BMW X3 vs Subaru Crosstrek

What's the difference?

If a BMW X3 is for you, then we have no quarrels with that. It’s a better all-round vehicle than the one it replaces and represents better value. And even though BMW mandates a hybrid driveline, there are still some significant choices within that framework.

By all means buy the M50 if you crave the rush of acceleration that almost 300kW can provide. And if efficiency is your altar of choice, then the plug-in 30e makes a lot of sense, too.

But even if you can afford either of those two more expensive variants, whatever you do, don’t dismiss the entry-level 20 model. At least drive it alongside the others and then make a decision based on all the facts, and not the assumption that entry-level equals the car you afford rather than the car you want.

It might be cheaper, but there’s absolutely no doubt that the 20 model is the one that shines and arguably makes the most of the opportunities BMW’s latest tech offers.

Sometimes less really is more.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

It’s not perfect, in fact, the Crosstrek has a few factors that would probably turn off groups of buyers at a time, but Subaru knows its audience isn’t ‘everyone’.

Subaru customers aren’t trying to get their fuel efficiency below 4.5L/100km, nor find the car with the most luxurious interior. They’re looking for a practical Jack or Jill of all trades, which the Crosstrek does rather well for its segment.

Few small SUVs are as agreeable on rough and unsealed roads without sacrificing suburban comfort, while its features list is practical and provides plenty for the money.

Unfortunately, the hybrid system is a little underwhelming, and if it’s the main draw of the Crosstrek for you, it could be worth considering the less expensive ($38,590) Hybrid L or even a hybrid rival like the Toyota Corolla Cross or Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

If the all-round ability of the Crosstrek is the draw, however, the non-hybrid L is still an excellent offering and doesn’t use a lot more fuel than the Hybrid - plus it’s several grand cheaper at $41,490.

The Crosstrek is great for active people who need a bit of flexibility in one car but for the vast majority, the hybrid probably isn’t the sweet spot in the range. However, that won’t hinder the Crosstrek as an overall model, its popularity is already proven, and the option of a Hybrid puts Subaru a little closer to the eventual necessity of electrification.

It might be badged an X3, but this is no small vehicle. In fact, it’s bigger than the original BMW X5 (which set the tone for this entire market segment) with a length of 4755mm (4667mm for the first X5) and a width of 1920mm (1872mm). That said, it’s 25mm lower than the outgoing X3 in a move to emphasise its sportiness. Shorter it may be, but it’s also 16mm wider on the front track and 45mm wider on the rear than the outgoing model.

BMWs latest styling cues also appear in the new car, including the large, split-kidney grille that, for Australian-delivered cars, is also lit around its edges. The short overhangs that characterised the original X5 (and soon characterised this whole BMW genre) remain, and the T-graphic LED tail-lights round out the stylistic touches.

The other thing we noticed (and we’ve seen it on other cars recently) is a panoramic sunroof that doesn’t actually open.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the new Crosstrek looks an awful lot like its a development of the Subaru XV.

Which, given the latter’s popularity, is a very good thing.

While there are a lot of similarities, especially when it comes to some of the more rugged elements, the Crosstrek still manages to look quite new.

It’s rugged without having too many ‘busy’ design elements and it even looks at home in inner-city suburbs. 

Of course, its raised body and cladding are mostly for practical reasons, but it gives the small SUV an adventurous aesthetic that separates it from city-focused rivals.

As essentially a high-riding development of the Impreza hatch, its size and proportions also make it look more like a ‘big car’ than a small SUV.

Cabin space is plentiful in the X3 with loads of room in the front, possibly thanks to the dashboard that is pulled back from you with only the twin screens and steering column offering themselves up to the driver. Even the air-vents are somewhat hidden. There’s good vision out and the seats themselves are lovely. The step into the cabin feels to be at just the right height, too; not too high, not too low.

Rear seating is good, too, although the X3 will always be better as a four seater than five thanks to the shape of the rear bench, but the glass roof opens the space up and there’s plenty of charging points and storage nooks. The sun blinds on the rear-side windows of the more expensive versions should be standard kit on every car sold in Australia.

We’ll take exception to the new gear-selector which doesn’t have a defined Park position and instead relies on applying the park-brake to engage Park. But the ambient light and contrasting cabin colours are a bit of a breath of fresh air.

