosstrek

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Once considered a sidekick to the Outback, Crosstrek now leads the lineup in sales. While the successful Subaru Crosstrek enters a completely new generation for 2024, the changes are decidedly evolutionary. That’s okay in our book because we were already fans of this spunky adventure wagon. Wait, is it a wagon? Not technically; however, calling it an SUV is a stretch, too. It’s really somewhere in between.

The Crosstrek has always been the go-to for a somewhat basic, accessible vehicle for active owners satisfied with getting to destinations without crawling over boulders. It looks like fun, and it is. “Refined” isn’t an adjective normally used in describing the Crosstrek, and that’s all right, too. However, in the case of the 2024 model, Subaru has softened the ride and boosted the quiet. They accomplished this with a stiffer chassis and a more pliant suspension. They left the two-engine lineup alone but did jettison the manual transmission. A rugged Wilderness model joins the lineup for 2024 for more adventurous drivers.

Aimed at a younger crowd, any generational advancement for this Subie must mean significant leaps in its technology, which was already impressive. Some of those upgrades include a much wider field of view for the EyeSight’s forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking. Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are also standard across the board.

Subaru is keeping any indication of a future Crosstrek hybrid version under wraps. However, in this ever-growing electrified industry, we can’t imagine a third-generation Crosstrek without a hybrid model.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and comparing the current collection of subcompact SUVs, including this Subaru Crosstrek. 

With a next-generation vehicle often comes sweeping changes. Not so much with the third-generation Crosstrek. Yes, there have been improvements; however, here, they are more of an evolutionary nature, especially where styling is concerned. Although all the sheetmetal is new, it retains the previous generation’s lines. The grille is bigger and filled with textured hexagons. Black air intakes to cool the brakes dominate both front corners. The black plastic wheel-arch protectors have grown in size.

Subaru has stiffened the chassis to make it more rigid, increasing safety. To compensate for added stiffness, the suspension is a bit softer, improving ride quality. The EyeSight safety bundle enjoys a wider view, picking up vehicles, bicycles, and people moving across the front of the vehicle sooner. Subaru also upgraded the front seats, adding more cushion and bolstering.

All trim levels benefit from the addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher trims replace the dual 7-inch touchscreens in lower grades with a vertically placed 11.6-inch touchscreen.

The 2024 Crosstrek is the latest Subaru model to gain a rugged Wilderness trim. On top of an adventurous appearance package with optimized approach and departure angles, it adds an extra 0.6 inches of ground clearance, an off-road suspension system, all-terrain tires, an enhanced dual-mode X-Mode system, and a more durable, water-resistant interior.

If you want something larger in the Subaru family, the Subaru Forester starts at $26,395 (2023). The front-wheel drive (FWD) Honda HR-V starts at $23,800, or $25,300 with all-wheel drive (2023). Another close rival is the AWD Mazda CX-30, starting at $22,950.

Before buying a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay.

Exceptional Resale Value

For many shoppers, resale and trade-in value is a key consideration. Subaru models, in general, and the Crosstrek, in particular, are champs in retaining their value. We would go as far as to call the Crosstrek exceptional for holding value. It bests other standouts like the Toyota C-HR, Mazda CX-30, and Honda HR-V.

Although Subaru improved the Crosstrek’s underpinnings, it left the two-engine lineup be. We like the way the Crosstrek nearly glides over rougher pavement and even unpaved surfaces. Subaru upgraded the steering mechanicals, but we couldn’t discern much difference. Not to worry, though; we’ve never had a complaint regarding the steering. 

The base engine found in the lower trims develops 152-horsepower. We can point you to several competitors (Honda HR-V, Kia Seltos, and Chevy Trailblazer) with similar or even less output. We find this engine capable of sufficiently motivating the Crosstrek; however, venturing into higher elevations saps performance. 

Picking the Crosstrek Sport or higher trim gains a higher output engine with 30 more horsepower. This still doesn’t transform the Crosstrek into a high-performance SUV, but the extra power and torque go a long way in making the Crosstrek more entertaining to drive. We put the 2.5-liter engine through its paces on-road and off and came away satisfied with the extra grunt compared to the base engine. 

