The Subaru Crosstrek Is Simple and Cheap, Even When Most Things Aren't: Video Review

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek is meant for functionality and affordability. In an age of high-priced modern cars, that's a great thing.

Photo by: Motor1.com

Alanis King

By: Alanis King

Nov 30, 2024 at 10:00am ET

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The Subaru Crosstrek feels like an eternal part of our lives. It’s a car people buy for functionality and affordability—not for dunking on everyone else on the road—and that’s what a lot of us need.

We drove a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Sport recently. The crossover starts at $26,540 these days, which is just above its original starting price of around $22,000 in 2013. The base Crosstrek has a 152-horsepower engine, while my Crosstrek Sport loaner had a 2.5-liter four-cylinder boxer engine that made 182 hp and 178 pound-feet of torque. Every engine option pairs with a continuously variable transmission and standard all-wheel-drive (yes, even at $26,540).

In my week with the car, the Crosstrek Sport was about as normal as transportation could get. It wasn’t fast or flashy, and despite its low mileage, there were already stains on the cloth passenger seat (from whoever drove it before me). But it did feel practical, and that’s something I can’t say about a lot of modern cars in America.

What do you think?

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So many modern cars are $80,000 luxo-boats with a four-figure monthly payment, while the Crosstrek Sport is just a reasonably priced new car with a warranty, all-wheel-drive, and seat heaters. It’s enough, and in a world where everything is too much, that’s refreshing.