I purchased a 2023 Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid and have been absolutely loving it! I don't use petrol in the stop and start traffic of the city and I get great gas mileage on the 400+ km highway trip I do each end of week. I can also of course pack around my kayaks, snowboards, camera gear, tools, etc. Truly fabulous vehicle.
I drove both the RAV and Crosstrek and ended up buying the crosstrek. RAV 4 felt tin canny to me. So funny that people complain about the trunk space, how much stuff are they carrying around with them all the time??? Easily fits 6 bags of groceries side by side in back, perfect height. Went on a trip, 4 travel suitcases, and that’s without putting seats down. We had dealership throw in cross rails for top, but honestly haven’t needed to use luggage rack yet, but it’s there if we ever need extra space. My commute to work is 16 miles so hardly ever put gas in. Example, I went 300 miles and only put three gallons of gas in. People also complain about price, after tax rebates,(4,500 federal),and I live in California where gas is $4 a gallon, the price is break even if not better when you factor it in. I set timer to charge at night when electric is cheaper. Plus, I can use the commuter diamond lane. Not for everyone, but for me it’s perfect.
Exactly the Crosstrek Hybrid review I've been waiting for. Appreciate the great content, thank you! Hopefully, you'll do the same type of review when the Outback goes on sale later this year :)
I admit that it wasn't pretty, but still managed. If it accomplished all that while running mostly electric only power, I'd call that pretty impressive.
Interesting. The AWD is definitely better than the hybrid Rav4, but Rav4 hybrid has 80ish more hp than this crosstrek, so that compensates a pretty well. Rav4 also has a ton more space. If I were buying a hybrid, I’d still opt for Rav4, but this is a neat little car too.
Bruce Hoult Interesting. Subaru AWD is pretty great, I’m still partial to the rav4 but that 2020 forester seems good. I just wish Subaru would ditch that lousy styling. Forester si such a boring car lol
Great test, i wish you tried it with X Mode on and Traction Control off because it seems to do better in that configuration based on an uphill diagonal test that's on youtube.
Subarus are actually very capable, especially with the proper tires. As an owner of a 2018 Crosstrek Premium. X-Mode would’ve helped a lot. Not trying to invalidate your test, as it’s one of the best I’ve seen. It would also have been interesting to see in the different modes, like electric-only or gasoline-only. Nice job. You got yourself a new subscriber.
I honestly think this did extremely better then I expected. I don't know much about any other car companies pushing for electric Off road vehicles. I was presently surprised with this video.
Love your rock trail “punishment😂“! Subaru made a badass hybrid. It’s no longer “lame” or boring to own a hybrid! Thank you Subaru for making hybrids cool and capable again! Once again, fantastic review
Big kudos for Subaru to do PHEV with good mechanical AWD. I do not understand they chosen Crosstrek for that, as it is a small vehicle. Forester would be a better platform in my opinion. There is a hybrid XV and Forester on some markets, but it uses Lineatronic - chain-driven CVT. Also, the e-motor ads less than 14hp and they use 2.0l with limited power. So it will be pathetic when loaded in the mountains. I would so like to see PHEV AWD minivan the size of the Forester. The batteries would make a smaller effect on the trunk space.
I think you are confusing the older generation hybrid with the current plug-in one and also the eboxer hybrid available in Europe and Asia with this plug-in hybrid. This plug-in hybrid has a helical gear CVT. Also, the tires on this car standard are low rolling resistance, and not really meant for off-road rock climbing. A proper off-road tire would have eaten these rock climbs for lunch. Also they have something coming out in the next year or two that is 100% electric drive with the gasoline engine only providing charging power for the battery/extra amps during high demand. Gonna be amazing.
The powertrain of this car is pretty much what happens when a standard Crosstrek has a one night stand with a Prius Prime. Heck, this Crosstrek PHEV uses the same 8.8 kWh battery & two motor planetary gearset eCVT as the previously mentioned Toyota. Instead of driving just the front wheels however, the power is then shuffled through Subaru's Active Torque Split AWD. This combination ironically makes this small Subaru one of the BEST off-road capable cars with a plug on sale (at least until Jeep rolls out the new Wrangler 4XE). All other PHEV & BEV rivals would not be as capable in the rough terrain due to a combination of ground clearance & AWD capability.
