Goodbye Subaru XV, hello Subaru Crosstrek.
The popular small SUV has been given an overhaul for 2023, with a new look, a new interior, and a fresh name in Australia.
The more things changes though, the more they stay the same at Subaru.
It’s still powered by a naturally-aspirated boxer engine, and still features full-time all-wheel drive across the range – and Subaru still says this is a small SUV that’ll take you down the sort of mild off-road trails that would make its rivals very nervous.
On test here is the mid-range 2.0R. With a sticker price approaching $40,000 and a well-stocked list of standard equipment, it needs to blend rugged-ish charm with premium-ish polish. Is it up to the task?
How much does the Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0R cost?
Pricing is up across the Crosstrek range. In the case of the 2.0R, you’ll pay $2700 more than for the equivalent XV.
Despite the price rise, the car represents solid value alongside some of its big rivals.
The Mazda CX-30 G20 Touring is priced from $38,610 before on-roads, but is front-wheel drive, while the Toyota Corolla Cross GXL will set you back between $36,750 and $42,250 before on-roads depending on whether you get 2WD Petrol, 2WD Hybrid or AWD Hybrid versions.
It also takes on the Nissan Qashqai ST+ ($37,890) and Honda HR-V Vi X ($36,700 drive-away).
2023 Subaru Crosstrek pricing:
- Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0L: $34,990
- Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0R: $38,490
- Subaru Crosstrek AWS 2.0S: $41,490
- Subaru Crosstrek AWD Hybrid L: $38,590
- Subaru Crosstrek AWD Hybrid S: $45,090
Prices exclude on-road costs
What is the Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0R like on the inside?
The Crosstrek has taken a huge step forward inside, in line with the broader Subaru range.
With a massive, portrait-oriented screen and modern dashboard design, it looks up to the task of justifying its near-$40,000 price tag – even given the 2.0R has cloth seats, rather than leather.
The driving position is excellent for tall drivers, offering a commanding view of the road ahead despite the compact exterior, and most of the bits you touch in the cabin feel high-quality.
The chunky steering wheel has been lifted straight from the larger Outback, and feels pleasingly meaty given the Crosstrek is being pitched as a more rugged alternative to the compact SUV establishment.
Subaru dialled back the buttons with its latest cars, with the vertically-oriented touchscreen eating up the climate controls and trip computer the brand has traditionally situated atop the dashboard. With sharp graphics and smooth responses, it looks and feels properly modern.
There are prominent shortcuts for commonly-used functions like fan speed, and the physical controls for the volume and temperature are a welcome touch.
Subaru forces you to dive through menus to active the automatic brake hold and to deactivate the driver monitoring system… every single time you start the car. You’re able to create big shortcuts for each function on the home menu, but that’s not as useful as having them just stay on or off.
It’s also a shame Subaru doesn’t offer a proper digital instrument binnacle. Although the slim screen between the dials offers plenty of information, it’s fast becoming the expected standard among the Crosstrek’s rivals.
Wireless Apple CarPlay features as standard, and the USB-A and USB-C ports are backed by a wireless charge pad. Although it’s positive to see Subaru finally including a wireless charger, the fact it’s finished in hard, shiny plastic means your phone slides around on the move.
Storage space is a strong suit. Along with the wireless phone charger and spacious central bin, there are two cupholders on the transmission tunnel and plenty of space in the door pockets.
Rear seat and boot space are traditional XV weak points, and the Crosstrek doesn’t necessarily do much to change that.
Legroom and headroom are just acceptable back there, and the bench is nice and supportive, but the lack of air vents is disappointing. Central occupants will have to straddle the prominent driveline hump, too.
Also, given this is a new platform, it’s annoying to see Subaru persist with a central seatbelt that feeds from the boot instead of integrating it with the seat back.
Worth noting are the cheap, scratchy door trims. At least there’s a fold-down central armrest, along with two ISOFIX and three top-tether points for child seats.
Subaru quotes a measly 291 litres of boot space with the rear seats up, and 883L with them folded. I assume this is to the window line or the top of the seat backs, as there’s also a 1278L capacity quoted when measured to the ceiling.
It’s well off the likes of the Corolla Cross (380-446L), and it can’t even match the Mazda CX-30 (317L).
The high floor is limiting if you want to carry big, boxy items – or bigger dogs – and the loading area is quite narrow. At least you get a full-sized spare wheel.
Subaru would argue Great Dane owners should look at a Forester; anyone trying to squeeze one into the back of a Crosstrek will need to make sure they get pet insurance that covers back problems.
What’s under the bonnet?
This being a Subaru, there’s a naturally-aspirated petrol engine under the bonnet – this one being a 2.0-litre horizontally-opposed ‘Boxer’ unit.
It makes 115kW of power and 196Nm of torque, and is hooked up to a CVT and full-time all-wheel drive. Subaru claims the engine has been tweaked compared to that of the old XV, but the outputs are identical.
Subaru claims combined fuel economy of 7.2L per 100km for the standard Crosstrek petrol, up from 7.0L in the old XV. The fuel tank measures 63 litres, and you’re able to fill with cheaper 91 RON regular unleaded.
With trailer brakes, you’ll be able to tow up to 1400kg in the petrol Crosstrek, with the tow ball download maximum quoted as 140kg.
