Subaru Crosstrek 2023 review

The name is new but Subaru has stuck with a familiar line-up for this new-generation model. There are two powertrain options - a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a mild hybrid version - and four trim lines.

However, prices have risen significantly across the range, which certainly isn’t isolated to Subaru but the Crosstrek does highlight the industry trend. Case in point, the entry price to the Crosstrek range is $1800 more than where the XV ended up in December 2022, but is more than $5000 dearer than it was 12 months ago.

The range now begins with the Crosstrek 2.0L at $34,990 (all prices exclude on-road costs), which comes well-equipped for the price. Exterior highlights include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, dusk-sensing headlights and black roof rails.

The Crosstrek is priced from $34,990 (exclusing on-road costs).

Inside you’ll find cloth-trimmed seats, dual-zone climate control, USB-C and USB-A connections, a six-speaker stereo and an 11.6-inch tablet-style multimedia touchscreen with compatible wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a wireless charging pad.

There’s also a lengthy list of safety features, too big to touch on here but check out the ‘Safety’ section below for all the details.

That specification is largely carried over to the Crosstrek Hybrid L, which is priced from $38,590. That positions it slightly above the $38,490 Crosstrek 2.0R, which takes the 2.0L equipment and adds two-mode X-Mode off-road settings, 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear wipers with front de-icer (to target the alpine/snow country crowd), self-levelling LED headlights with auto off, front cornering lamps, heated door mirrors, front LED fog lights and dark grey roof rails. 

Inside the 2.0R gets premium cloth trim for the seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shift, sports pedals, auto-dimming rear mirror, heated front seats and a 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat. It also adds USB-A and USB-C charging ports for the rear passengers, as well as some extra safety features we’ll detail later.

The Crosstrek Hybrid S is the most expensive model in the line-up, starting at $45,090, and is similar in specification to its petrol-powered sibling.

The pinnacle of the range - in terms of equipment - is the Crosstrek 2.0S, priced from $41,490, which builds on the 2.0R with an electric sunroof, leather-accented seat trim, satellite navigation and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

Do you know how important your pelvis is to how comfortable you think your car is?

Apparently, it’s a lot. An unsupported pelvis leads to more shaking of your neck and head, which translates to you feeling uncomfortable.

Do you need to know this? Probably not, this is a car website, not a medical journal. But it tells you a lot about Subaru’s attention-to-detail for the new Crosstrek that one of the company’s lead engineers spent several minutes taking you through what sounds like a medical procedure.

The Crosstrek's new seat design provides a more comfortable and supportive ride.

Tota Sakuari - whose job title is the lengthy Performance Planning and Integration Manager, Engineering Division, Subaru Corporation - spent more than 10 minutes explaining the lengths he and his team went to to improve the way you feel inside the Crosstrek.

All this translated to a new seat design, right down to how they are mounted in the car, to try and provide a more comfortable and supportive ride, by keeping your pelvis supported.

Whatever the science behind it, the Crosstrek is a pleasant car to ride in. The hard work on the seats paid off and after a day of driving - including a pair of off-road stints - this reviewer still felt fresh when I climbed out.

The Crosstrek certainly feels capable of taking four adults in relative comfort.

There’s good room in the back too, even as a 180cm tall adult I was able to get behind my driving position and still have a centimetre or two of knee room. That may not sound like much, but this is a small SUV, not a limousine and the Crosstrek certainly feels capable of taking four adults in relative comfort.

Although that may be compromised somewhat by the lack of rear air-conditioning vents in the back of the centre console. It’s not a surprising emission from Subaru, as it’s something that company has chosen not to do in several models over the years, but it will lead to stuffy conditions in the back during hot Australian summers; at least in our experience with other Subarus in the past.

In terms of small item space it’s a similar story, with the front seat occupants better catered to than those in the rear. Up front there’s a pair of cupholders, a lidded centre console box, deep door pockets and the wireless smartphone charging pad. While in the back there are cupholders in the centre armrest but the door pockets are smaller and there are no seat-back pockets.