Ugh... I was excited about the car when it was announced, but once the specs were revealed, and then i saw the trunk i was so disappointed. If Subaru bumped up power to 180-ish HP, or even better, used Toyota's second gen hybrid architecture in the Camry/RAV4, and reduced the hit on cargo space, I would have been way more tempted. It weighs almost as much as an outback, it should have more power.
Imagine when the Wrangler gets a system like this instead of the start stop aide. Silent high torque wheeling, but with lockers instead. The electric motor is like winching your gas engine.
It should be made very clear that these are low rolling resistance EV tires. The fact that it was able to climb on those rocks at all is pretty incredible. If you put some proper tires on, this thing would be an off-road beast.
That did not look very fun honestly. Electric power could be really nice off road, but it seems perhaps this vehicle would need lower gearing to do well with the limited amount of power its electric motor can deliver.
Hi, Ryan! I wanted to ask if there's any fun roads around Mt Rainier/Ashford that you can suggest? Nothing too wild but something that's fun and scenic
The weight and power isn't the problem. The stall speed on the CVT is the problem. The CVT also has a problem of getting stuck due to the reverse ratio. If you took a LESS powerful and OLDER 4EAT Forester out there, it would not have these problems in the rock garden. That is simply a design failure of the CVT. This is also a failure that will overheat the non-serviceable CVT. Thanks for the review! I would love to see the 6MT out here in the base CrossTrek!
The two things that stop me from buying a Subaru. 1: CVT. 2: Under powered. I get they’re trying to meet gas mileage standards but these two things kill the fun in their cars.
What are your thoughts on the Standard Crosstrek with a 6MT? I own a CVT 2018 WRX Ltd and can keep up with STIs on canyon runs, plus its really fun to be able to shift through gears with a paddle and not have to take my hands off the wheel while taking sharp corners.
Did you feel cramped driving this compared to your former Outback XT? I like the fuel efficiency and thinking about trading in my Outback while the values are high.
i have watch most of your reviews. they are fantastic but, you should find some way in order to enable the camera to show the real hill slope (tilt). in current position i could not recognize how sharp is the hill tilt.
Very good review! Some on screen graphics/words about engine power, ground clearance , etc would be helpful. You need to hit that rock trail with every suv/truck/cuv🤟🤟🤟😎😎😎😎😎
We easily went up a road, in the rain, with long sections that were steeper and rougher than the one in this vid. Our driveway is on a 10 degree slope and we have no issues with passing uphill on mountain roads. The car has more than enough power but the guy in this vid makes going up that road look harder than it should be.
Shockingly bad tires for that test. Also a pity about the amount of space the battery takes out of the trunk. But it shows what even a fairly modestly powered electric can do. Would love to see this with something better than all-seasons that are practically summer slicks.
I am waiting for you to take a new forester on this course and then the 2.5ltr crosstrek when it comes out later this year hopefully. I think a regular crosstrek would do better.
Wow -that’s a HEAVY crosstrek! My 2019 manual 2.0 weighs 3100 and still feels a tad under powered. I would NEVER pay that kind of money for the small gain in power and gas mileage (I don’t need an environmentalist “badge of honor.”) Subaru should have put the put the old Forester 175hp 2.4 L in the crosstrek -I believe most customers would happily sacrifice a few m.pg.’s for extra power.
We're getting 48 mpg after 2100 miles in our new Crosstrek PHEV, with over half of those miles coming from a road trip through the mountains during engine break-in and we didn't have a chance to plug it in. On that same trip we easily drove about two miles in the rain up a road similar to the one in this video. We get 20 - 21 miles out of a fully charged battery which more than covers all of our day to day driving. It has good handling and enough power that it's actually pretty fun to drive on twisty curvy mountain roads. After $6,000 in rebates and tax credits our net cost is just over $30,000 making it a really good value imho.