With decades of experience in all-wheel drive (AWD), the Subaru Symmetrical AWD system is transparent, constantly adjusting the amount of torque to the wheels. Switching to X-Mode provides some extra AWD response. It still doesn’t allow this SUV to tackle severe terrain, but it improves typical off-road experiences. Driving it on dirt paths in hilly terrain, we were impressed with its seamless reaction and relentless forward motion. The Crosstrek’s hill-descent control – sort of slow-speed cruise control – is another bright spot. We found it to be tremendously effective, freeing our concentration to focus on steering. 

The Crosstrek Wilderness enhances the already-impressive off-road chops of the Crosstrek. In addition to improved approach and departure angles, extra ground clearance, and all-terrain tires, the Crosstrek Wilderness has an enhanced dual-mode X-Mode feature with settings for dirt, deep snow, and mud. 

Fuel Economy

Regardless of the engine, the Crosstrek delivers 29 mpg in mixed city-and-highway driving. That drops to 27 mpg in the Wilderness trim.

Although Subaru made some changes to the interior, all but the most committed Subie fans will be hard-pressed to notice much beyond the big infotainment touchscreen in the upper trims. Subaru, though, did some serious work to improve the front seats, which have more padding and larger bolsters. We really appreciated them, especially off-road. Another big shoutout to Subaru for dramatically quieting the cabin.

There is still plenty of plastic haunting this roomy space, but it does make it easier to wipe down. With better-than-average (for the segment) cargo room and about average rear-seat legroom, the Crosstrek is well suited for adventures for up to four adults and their stuff.

Subaru didn’t take any great leaps of faith with the exterior styling. The most striking changes are to the front end. The grille, bumper, lower fascia, and new brake-cooling intakes put a new face on the Crosstrek. At the end of the day, you will easily recognize it as a Crosstrek.

The new Wilderness model adds a more distinct and rugged appearance package to the Crosstrek. More ground clearance, aggressive cladding with “SUBARU” lettering on the back, yellow accents, and 17-inch black wheels with all-terrain tires make the Wilderness model stand out from the rest of the Crosstrek lineup.

Standard All-Wheel Drive
Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system is among the most sophisticated and capable in the segment – improved for 2024 with faster response times – and it’s standard across the lineup.

8.7 Inches of Ground Clearance
A key contributor to the Crosstrek’s off-road superiority is its class-leading ground clearance.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Smartphone integration is even better when the connection happens automatically. Wireless phone charging is also available.

Large Touchscreen
All but the base Crosstrek feature an interior-dominating, vertically oriented 11.6-inch touchscreen and robust infotainment offering. It’s reason enough to skip the base model and its dual 7-inch screen setup, of which we’ve never grown fond.

EyeSight Driver Assists
Every Crosstrek features the latest version of Subaru’s EyeSight collection of driver assist and safety technologies. Automatic emergency braking and steering, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, and automatic high beams are all standard.

Steering Responsive LED Headlights
The Crosstrek’s headlights turn in relation to the wheels, helping you see further into a corner. We’ve found this feature helpful in navigating dark roads and turning into dark driveways, even.

Subaru retained the same two engines that powered the outgoing Crosstrek. Both are tried and tested. Subaru eliminated the manual transmission for 2024. Now, every Crosstrek comes with a CVT, which is an automatic transmission using belts and pulleys rather than gears. Subaru has evolved its CVT to soften the artificial shift points. You can even pretend to be changing the gears with the steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.

Keeping it simple, the “flat” engine is a Subaru trait. It refers to the cylinders being horizontally opposed rather than arranged vertically in a line or opposed in a V shape. An advantage of this setup is a lower center of gravity, increasing stability. As already mentioned, the output of these engines is in line with close competitors.

3-year/36,000-mile Warranty

Subaru covers its vehicles with a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain protection. This is typical coverage among non-luxury automakers.

Safety

In safety and crash testing, the Crosstrek earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest overall score of 5 Stars.