2024 Subaru Crosstrek Premium

Test Drive Notes Library

Pros
Same old, but completely different. Subaru put the popular Crosstrek on a brand new platform for 2024, and made a bunch of upgrades to the ride, engine, and transmission. But don’t worry, Crosstrek fans. The Crosstrek feels very much the same. The size, rugged looks, and practicality are still there, and even improved. The new Crosstrek gets thumbs up from us.
More comfortable ride. The new, stiffer chassis actually allows Subaru engineers more control over the car’s road manners. We thought the Crosstrek’s ride comfort already stood out. Especially for an inexpensive, compact, off-road capable all-wheel-drive car with high ground clearance. But comfort is improved in the 2024 edition. Bumps are really well absorbed, and the ride is really very good, around town and on highways. And even when you go slightly off-road (like from the parking lot to a trail head), the ride is surprisingly settled. The driver’s seat is also improved and more supportive, with more adjustments than before, including lumbar. Normally, at this price point (less than $30,000 as tested), you get capability or comfort, but not both. The Crosstrek is an exception.
Versatile. We’ve always been impressed with the different things you can do with a Crosstrek. It’s a comfortable (small) family car, with room for four, easy ingress and egress. Fold down the rear seats and open the hatch and there’s plenty of room for stuff or dogs. Need to get somewhere in the snow? No problem. On a budget? It’s well equipped with safety equipment and a 10-way adjustable driver’s seat for $30,000, and gets 29 mpg overall.
OG horsepower. There are few cars you can even find in 2024 with only 152 horsepower, but it works in the Crosstrek. No, it’s not powerful. But it’s powerful enough to get the job done. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) works well with the 2-liter, four cylinder engine, and makes it feel perfectly adequate around town. If you want to pass someone on the highway, you just have to go old school and floor the accelerator. If 152 hp feels underpowered to you, there’s an optional 182 hp 2.5L upgrade.
Knobs and switches. In keeping with its practical nature, the Crosstrek offers good old knobs and switches for things you use frequently. There are permanent cabin temperature switches for driver and passenger, volume and tuning knobs, and old-style PRNDL floor shifter, and, best of all individual rocker switches for the seat heaters, placed between the seats. Most cars now require you to dig into screen menus for that stuff. So hats (and gloves) off to Subaru.

Cons
Noisy acceleration. When you do floor the Crosstrek to pass a truck on the highway, the engine gets pretty noisy. And, in general, harder acceleration raises the noise level inside the Crosstrek. It’s a tradeoff — the smaller engine allows for a lower price and higher mileage, but you pay a penalty in noise on harder acceleration.
Infotainment software. The screen has never been Subaru’s strong suit. They somehow always feel a generation or two behind the leaders. It’s usable, and Apple Car Play saves the day in many ways, but it’s not great.
Elbow room. Good for drivers with a long humerus (that’s the bone from the shoulder to the elbow). For those of us with normal anatomy, we wish the driver’s armrest was height adjustable. Or just more substantial. This generation: better driver’s seat. Next generation: A place for our elbows.