Hey, that’s pretty good! (48 mpg) I forgot about those tax credits -that helps for sure. I’m getting 34 mpg on my 22,000$ manual base 2.0 -much better than I anticipated. We’re both happy with our crosstrek’s cool!
The CVT in the Crosstrek PHEV is a planetary gear system, totally different than the belt driven CVT in other Subies. Ours handles gnarly trails with ease.
Hi Ryan! Great video as always. Did you ever take the 2019 Forester up this trail? Was there any noticeable performance difference vs this Crosstrek? Thank you.
@@drivingsports Would be awesome to see a detailed video of the Forester on that same gravel/forest road tackling some of those more difficult situations. Great videos.
So wait it seems that the gas engine wasn't running during much of this time and would come on/off slightly? Is there a way to keep the gas engine engaged always yet have electric support too? Would be really interesting to take a standard Crosstrek up here directly aftewards.
Two questions: Have you already tested the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid in the snow? What is the difference between the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Package 01 vs Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Package 02?
Great video. You certainly pushed the car to its keep ability limits. I feel like the battery pack placement though was a complete afterthought. My biggest problem with this vehicle though is the lack of a spare tire. Subaru Sells Cars marketed with the image that you can take them off road and explore. I don't know too many people who'd be willing to go exploring with no spare tire. Thoughts?
The fact that the adapted a standard vehicle to PHEV as opposed to designing it to be a PHEV from scratch definitely causes some issues with packaging. I really think they should have done the Forester as a PHEV first, since it has more cargo room to spare. That said, Subaru is committed to continuing developing electric and I like that this one uses AWD all the time. For a commuter car that can also tackle the mountains... it's pretty good. The spare can be in issue, but I think that's more extreme than their target market with this car. Dirt roads to highly-trafficked trailheads are probably the target with this one. I love that Subaru included a full size spare with the Ouback Onyx XT for 2020. So they are aware that it's important for real adventure-mobiles.
Agreed. I'll also say that the stock tires are much more geared toward commuting. I bought one of these a month ago, and immediately replaced the stock tires with all-terrains, and also picked up a full-size spare. With that configuration, I've taken it off-roading twice now, and it has tackled dirt, rocks, and sand like an absolute dream while also being fully packed with two people and gear. It's gotten 32 mpg on my adventures, and 85-95 mpg on my commutes. It absolutely has compromises, but for me, it's the perfect combo of commuter/weekend adventure vehicle.
Use a spare-carrier that mounts to a hitch, steel rear bumper, or roofrack. Even a non-hybrid Crosstrek only comes with a donut that is just about useless offroad. A lot of modern CUVs don't come with even donuts, hybrid or otherwise.
This Crosstreck does better than I expected. Subaru's management does way worse than anyone would expect. There is only one PHEV model so far and this transmission is only available in PHEV. Instead, Subaru developed e-boxer, that has no power and makes no sense at all.
Clearly the weakest link in that drivetrain is the CVT. I'm actually surprised that it let you get as far as you did, without the CVT cutting out to protect itself.
im still just so perplexed as to why manufacturers wont just use a fully electric engine, while the petrol engine acts as an electricity-producing generator that would run in the background simply to top off the batteries if it reaches a certain low-threshold. 30-tonne battle tanks use this configuration. wouldnt the cost of production be DRASTICALLY reduced? because the petrol engine would now just need to run at a constant single speed, eliminating any need for valves, timing chains, throttle bodies, gears, clutches, blah blah blah...
Man, that thing is softer than pudding. Good for a snow/rain days and that about it. Between the anemic engine, the open diffs and putty DCT . . . not for me.
We easily drove up a wet road in the rain that was longer and at least as steep and rocky as the one in this vid during engine break-in so I was being very gentle on the throttle. Hell, our driveway is about that steep. I don't know why this guy seemed to have so much trouble because our Crosstrek PHEV tackles roads like that with no problems whatsoever, and we're getting over 53 mpg so far.