There are levers in the cargo area to quickly fold the rear seats (60:40) at which point luggage space jumps from 570 litres in the mild hybrid cars to 1700 litres. The battery-pack of the 30e model means that luggage space starts at 460 litres and can be expanded to 1600 litres.

The latest version of BMW’s sometimes controversial iDrive operating system is simpler and easier to use than before and supported by a new operating system, but there’s still some familiarisation necessary. One improvement has been the addition of QuickSelect which works somewhat like the old favourites button system and gets around the need to drill into menus to access the functions you want.

A head-up display is a terrific addition, although where some displays are more tolerant of polarised sunglasses, the HUD in the BMW didn’t like mine and went dark at the most inconvenient angles.

None of the X3 variants feature a spare tyre of any sort. The 19-inch tyres on the base grade are run-flats, while everything else gets a repair kit for roadside emergencies.

If you want to tow, the good news is that all X3 variants can do so. But you will need to purchase the $2200 towing package which enables the X3 to haul a trailer weighing up to 2000kg with a maximum tow-ball down-weight of 200kg.

Practicality is pretty much a staple of Subaru as a brand, so it should be a huge surprise that it feels that way from the driver’s seat.

The interior doesn’t look futuristic, but it does look functional. 

For example, even though the centre of the dash is all screen - and we love buttons for climate controls around here - the controls for air conditioning and temperature are at least always present on the screen, no sub-menus needed.

The phone charger is large enough for even very tall phones (looking at you, Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, pictured), and it’s out of the way to minimise extra digital distraction.

The steering wheel’s buttons, while many, are all clear and simple, as is the iPad-like icon layout on the multimedia screen.

Storage in the front is miles ahead of the rear seats, a large central bin with two cupholders, a big glove box, and decent space for water bottles in the door cards. In the rear, two central cupholders in the armrest and a small space in the door.

But there is a decent amount of space for an adult to sit in the rear, even if the sides of the roof are a little close to the head. It’s a little like the front, where the seats are supportive and easy to adjust to a comfortable position.

Further back, the boot space is a relatively small 315 litres, though its slightly larger than the 291L the petrol versions come with - that extra space likely swallowed by a spare tyre in the petrol versions, as opposed to the smaller batteries taking up some space in the hybrids.

When you’re wearing a hybrid badge and you’re up against veterans in the field like Toyota with the Corolla Cross, you want to make sure you’re offering up something substantial.

At $45,090, before on-road costs, the Hybrid S tops the range and comes with a features list that screams it from the rooftops. Or the mountaintops. Or at least as far as the gravel tracks will take you towards the mountaintop.

From the outside, 18-inch wheels are the first indicator for the ‘S’ grade - note that hybrids don’t come with spare wheels, just repair kits - as well as body coloured door handles and black plastic trim and cladding, aside from the gloss mirror caps.

The door mirrors are heated and fold away when parked, while up top there’s a sunroof flanked by roof rails, with a styled spoiler at the rear.

Interestingly, there’s no power tailgate.

LED DRLs and headlights are automatic and are aided by steering responsive active cornering lamps, while the wipers are auto rain-sensing.

Inside, dual-zone climate control and heated front seats (the driver’s is eight-way power adjustable) for the cold - all seats are leather accented - while the steering wheel and shifter are also leather-wrapped.

Tech is covered off by the usual 11.6-inch portrait touchscreen centrepiece, with sat-nav, AM/FM and digital radio, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, USB-A and USB-C plugs (in the rear, too), a wireless phone charger, and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system over the usual six-speaker set-up. There’s even an auxiliary audio input.

The driver display is a small 4.2-inch unit flanked by physical dials.

Hybrid tech across the board is the key phrase here, with the base-model 20 xDrive fitted with a mild hybrid electric motor and battery pack that works in conjunction with the 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine. Power is 140kW and torque 310Nm. Like most mild hybrids, the electric motor offers power regeneration during braking, a mellow (by EV standards) kick in the pants during take-off and acceleration and also acts as the car’s starter motor.

The performance flagship, the M50 xDrive taps into the same technical philosophy with a mild hybrid augmenting the turbocharged six-cylinder inline petrol engine. In this case, however, peak power is a hefty 293kW and torque maxes out at 580Nm.

The most technically adventurous X3 is the 30e xDrive which uses plug-in hybrid tech to offer a claimed 91km of electric driving, about twice that offered by the original X3 PHEV it replaces. When the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol as fitted to the 20 xDrive, and the electric motor are humming along together, there’s 220kW of power and 450Nm for the taking. The PHEV X3 can run in purely electric mode at up to a claimed 140km/h.