The Crosstrek's flat floor in the boot makes loading and unloading easier. 

The boot is slightly below-average for the small SUV segment, measuring 291 litres for the petrol-only models and 315-litres for the Hybrids. With the rear seats down that can expand to 883 litres and 922 litres, respectively.

The boot itself is a decent size, with a flat floor that will make loading and unloading easier. 

Somewhat strangely, and disappointingly, for a car Subaru is clearly pitching at those looking for off-road adventures or use in the alpine regions, there’s only a temporary spare tyre. It’s not a super-skinny space saver but it isn’t full-size and therefore would be difficult to use if you cop a flat in the bush or snow.

In another demonstration of Subaru’s evolutionary process, the Crosstrek largely carries over the same powertrains from the XV. 

That means Subaru’s very familiar 2.0-litre flat-four petrol engine makes 115kW of power and 196Nm of torque. It’s paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with eight steps.

While not ‘under-powered’ those figures leave the Crosstrek slightly behind its key rivals again. Notably, in the US market the Crosstrek is available with a 2.5-litre flat-four, which makes 135kW and 241Nm, which is all it really needs to elevate it towards the top of the segment. Unfortunately, though, that engine isn’t available in Australian-bound models.

Under the Crosstrek's bonnet is a 2.0-litre flat-four petrol engine.

The Hybrid uses the same engine but adds mild-hybrid support to improve fuel economy and make a modest improvement to performance, which is rated at 110kW and 196Nm for the petrol engine and adds 12kW/66Nm of electric motor assistance (Subaru doesn't provide a combined system output). The hybrid also gets a CVT but it has seven steps.

Both engines send power to all four wheels via another Subaru trademark - permanent all-wheel drive.

All models also get auto stop start (which comes with a handy digital display of how much fuel you’re saving everytime it switches off), Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive) and X-Mode with hill descent control - but the entry-level 2.0L misses out on the two-mode X-Mode system.

Subaru finds itself between a rock and a hard place with the Crosstrek when it comes to fuel efficiency and performance. Like every responsible car maker it’s looking to reduce fuel consumption but because the brand has built its image around permanent all-wheel drive, that has a detrimental impact on fuel consumption because of the drag it puts on the powertrain.

Which is why the Crosstrek suffers higher fuel economy than some of its key rivals. The official figures for the Subaru are 7.2 litres per 100km for the 2.0-litre models, which doesn’t compare too favourably to the Mazda CX-30 AWD (claimed 6.8L/100km) and Toyota Corolla Cross 2WD (claimed 6.0L/100km).

The Mazda manages to use less fuel despite running a bigger, more powerful 2.5-litre engine, while the Toyota is front-wheel drive but does offer more power and torque from its equivalent-sized engine.

The official figures for the Subaru are 7.2 litres per 100km for the 2.0-litre models.

During our initial test drive, which included some urban roads and freeway, plus a lot of open-road running and some off-road, we saw 8.0L/100km on the car’s trip computer, which is impressively close to the claim given the variety of driving we did.

The Crosstrek Hybrid also underwhelms in terms of its efficiency, even if it is just a mild hybrid system. The official claimed consumption is 6.5L/100km, just 0.7L/100km better than the petrol-only models and with less power.

Compared to its key rivals the Crosstrek is trailing behind, because the Corolla Cross Hybrid AWD has a claimed rating of just 4.4L/100km, which is a huge advantage. The Kia Niro Hybrid is even greater, with a figure of 4.0L/100km, leaving Subaru some work to do to catch up in the hybrid small SUV race.

The Crosstrek suffers higher fuel economy than some of its key rivals.

The Crosstrek is covered by Subaru’s usual five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is normal for the industry these days, but falls short of the 10 years of coverage offered by Mitsubishi (conditional), as well as the seven-year warranties from MG, Haval, Skoda and Kia - all of which have rivals to the Crosstrek.

Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km and covered by Subaru’s five-year capped-price servicing plan. Over that five year span you’ll end up paying just over $2373.

Subaru does include 12 months of free roadside assistance too.

The Crosstrek is covered by Subaru’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.