Don't know where you got the idea that the transmission is a DCT. The transmission is a planetary gear CVT that's solid and smooth. And it has enough power and acceleration in sport mode to confidently pass cars going uphill in short passing zones on winding mountain roads.
As an old subaru fan i want manual gearbox and frameless windows. Subaru should reissue some old epic models. Die hard subaru fans are hating the new models and are buying used old models..that says a lot..come on subaru wake up!!.
@@ALMX5DP ayup. The Jeep will do better for the 10 minutes you spend getting up this track. And then you'll be tooling around getting less than 25 mpg for the rest of the week vs 90 MPGe or 35 mpg with the gas engine going.
Norm T Granted almost all of those are due to the Takata airbag recall, which affected many manufacturers in the same way. It’s easy to come to false conclusions when you manipulate the truth with numbers.
@@afcgeo882 Close but not that close. 2019 so far: www.cars.com/articles/subaru-plans-largest-ever-recall-for-impreza-forester-report-1420757495110/ www.cars.com/articles/1-3-million-subaru-cars-and-suvs-recall-alert-1420757502822/ www.cars.com/articles/2019-subaru-crosstrek-forester-recall-alert-1420757559471/ www.cars.com/articles/2019-subaru-crosstrek-recall-alert-404584/ www.cars.com/articles/2019-subaru-legacy-outback-recall-alert-405819/
Don’t buy a cross trek... I’ve never had such an under powered piece of trash.... hands down, worst buy ever... worse than a used 1991 Nissan Maxima I had with 120,000 miles... I’m not even exaggerating, it’s been in the shop for 3 MAJOR problems. MAJOR.... dangerous , over hyped. Terrible.
You should link these even though they are different generations.
ruclips.net/video/wneV69RCVcc/видео.html
I purchased a 2023 Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid and have been absolutely loving it! I don't use petrol in the stop and start traffic of the city and I get great gas mileage on the 400+ km highway trip I do each end of week. I can also of course pack around my kayaks, snowboards, camera gear, tools, etc. Truly fabulous vehicle.
I drove both the RAV and Crosstrek and ended up buying the crosstrek. RAV 4 felt tin canny to me. So funny that people complain about the trunk space, how much stuff are they carrying around with them all the time??? Easily fits 6 bags of groceries side by side in back, perfect height. Went on a trip, 4 travel suitcases, and that’s without putting seats down. We had dealership throw in cross rails for top, but honestly haven’t needed to use luggage rack yet, but it’s there if we ever need extra space.
My commute to work is 16 miles so hardly ever put gas in. Example, I went 300 miles and only put three gallons of gas in.
People also complain about price, after tax rebates,(4,500 federal),and I live in California where gas is $4 a gallon, the price is break even if not better when you factor it in. I set timer to charge at night when electric is cheaper. Plus, I can use the commuter diamond lane. Not for everyone, but for me it’s perfect.
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ㄷ
Exactly the Crosstrek Hybrid review I've been waiting for. Appreciate the great content, thank you!
Hopefully, you'll do the same type of review when the Outback goes on sale later this year :)
I admit that it wasn't pretty, but still managed. If it accomplished all that while running mostly electric only power, I'd call that pretty impressive.
Interesting. The AWD is definitely better than the hybrid Rav4, but Rav4 hybrid has 80ish more hp than this crosstrek, so that compensates a pretty well. Rav4 also has a ton more space. If I were buying a hybrid, I’d still opt for Rav4, but this is a neat little car too.
Sam Ridley as much as I want to disagree, I can’t. For the majority of buyers (even more so for hybrid shoppers) the RAV4 is just a fantastic package.
Hybrid Forester "e-Boxer" in 2020 will be very interesting. Subaru engine, Subaru AWD, Toyota hybrid system.
Bruce Hoult
Interesting. Subaru AWD is pretty great, I’m still partial to the rav4 but that 2020 forester seems good. I just wish Subaru would ditch that lousy styling. Forester si such a boring car lol
exactly my point of view
Bruce Hoult There will not be an e-Boxer hybrid Forester in North America in 2020. It was only announced for Europe.