All variants use BMW’s familiar eight-speed automatic transmission and in each case, drive is sent to all four wheels on a permanent basis. Interestingly, the 30e and M50 versions package their electric motor as part of the engine-transmission combination. The 20, meanwhile, places its electric motor externally, as part of the drive-belt rotating assembly.

The M50 model has an M button that unleashes the full performance with one touch, and features an electronically locking rear differential in the interests of high-speed turn-in.

Adaptive suspension that varies the degree of damping is also part of the package on each X3 variant.

This is perhaps the part of the review you’re most interested in - as well as the following sections on efficiency and maybe driving - if the ‘Hybrid’ part of the Crosstrek Hybrid S’ name brought you here.

Like its design and interior, the engine will be familiar to anyone who has owned or driven a relatively recent Subaru - a 2.0-litre flat-four petrol engine good for 110kW/196Nm - which means it makes a little less than the standard petrol variant’s 115kW.

However, the electric motor is capable of its own 12kW/66Nm outputs, though Subaru doesn’t supply a claimed total maximum for the whole powertrain.

Drive is transferred to all four wheels - it is a Subaru after all - via a seven-step continuously variable transmission (CVT).

As you might expect, the PHEV 30e model is the efficiency superstar of the X3 line-up with an official combined test figure of just 1.6 litres per 100km and 38 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The four-cylinder 20 xDrive is not bad for its size at 7.5L/100km (and 171g), yet the bruising six-cylinder M50 version with all that performance is not too far behind with an official figure of 8.2L/100km (187g).

The 30e PHEV features a selectable battery-saving mode as well as the option of forcing EV-only running. It features a 19.7kWh battery and BMW claims it can charge using a three-phase, 11kW socket from empty to full in two hours, 15 minutes. It does not make use of fast-chargers.

Exactly how far you’ll travel in the PHEV model will depend hugely on how and where you drive. On long, open road journeys, fuel consumption won’t be much different to the others, but with just a 50-litre fuel tank, it’s range won’t be stellar. But in urban running where the batteries are being recharged for free as you brake, the difference will be significant. Meanwhile, with a 65-litre fuel tank in the mild hybrid grades, the theoretical range (based on the official fuel number) is 865km and 765km for the 20 and M50 respectively.

While BMW recommends premium fuel for maximum efficiency, it also says that each X3 variant will not be harmed by the use of standard ULP if that’s all you can get hold of.

Subaru claims the Crosstrek Hybrid will sip 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle, which isn’t enough to blow anyone away, even when you take into account the extra fuel needed for permanent all-wheel drive. The AWD Corolla Cross Hybrid comes with a claimed 4.4L/100km.

Compare this to the 8.5L/100km reading the Crosstrek returned after our time with the car, mostly with a (somewhat unkind) mix of inner-city and semi-rural backroad driving, and it’s clear the Crosstrek isn’t one of the most frugal cars in its class.

More highway driving would certainly have lowered the figure - we’ve achieved 8.0-litres on previous testing with a non-hybrid Crosstrek - but perhaps being top of the charts for efficiency isn’t necessarily what Subaru buyers are looking for.

Of course, the Crosstrek Hybrid S employs a couple of features to avoid using fuel where it can be avoided, such as auto stop-start and its (relatively mild) electric system taking over when mostly coasting or the engine isn’t required.

Big heavy SUVS like this one haven’t always been too dainty on their feet. The extra bulk and height mean suspension has to be firmer, the big wheels and subsequent loss of tyre sidewall depth plays against ride quality and before you know it, the compromises have piled up and the driving experience has gone to hell.

This time, however, BMW’s claim that the X3 was designed from the start as an SUV and not converted from a sedan platform seems to hold water. There’s an overall greater sense of cohesion in the way the car steers and flows through corners and faster bends. The steering feel and feedback are a big part of that, too, and the whole seems at least as great as its parts.

The M50 is, predictably, a rocket with loads of accessible acceleration and a great noise while you’re enjoying it. That said, the 21-inch wheels and tyres don’t do anything for ride quality, but it remains an entertaining performance car in a familiar, ICE kind of way.

