Why, to our surprise, the Subaru Crosstrek (2024) won’t pull itself out of the butter pack.

Subaru proudly reports that 40 percent of its European customers chose the XV. That looks like the Crosstrek is taking a hot shower. But those figures deserve some perspective, because they only concern 6,000 people. Subaru has seen better days; With a boxer engine and four-wheel drive you won’t make friends with governments that want European buyers to quickly switch to an electric car. In the Netherlands, the brand managed to sell less than 100 cars in 2023.

What else can Subaru do to turn the tide? The Crosstrek’s first selling point is the price, because it dropped. The

The Crosstrek is only available with this two-liter boxer engine without a turbo, which is assisted by a 16.7 hp electric motor. 1.6 AWD with 114 hp, which XV was still available, will disappear from the price list. To reduce the CO2 emissions of the naturally aspirated engine, 14 horsepower were sacrificed and now you have to work with 136 hp. This is not at the cost of performance, because the top speed has increased from 193 to 198 km / h.

Test drive in your inbox every week? Then sign up for our free newsletter!

Back in the future he met Subaru

From the looks of it, the Crosstrek is no Casanova. In fact, it’s nothing more than a facelift for the not-so-good XV. The grille became bigger, the logo was given a more prominent place, the hood is slightly higher and the LED lights are new. Additionally, the plastic trim parts around the wheel arches are larger. The Crosstrek doesn’t partake in fashion trends such as a large LED strip in the front and rear and small windows. And what a relief it really is to get into a car where the mechanics have the final say and not some cowardly salesman.

You won’t see big glowing screens inside. The Crosstrek only has an analog speedometer and tachometer. The center tunnel has a prominent lever and does not have a rocking lever or a strange push button with which you select gears. Next to the gear lever are two seat heating buttons. You operate them by touch and you don’t have to navigate through complicated menus on a illogical multimedia screen. Everything is familiar, as if you are entering a ten-year-old car. Best of all: bigger door handles, so your nails don’t touch the paint, and seats that are designed in such a way that your head vibrates 44 percent less than before.

Four more liters

Other changes compared to the XV also show incredible love for detail. The Crosstrek has three windshield washers instead of two, and a larger 4.5-centimeter rear window wiper. The luggage compartment has increased from 1310 to 1314 liters, an increase of 4 whole liters.

But the most important thing is maintenance and that is excellent. Subaru has worked hard to improve sound insulation. The Crosstrek is an incredibly quiet and comfortably tuned car (much quieter than the XV), which drives surprisingly straight. And with its permanent 4WD, it’s a rock in cold windy and rainy weather. Our one-hour test ride on the muddy roads around Lelystad was fun. If you need a lot of power, you can’t avoid the roar of the CVT transmission, but that fades into the background when driving at a constant speed.

Subaru Crosstrek towing power

However, Subaru makes a big mistake in one important area. In the Netherlands, Subaru is often bought by enthusiastic travelers, but they will be disappointed if they end up with mover they have run their booth behind the bar. Towing capacity of 1270 kg is on the moderate side. And then the consumption (1 in 13 if you do better) and CO2 emissions (174 grams) are also relatively high.

Well, how do you rate this pity car? We would beat any strong man who could save 50,000 euros for his premium house and his already generous pension. But if we are honest, the supply of Subaru and the demand of Dutch and Belgian buyers are not equal. The business driver wants to plug in, the individual is not willing to pay a lot of money for a new Subaru.