Great test, i wish you tried it with X Mode on and Traction Control off because it seems to do better in that configuration based on an uphill diagonal test that's on youtube.
That is the suggested drive mode when off roading actually.
Subarus are actually very capable, especially with the proper tires. As an owner of a 2018 Crosstrek Premium. X-Mode would’ve helped a lot. Not trying to invalidate your test, as it’s one of the best I’ve seen. It would also have been interesting to see in the different modes, like electric-only or gasoline-only. Nice job. You got yourself a new subscriber.
I honestly think this did extremely better then I expected. I don't know much about any other car companies pushing for electric Off road vehicles. I was presently surprised with this video.
Love your rock trail “punishment😂“! Subaru made a badass hybrid. It’s no longer “lame” or boring to own a hybrid! Thank you Subaru for making hybrids cool and capable again! Once again, fantastic review
The first rule of off-roading: Never go alone!
Big kudos for Subaru to do PHEV with good mechanical AWD. I do not understand they chosen Crosstrek for that, as it is a small vehicle. Forester would be a better platform in my opinion.
There is a hybrid XV and Forester on some markets, but it uses Lineatronic - chain-driven CVT. Also, the e-motor ads less than 14hp and they use 2.0l with limited power. So it will be pathetic when loaded in the mountains.
I would so like to see PHEV AWD minivan the size of the Forester. The batteries would make a smaller effect on the trunk space.
There are E-Boxer XVs and Foresters but that means the boxer engine is boosted by an electrical motor, the engine is always running!
I think you are confusing the older generation hybrid with the current plug-in one and also the eboxer hybrid available in Europe and Asia with this plug-in hybrid. This plug-in hybrid has a helical gear CVT. Also, the tires on this car standard are low rolling resistance, and not really meant for off-road rock climbing. A proper off-road tire would have eaten these rock climbs for lunch. Also they have something coming out in the next year or two that is 100% electric drive with the gasoline engine only providing charging power for the battery/extra amps during high demand. Gonna be amazing.
Excellent review! I really enjoyed the high quallity production and how hard you pushed that X-Mode there
The powertrain of this car is pretty much what happens when a standard Crosstrek has a one night stand with a Prius Prime. Heck, this Crosstrek PHEV uses the same 8.8 kWh battery & two motor planetary gearset eCVT as the previously mentioned Toyota. Instead of driving just the front wheels however, the power is then shuffled through Subaru's Active Torque Split AWD.
This combination ironically makes this small Subaru one of the BEST off-road capable cars with a plug on sale (at least until Jeep rolls out the new Wrangler 4XE). All other PHEV & BEV rivals would not be as capable in the rough terrain due to a combination of ground clearance & AWD capability.
Ugh... I was excited about the car when it was announced, but once the specs were revealed, and then i saw the trunk i was so disappointed. If Subaru bumped up power to 180-ish HP, or even better, used Toyota's second gen hybrid architecture in the Camry/RAV4, and reduced the hit on cargo space, I would have been way more tempted. It weighs almost as much as an outback, it should have more power.
Subaru`s eCVT in this vehicle is similar in principle to Toyota eCVT. The gometry is different but it is still two e-motors systems.
Imagine when the Wrangler gets a system like this instead of the start stop aide. Silent high torque wheeling, but with lockers instead. The electric motor is like winching your gas engine.
If you listen closely you can hear the electric motor beeping when the car is struggling to move up the obstacles.
It sounds like an RC.
It should be made very clear that these are low rolling resistance EV tires. The fact that it was able to climb on those rocks at all is pretty incredible. If you put some proper tires on, this thing would be an off-road beast.
That did not look very fun honestly. Electric power could be really nice off road, but it seems perhaps this vehicle would need lower gearing to do well with the limited amount of power its electric motor can deliver.
Love the rock hill reviews!