The plug-in is also perky with its 220kW on tap, but it’s less old-school and more techy. And while you can’t pick the point at which ICE hands over to electric and vice-versa, sensitive drivers will absolutely know that there’s a big dollop of electrical assistance when your right foot starts asking the tough questions. It definitely feels more overtly hybrid, though that shouldn’t be any kind of surprise, purely because that’s precisely the case.

Which brings us to the 20 entry-level grade. And while it’s going to be a controversial statement, this emerges as the most cohesive, rounded variant of the new X3. There’s something in the way the fizzy, bubbly (but very smooth) 2.0-litre four-cylinder provides more than enough urge, but never threatens to dominate the dynamics.

With less weight over the front wheels than the M50, and less weight overall than the PHEV, the 20 corners flatter, steers more intuitively and is simply more fun more of the time. Even on the optional 20-inch tyres, it rides better than the others, too, and might even be better again with the standard 19s other than the fact that those are run flats and we didn’t get try them.

Two things stand out after a short stint behind the wheel of the Crosstrek Hybrid, and both become more cemented over time.

The first is that the ‘Hybrid’ part of the ‘Crosstrek Hybrid S’ isn’t quite as prominent in its real-world impact as it is in its name.

The 110kW engine doesn’t feel like it’s being massively helped along by any electric assistance, and the electric motor is very rarely doing the work by itself, as you’d find in any hybrid from Toyota or Honda.

That’s a shame, because the Crosstrek could do with a little extra oomph, if not for getting up to speed then for avoiding thrashy engine sounds under acceleration.

The CVT, while not necessarily detrimental to its performance, doesn’t help with that.

But balancing that out is a chassis and platform that’s engaging and predictable - and that’s predictable as a good thing - making the Crosstrek pleasant to pilot.

Its controls like steering and braking are nicely weighted for low speeds, commuting, and for more spirited driving, while the suspension and chassis handles surfaces from smooth suburban roads, to city tram tracks, to unsealed roads with ease, soaking up bumps and shakes nicely.

If you’re noticing a theme in this review, it’s that Subaru doesn’t seem to be chasing any ‘best at’ metrics in favour of giving the Crosstrek the ability to do a range of different driving and being at least satisfactory in any given area.

As the range-topper, the Subaru Hybrid S comes with the lot in terms of safety. 

And even though it hasn’t been tested by ANCAP yet, it’d be a shock if its score was anything less than the maximum five stars.

It’s what the XV scored in 2017, and the brand hasn’t missed out on full marks since the Impreza and Foresters of the early 2000s.

Nine airbags include dual front, dual front side, dual curtain, driver's knee, far side, and front passenger seat cushion airbags, plus Subaru’s 'EyeSight' safety suite does the work in crash prevention.

On top of the standard safety features you’d expect from any new car like electronic stability control and ABS, there’s a ‘Pedestrian alert system’, emergency lane keep assist with departure warning and prevention, a ‘Driver Monitoring System’ that includes drowsiness and distraction warnings, sensors and monitors for blind spots and rear cross-traffic, and of course parking sensors.

Some less common features of EyeSight include ‘Lead Vehicle Start Alert’, ‘Pre-Collision Braking System’, ‘Pre-Collision Throttle Management’, ‘Intelligent Speed Limiter’ as well as ‘Speed Sign Recognition’ and ‘Brake Light Recognition’.

Specific to the S, is a surround-view parking camera, high beam assist, plus front- and side-view monitors to help avoid kerbing wheels or bumping towbars.

It’s all fairly well implemented in the Crosstrek, though some of its chimes can be a bit much - the driver distraction alert can mistake a quick climate control change at the lights for a proper lapse of focus, while an alert for approaching speed and red light cameras comes without any indication of what the noise is for.

BMW’s warranty on the X3 is the company’s usual five-year/unlimited kilometre deal. But in this case, there’s also a six-year/100,000km warranty on the high-voltage battery.

Also typical for BMW is the service interval which is not a set time or distance and instead is determined by how the car has been used. It’s called condition-based servicing and it’s nothing new at BMW.

There’s also capped-price servicing available. For the X3, the five-year/80,000km service package is $2475.

The Crosstrek is covered by Subaru’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with servicing intervals coming up every 12 months or 15,000km under Subaru’s five-year capped-price servicing.

Subaru also adds 12 months of free roadside assistance.

This is all fairly standard in the industry, though some brands like Kia and MG offer seven-year warranties, or there’s Mitsubishi with a 10-year warranty (even if it requires certain conditions to be met during the decade).