2024 Subaru Crosstrek Review: Affordable AWD Helps Offset The Oddities

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek feels like the affordable lunchtime buffet of the subcompact crossover SUV world. On the one hand, it has just enough off-road talent to leave a Jeep Compass looking sheepish; at the same time, things aren't quite so rough-and-ready as to make the Crosstrek an exhausting daily driver. And, with pricing kicking off at well under $30k, the Crosstrek is a surprisingly attainable way of getting a new car with all-wheel drive.

Subaru's exterior update to the 2024 Crosstrek is a massage, not a reinvention, and that's just fine. The headlamps have slimmed down somewhat, while the hexagonal grille is more pronounced. It looks playful and purposeful, not to mention practical thanks to standard roof rails on all but the Base trim.

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At a time when it feels like automakers can't see beyond black, white, and shades of silver, the Crosstrek's array of paints is a welcome change. The Sapphire Blue Pearl of this particular car is handsome and subtle; brighter options, like Horizon Blue Pearl, Sun Blaze Pearl, and Pure Red all contrast nicely with the plastic cladding around the wheels and bumpers. It helps elevate the Crosstrek beyond what could, at first glance, be mistaken for a hatchback.

Premium trim gets 17-inch dark gray machine finish alloy wheels, smaller than the 18-inch versions on the Sport and Limited trims. For all this is an affordable car, Subaru does surprise with a few details. All trims get steering-responsive LED headlamps, for example, illuminating to the side as you turn the wheel. Premium trim and above add LED fog lamps.

With its 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder gas engine delivering 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque, nobody is going to mistake the 2024 Crosstrek for a performance vehicle. The same goes for Subaru's continuously variable transmission (CVT), which pipes that power to all four wheels courtesy of the standard all-wheel drive. The result is fine, but you'll still need to wait for a decent sized gap in traffic before burying your right foot and merging onto the highway.

Similarly, twisty roads are of little interest to the Crosstrek. Not that grip is lacking, and the tires have plenty of sidewall which helps leave ride quality erring on comfortable if a tad bouncy, just that nothing here encourages eager behavior from behind the wheel.

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There are two primary drive modes, with a rocker switch on the steering wheel to switch between them. Frankly, switching to Sport isn't going to light your world on fire, but it does leave the Crosstrek feeling a little more enthused. Subaru quotes 27 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined; in my own mixed driving I got closer to 31 mpg.

X-Mode, meanwhile, is Subaru's off-road system. On the Base and Premium trims that's a single on/off setting, promising to help avoid the pitfalls of slippery conditions: Sport and above get Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud settings, too. All Crosstrek trims bar the Wilderness have 8.7 inches of ground clearance.

Conspicuous by its absence is Subaru's much better turbocharged 2.4-liter engine. That's offered as an option on the 2024 Outback and it brings a punchy 260 horses and 277 lb-ft of torque to play. However, it's not available for the cheaper Crosstrek.

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Instead, the 2024 Crosstrek Sport, Limited, and Wilderness trims get the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (that's actually the base engine on the cheaper Outback trims). Its 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque aren't going to set any land speed records either, but our time behind the wheel of the 2024 Crosstrek Sport suggests every little bit helps.

The Crosstrek's cabin feels like a love letter to a bygone age of simplicity. Or, perhaps, the interior designers just decided that opting for straightforward shapes and surfaces would mean they could head home earlier. The key is durability rather than design: Subaru's plastics are sturdy but err on the side of industrial, with minimal concession to being too visually pleasing.

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Take, for instance, the flat slabs of matte-finish plastic around the CVT shifter, or the chunky three-way switches for the heated front seats. Everything is clicky, and tactile in a honest, unassuming way, and while that doesn't leave the Crosstrek anywhere close to feeling premium, nor does it leave you concerned about longevity.

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The tech side, too, is a mixed bag. In some places, like the large 11.6-inch Starlink infotainment touchscreen that dominates the center console in all but the Base trim, it feels pretty modern. Then you glance at the diminutive 4.2-inch LCD in the driver's instrumentation, sandwiched between analog gauges and relying on a seriously old-school font, and get blasted right back to the Subaru of old.

That infotainment system could do with a reboot in places, mind. It's big, but the icons are outsized too, so it never feels like it's making the most of the real estate on offer. It can be sluggish as well, and while there's wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, the Subaru and my iPhone never decided they were willing to communicate, even when I plugged in a USB cable. Maybe that's no great loss, as the six speaker audio system is pretty mediocre; Limited and Wilderness trims get a 10-speaker Harman Kardon upgrade.

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Subaru does lean into charging options, though, with USB-A and USB-C ports for both the front and rear seats. Not only are they clearly illuminated, but they also show their amperage, which is a nice touch. You'll need the Crosstrek Sport to get a wireless phone charging pad, however, though dual-zone climate control is standard.

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This particular 2024 Crosstrek Premium came with the All-Weather Package, a power moonroof, and blind-spot detection with lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert. Altogether, that adds $2,245 to the sticker price. Subaru's EyeSight safety suite — including forward collision warnings and adaptive cruise control — is standard.

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Space in the front and rear is ample, and the same goes for the trunk. There's 19.9 cu-ft with the rear seats up, expanding to 54.7 cu-ft with them dropped down. Sadly, only the 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness gets the sturdy StarTex water-repellent upholstery. Subaru's standard 3 year or 36,000 mile warranty applies, along with a 5 year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.

As Subaru's most affordable SUV, there are some really good reasons to like the 2024 Crosstrek. Standard all-wheel drive is a particularly big lure, especially for those drivers in cold weather states, and the 8.7 inches of ground clearance bests the 8.1 inches of the Jeep Compass, probably the Crosstrek's most obvious off-road-ready competition. Subaru's sturdy, no-nonsense cabin may not have the style of, say, a Mazda CX-30's interior, but it promises to be more durable.

The downsides mainly center around the experience in the driver's seat. A road-centric crossover like the 2024 Hyundai Kona is far more enjoyable to pilot, while Subaru's decision to drop the Crosstrek Hybrid from the lineup means the economy and pep advantages of electrification are absent, too.

All the same, Subaru's sweet spot remains relatively clear. The 2024 Crosstrek Premium avoids the extremes of cost-cutting that the Base trim suffers while still clocking in at under $30k with the features most buyers will care about. It promises safety, sure-footedness, and charming styling, and — like most cars with the Subaru badge — sidesteps "typical driver" definitions. Anyone wanting reliable traction without breaking the bank is welcome here.