Hey car guys

[aisle9]

Does anyone here have experience with 2018-2021 Subaru Crosstreks? I'm very highly interested in one before the end of the year, but have concerns about fuel economy, power, and especially that CVT.

[spwath]

I have an Impreza, 2012, so like the Crosstrek, just lower.

CVT: I don't mind it. It works. Like, it's not especially sporty, but it's not a sporty car.

Fuel economy: I average about 30mpg. Crosstrek might be a bit worse as it's higher, but still excellent for an AWD vehicle.

Power: yeah not too much of this. Not really a problem though, unless trying to pass someone or accelerate super fast. It's slow, but not too bad. Better than my old 2006 RAV4.

 

Overall,I like the car. Good fuel economy, not bad to drive, AWD for snow and stuff. Comfortable too.

 

[skshow289]

Fuel economy will be plenty reasonable I'm sure; a lot of it will come down to how tame your foot is though :)

 

Power....I'm sure it will pull itself around but at 152 HP, it's probably not going to be a particularly exciting ride. A big part of the power equation comes down to you as well: do you like to go fast or are you just trying to get where you're going? If you want to go fast, you could calculate the power to weight ratio of a vehicle you've driven before that you feel is quick on its feet and target a similar ratio. It's easy to calculate: horsepower/vehicle weight = horsepower per unit of weight. The higher the better. This is not a perfect metric but it's a good starting point.

My opinion is CVT's are coming along but not quite there yet. Definitely better than the ones that Nissan initially put on the scene. If you're the kind of person that likes to get a new car every few years, I'd say go for it. If you like to keep your cars forever and drive them into the ground, I'd maybe consider something with more tried and true technology like a manual transmission or a regular automatic transmission.

I don't know if this is still a thing either, but, once upon a time, Subaru's boxer engines had a reputation for snapping timing belts and grenading themselves. Like most car issues that folks get riled up over, I'm sure it was not every Subaru boxer engine that had this problem. That being said, since it's such an expensive repair if it does occur....it's worth looking into. I heard from a friend of mine that Subaru has since started using timing chains in their engines but it would be good to make sure. Again, if you're the kind of person that likes to get a new vehicle every few years, you probably don't need to worry about this...but, if you like to drive your cars into the ground....making sure your engine has a timing chain (and not a timing belt) is a good place to start. It can save you a lot of heartache down the road. Timing chains can last the life of the vehicle whereas timing belts often require maintenance/replacement several times during the life of the vehicle and they are typically not easy to get to which translates into big $ for labor to get the job done.

 

Good luck friend!

[Guest]

I would suggest avoiding any CVT transmission unless you're comfortable servicing it yourself on a regular basis.  

[Guest]

17 hours ago, aisle9 said:

Does anyone here have experience with 2018-2021 Subaru Crosstreks? I'm very highly interested in one before the end of the year, but have concerns about fuel economy, power, and especially that CVT.

I own a '19 Legacy, which ain't the exact same but uses similar parts and configurations. I average about 27-30 MPG in the city with 35-40 HWY. I've been told I'm a very conservative driver though. It's snappy more or less, but it's far from 'sporty'. Then again I didn't buy it for its sport appeal. The CVT works fine and Subaru has come a long way with their CVTs, they now make them in house and are miles better than their previous generations. Follow your maintenance schedule and you really shouldn't have much of an issue in the engine department. Most Subarus are built along the same lines, especially since they moved to their global platform, so I'd say if it's a good price then go for it especially if you live an area where AWD is helpful.

[Orange1]

On 10/12/2020 at 6:50 AM, aisle9 said:

CVT.

Do not buy any vehicle with CVT, its just not worth it unless you lease and not buy it out at the end of the term.

[aisle9]

Not gonna tag anyone, but if you happened to reply originally and saw this, I got a great deal and will be picking up my Crosstrek tomorrow morning. There was one other model that really came close, and, honestly is just a nicer car, but they couldn't match the price even though their base MSRP is lower. I don't really need to sell my current car and I'm a little torn up about doing so, but the card I'm getting is going to be so much better long-term. It's like future-proofing whereas the old car was now-proofing, except future-proofing is really a thing in cars.

[aisle9]

1 minute ago, Orange1 said:

Do not buy any vehicle with CVT, its just not worth it unless you lease and not buy it out at the end of the term.

Not really true with Subaru CVTs at this point. My old 2015 Forester XT had a CVT, and in the three years I had it and the year my ex-wife has had it, it hasn't had a problem. In fact, the only problem the car has had is a windshield wiper fluid line that ruptured, and that was an easy fix that the dealer just took care of. Basically, I trust their CVTs in a way I don't trust anyone else's.

[Orange1]

The only thing I liked about them and all subura's is there is a ton of head, leg and shoulder room for very tall people. Its just to bad the auto show didn't happen this year, I doubt it will happen next year either seeing as its usually in about 5 months away. Though there have been a few expo's like baby expo that happened a few weeks ago, so maybe the boutique expo's will happen, weed expo, gun expo and so on.

 

 

[MadyTehWolfie]

Did subaru fix the oil consumption issues? Eh the CVT isn't bad in the subaru but you have to make sure you keep up on the maintenance for it for sure.

[aisle9]

She's pretty

 

[Orange1]

Excellent resale value there!

[aisle9]

3 minutes ago, Orange1 said:

Excellent resale value there!

Yeah, especially at the price. All I'll say is negotiate online, get as much information from them as you possibly can before going beyond the initial offer, don't come in with idiotic demands on pricing or freebies, and above all else, be respectful and kind. Car salespeople and managers deal with so many assholes they've never interacted with before who walk in offering 20% below MSRP OTD, take it or leave it, that I've got to imagine it's actually refreshing for them when someone they've already met makes a reasonable offer.