2024 Subaru Crosstrek gets more athletic look, other subtle improvements

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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. At least don’t fix it much. That’s the tack Subaru is taking with its redesigned 2024 Crosstrek.

The new Crosstrek looks and drives similar to the old Crosstrek – but subtly better.

Not wanting to startle Crosstrek buyers makes sense. It’s Subaru’s most popular car. With more than 15,000 sold in Canada last year, it counts for more than a third of the company’s overall sales.

Subaru is hoping to add to that success and draw more younger buyers – adults in their thirties – by highlighting that the Crosstrek can be a practical car for daily commutes, soccer practice and trips to Costco during the week and also take you on adventures on the weekend.

Subaru said that capability has always been there – but it didn’t show from the outside.

“We listened to the voice of our customers … many of them have active lives,” said Tomohisa Tone, project manager for the 2024 Crosstrek.”[And] we needed to strengthen its personality.”

With the market for subcompact SUVs expected to keep growing, Subaru said it’s trying to show more buyers what was there all along: practicality, safety and all-wheel-drive capability.

Subaru swapped the bland looks of the second generation for a more athletic style, but under the tougher-looking skin, the engine and transmission are essentially the same. A standard transmission is no longer available – all versions, including the base, get the continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Subaru made changes to dampen vibration – it said drivers should experience 44-per-cent less “shaking of the head.”

The whole point is to make driving the Crosstrek anywhere – whether on an expressway or, like I was, on deeply rutted dirt trails in the middle of a forest – more comfortable.

The long list of other refinements – Subaru said they’re “more than tweaks” – include a quieter, more modern cabin, more comfortable seats, reinforcements to the body to beef up protection from crashes and a more responsive driver-assist system.

It’s now facing competition from newer, capable rivals including the Volkswagen Taos and Mazda CX-30. With deliveries beginning this month, Subaru’s hoping to sell 20,000 of the new Crosstreks this year.

With the standard transmission gone, the base version is now $1,800 more than it was last year. But Subaru says it now comes with more standard equipment, including LED headlights, heated front seats, a wiper de-icer, dual-zone climate control and Sirius XM radio.

There will be no hybrid or Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) available in Canada – the previous Crosstrek PHEV had only been available in Quebec and parts of Ontario. Subaru Canada said it is putting all its EV eggs in one basket – the all-electric Solterra – for now. But it hasn’t ruled out bringing the hybrid or PHEV back to Canada in the future if there’s demand.

Later this year, Subaru will launch the Wilderness version, which has a lifted 236-millimetre (9.6-inch) suspension and all-terrain tires.

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Tech specs

2024 Subaru Crosstrek

• Base price/As tested: $28,995/$36,995 plus $2,195 for freight and pre-delivery inspection, plus taxes
• Engines: two-litre, four-cylinder with 152 horsepower/2.5-litre, four-cylinder with 182 horsepower
• Transmission/Drive: Continuously-variable transmission (CVT) / All-wheel drive
• Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): 8 (2.0-litre) / 8.1 (2.5-litre).
• Alternatives: Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, Toyota Corolla Cross, Volkswagen Taos

Looks

Like a friend who’s been seriously working out since the last time you saw them, the Crosstrek looks recognizable – but beefier and better. With bulging fenders and black cladding at the wheels, it looks like it can take on trails. The rear end of the roof has been narrowed, so it looks more athletic from the back. It didn’t turn any heads on our 335-kilometre drive through the Okanagan, but it’s finally a Crosstrek with personality.

Interior

While it looks more rugged outside, it’s more civilized inside. The previous cabin looked dated, but this one looks serene and modern – with clean lines and, on the top three trims, a vertical 11.6-inch touch screen (the base version gets dual seven-inch screens). The seats are comfortable – even on muddy trails and gravel roads. There are buttons for volume and adjusting the temperature – but setting the climate control to automatic required some fussing with the touch screen.

In front, the driver has a power seat but the passenger doesn’t. There’s no power tailgate. Cabin noise has been greatly reduced – you can barely hear the engine, but there was some wind noise at highway speeds. The rear seats are roomy but taller passengers might complain about headroom.

Performance

The Convenience and Touring trims come with the 152-horsepower, two-litre four-cylinder engine. The Onyx and Limited trims get the 182-horsepower 2.5-litre four-cylinder. The versions I drove had the more powerful engine. It’s not a sports car, but it had more than enough power for highway driving. It’s not a true off-roader, but it easily handled rutted, muddy dirt trails. The ride is smooth on road and off.

Technology

Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assist system, including adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist, is standard on all trims. But other safety tech, including blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert are only available on the top three trims. The top three trims also get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Cargo

The cargo space is the same as the previous generation: 564 litres with the rear seats up and 1,549 litres with them down.

The verdict

The third-generation Crosstrek finally has looks that show off its off-road chops, but, overall, the improvements are subtle. If you liked the old Crosstrek, you’ll probably like this familiar new one.

The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.

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