How does the Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0R drive?
The Crosstrek is instantly recognisable as a Subaru when you prod the start button and the boxer engine settles into its slightly frenetic warm-up idle.
That doesn’t change when you get moving, despite the changes Subaru says it’s wrought under the bonnet.
There’s no doubt it’s smoother and quieter than before at low speeds, with fewer vibrations and awkward noises sneaking into the cabin around the city thanks to extra sound deadening and reinforcement work under the skin.
You could be fooled into thinking it’s not a boxer on light throttle inputs, which isn’t something that could be said of its predecessor… but it still could use more grunt, unfortunately.
Ask for more than mild performance and the revs flare, you get more noise, but there’s no pronounced shove in the back. The CVT does a convincing impersonation of an automatic under power, slurring through logically-spaced ratios like a torque converter would to deliver a more natural feeling behind the wheel, but it can’t hide the engine’s slightly breathless feel.
It’s a shame, because the Crosstrek is otherwise nicely resolved.
The steering is linear and smooth off-centre, and is quicker than what was offered on the last model. That makes it an easy car to point around city streets, where the raised driving position and good forward visibility mean the Crosstrek is easy to park.
The sensible wheels and chubby tyre sidewalls also mean there’s no real excuse for damaged wheels, although the slightly distorted reversing/surround camera aren’t up there with the class leaders.
Ride quality is a strong suit. There’s no faux sportiness here, just excellent compliance over pockmarked city streets and speed bumps – and it doesn’t fall apart when you hit the highway.
Some smaller SUVs feel like fish out of water on country highways, but the Crosstrek is impressively planted. Despite the compliant ride it has good body control, settling quickly over crests and dips rather than wallowing around, and it shrugs off awkwardly cambered roads nicely.
Tyre road is reasonably well suppressed, although you’ll still be reaching for the radio dial on Australia’s coarse-chip rural roads.
The EyeSight driver assist suite has become a major Subaru selling point, and it holds up well here – save for the fact the adaptive cruise control is prone to creeping on rolling hills.
Then there’s the driver monitoring system. It’s a good idea in theory, chiming when the driver takes their eyes off the road to discourage distractions on the move, but it’s also prone to false positives. Leaning to one side of the seat? No you’re not, you’re distracted.
As for off-roading? This isn’t a budget LandCruiser, but it will get you further than most of its rivals on fire trails or muddy roads – as James discovered at the car’s launch.
What do you get?
Crosstrek AWD 2.0L + Hybrid L highlights:
Performance
- Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive
- Auto Stop Start
- Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive)
- X-Mode with hill decent control
Exterior
- 17-inch alloy wheels (new design)
- LED headlights
- Dusk-sensing headlights
- Rear combination lights with LED brake lights
- SUBARU letter badge
- Door mirrors – power-folding with indicators
- Roof rails – black
Interior
- Tricot (Tetra Embossing) cloth seat trim
- Dual-zone climate-control
Entertainment, Technology and Safety
- 11.6-inch touchscreen central information display
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- USB ports – USB-A and USB-C
- Wireless Qi charger
- 6-speaker audio
Crosstrek AWD 2.0R adds:
Performance
Exterior
- 18-inch alloy wheels (new design)
- Front and rear wipers with front de-icer
- Self-levelling LED headlights with auto off
- Front cornering lamps
- Door mirrors – heated
- Steering Responsive Headlights (SRH)
- Front LED fog lights
- Roof rails – dark grey
Interior
- Premium cloth seat trim
- Leather steering wheel/gear shift
- Sports pedals
- Auto-dimming rear view mirror
- Heated seats – driver and front passenger
- 10-way power driver seat with lumbar support
- Shift boot
Entertainment, Technology and Safety
- Rear passenger USB-A and USB-C charging ports
- Subaru Vision Assist:
- Front View Monitor
- High-bem assist
- 360-degree cameras
- Side View Monitor
Is the Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0R safe?
The Subaru XV hasn’t yet been crash tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.
Atop nine airbags, standard safety features include:
- EyeSight Driver Assist:
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane keep assist with active lane centring
- Autonomous emergency steering
- Speed sign recognition
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane change assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Rear parking sensors
- Reverse Automatic Braking (AEB)
Crosstrek 2.0R adds:
- Subaru Vision Assist:
- High-beam assist
- 360-degree cameras
- Side View Monitor
How much does the Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0R cost to run?
The Crosstrek is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre new vehicle warranty.
Scheduled maintenance is required every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres – whichever comes first. Subaru offers five years of capped price servicing, which covers up to 75,000 kilometres.
The first five visits will set you back $346.25, $473,47, $420,60, $771.74 and $361.13 – for a total of $2372.19.
CarExpert’s Take on the Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0R
The new Crosstrek improves on its predecessor in a few key areas.
It’s more comfortable and quieter, and packs a properly modern interior that can mix it with the best in class.
It feels like Subaru has missed a chance to move the game on further here though.
The engine remains adequate at best, and the rear seats – both when it comes to space, and the lack of air vents – and boot are disappointing. Given how big the Forester and Outback are, there’s room for the Crosstrek to pack more space than it does.
Throw in the price hikes, and you’re left with a rock solid SUV… but one that still falls short of fulfilling its potential.
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