We’re thinking of replacing our ten year old Crosstour and the Crosstrek looks pretty good. Does anyone have any constructive input on this make and model?
It was on my list to replace my 07 Legacy, it’s a solid car and about the only real complaint is that felt it a tad underpowered. The 2.0 is a good motor, it was available as a standard and the cargo area is great but I wanted something peppier. A turbo version would have had me in the driver’s seat instead of my Focus ST.
A while back, I was thinking of getting a new car this spring. I had decided on the Crosstrek Premium. The ORANGE one. But I hadn’t actually gotten to the point of test driving one.
We found a low mileage 2019 one at a local dealer, and we plan to go and test-drive it tomorrow morning.
swampspruce, your observation about underpower matches what I read on Car And Driver. We’ll see if it bugs us or not tomorrow. We want it as our utility vehicle, and as long as it handles trips to Costco or hauls bags of mulch, we might overlook the power issue.
I’ve never owned a Crosstrek, but have owned 3 Legacy wagons, a Legacy sedan, and 3 Foresters since '81.
Currently driving a '19 Forester touring. It is not as powerful as the Turbo Legacys I’ve had in the past, but certainly adequate entering the interstate and driving back roads.
My gf loves her 2019 silver CrossTrek. She just had it detailed inside and out, and I’m not comfortable even riding in it, it’s so clean.
We looked at the hybrid, but the cargo space was woeful. They just filled it up with batteries. Ended up with the Kia Niro phev.
We test-drove it, and it was okay power-wise, but there was hardly any room in the back. We needed a vehicle with storage capacity for trips to the garden center and Costco runs. So we went across the street to a Honda dealer and test-drove a two year old CRV all wheel drive. I’m not a big SUV fan, but this vehicle checked off almost every major item on our wish list. It’s in excellent shape, too - a 2018 vehicle.
So now we have to fix up the Crosstour and sell it. I love that car and I’ll be sad to see it go.
If you’re not fully committed to the honda, check out the VW Golf AllTrack. Brilliant car with tons of space, all wheel drive and is not an SUV.
I’m on my second Crosstrek. I love them. We don’t have kids at home anymore so I don’t need a huge car. It’s the perfect size for me and I feel very comfortable driving it. I have a 2017 desert khaki with black leather interior that has orange topstitching. 
I also have heated seats, a huge plus in the winter. It gets pretty good gas mileage and it’s great in the snow. I plan on hanging on to this one for many years.
Heh, YMMV. The first time I was a passenger in my gf’s CrossTrek, my seat seemed strangely hot. Once I realized it wasn’t my imagination, I thought the car was on fire and told her to pull over. It was the heated seat. I really disliked it.
They grow on you pretty quickly when it’s -30. Same for heated steering wheels. 
We will probably be moving to a colder, even snowy, state in a year or two, so heated seats are a definite plus. I guess I’ll have to learn to drive in light snow.
I still like the look of that Crosstrek, but it wasn’t in the cards.
That’s for sure, although I don’t have a heated steering wheel. I would not be opposed to one. When getting into a cold car after shopping, etc. the heated seats are a lifesaver.
A funny story regarding heated seats and steering wheels; my sister and her husband were on vacation somewhere down south where it was quite warm. They rented a car and as they were driving around, the couldn’t understand why, even with the air conditioning on, they were so hot. My BIL said to my sister - even my hands are hot! Well, the heated steering wheel and seats had been left on. At that time they had never even heard of such a thing. I think they drove around like that for at least a day.:smack:
I was going to post that we have an Outback—not a Crosstrek—but we’re not as impressed with it as we’d hoped. They seem noisy and the factory stereo is meh. Still, I wanted to post something that may be relevant to the OP that I didn’t know till just the past few days.
AWD vehicles are special beasts when it comes to tires. We got three nails in a tire and it has to be replaced. Fine. But wait—the other tires still have tread, yet they need to be replaced as well. Quoting:
"Replacing just one or two tires on an AWD vehicle could cause unnecessary wear and tear on your drivetrain, or confuse the traction control system to think that you are frequently losing traction.
A new tire is larger in diameter than one of the same brand, type and size that’s part way through its tread life. This means there’s a measurable difference in tire circumference that may affect your vehicle’s performance."
A relative of mine works in auto repair and corroborates this.
Actually, you might be able to buy a new tire and have it shaved to match, but there goes the new tire warranty. Hmm. Anyway if you’re buying AWD it’s something to keep in mind.
That’s a tasty tidbit of info, thanks! I know the tires on my 2020 OB ain’t cheap & screws/nails have been the bane of my driving existence. And cracked windshields. Replaced 3 ! On my last car in 5 years.
Love the heated seats (Rears too) and steering wheel. Cooled would’ve been even better.