Hi, Ryan! I wanted to ask if there's any fun roads around Mt Rainier/Ashford that you can suggest? Nothing too wild but something that's fun and scenic
The weight and power isn't the problem. The stall speed on the CVT is the problem. The CVT also has a problem of getting stuck due to the reverse ratio.
If you took a LESS powerful and OLDER 4EAT Forester out there, it would not have these problems in the rock garden.
That is simply a design failure of the CVT. This is also a failure that will overheat the non-serviceable CVT.
Thanks for the review! I would love to see the 6MT out here in the base CrossTrek!
The two things that stop me from buying a Subaru.
1: CVT.
2: Under powered.
I get they’re trying to meet gas mileage standards but these two things kill the fun in their cars.
You can get a standard Crosstrek with a 6MT and it’s pretty fun.
Homerun comment!
Driving Sports TV the stick may be fun, but still under powered.
Not just their cars... most cars.
What are your thoughts on the Standard Crosstrek with a 6MT? I own a CVT 2018 WRX Ltd and can keep up with STIs on canyon runs, plus its really fun to be able to shift through gears with a paddle and not have to take my hands off the wheel while taking sharp corners.
I like this car. Still don't think hybrids are financially viable yet but it's cool all the same.
Did you feel cramped driving this compared to your former Outback XT? I like the fuel efficiency and thinking about trading in my Outback while the values are high.
i have watch most of your reviews. they are fantastic but, you should find some way in order to enable the camera to show the real hill slope (tilt). in current position i could not recognize how sharp is the hill tilt.
I really would like to see how it compares to an older vehicle with the VTD gearbox and torsen differentials.
Very good review! Some on screen graphics/words about engine power, ground clearance , etc would be helpful. You need to hit that rock trail with every suv/truck/cuv🤟🤟🤟😎😎😎😎😎
Couldn’t cope with a 13 deg slope, that’s actually not that steep. Definitely needs better power to weight
We easily went up a road, in the rain, with long sections that were steeper and rougher than the one in this vid. Our driveway is on a 10 degree slope and we have no issues with passing uphill on mountain roads. The car has more than enough power but the guy in this vid makes going up that road look harder than it should be.
Hi can you please take the current generation 2017-2019 Honda CR-V in off road. I only see a few videos of the current gen CR-V in light off roading.
Shockingly bad tires for that test. Also a pity about the amount of space the battery takes out of the trunk. But it shows what even a fairly modestly powered electric can do. Would love to see this with something better than all-seasons that are practically summer slicks.
I am waiting for you to take a new forester on this course and then the 2.5ltr crosstrek when it comes out later this year hopefully. I think a regular crosstrek would do better.
Wow -that’s a HEAVY crosstrek! My 2019 manual 2.0 weighs 3100 and still feels a tad under powered. I would NEVER pay that kind of money for the small gain in power and gas mileage (I don’t need an environmentalist “badge of honor.”) Subaru should have put the put the old Forester 175hp 2.4 L in the crosstrek -I believe most customers would happily sacrifice a few m.pg.’s for extra power.
Matthew Johnson and only if they got rid of their CVT transmission too
We're getting 48 mpg after 2100 miles in our new Crosstrek PHEV, with over half of those miles coming from a road trip through the mountains during engine break-in and we didn't have a chance to plug it in. On that same trip we easily drove about two miles in the rain up a road similar to the one in this video. We get 20 - 21 miles out of a fully charged battery which more than covers all of our day to day driving. It has good handling and enough power that it's actually pretty fun to drive on twisty curvy mountain roads. After $6,000 in rebates and tax credits our net cost is just over $30,000 making it a really good value imho.
Hey, that’s pretty good! (48 mpg) I forgot about those tax credits -that helps for sure. I’m getting 34 mpg on my 22,000$ manual base 2.0 -much better than I anticipated. We’re both happy with our crosstrek’s cool!
The 2.5ltr engine is coming in the crosstrek later this year. I was officially announced aleady.
CVT subies need more momentum, the CVT likes to protect itself and limit power so it doesnt build up too much heat.
The CVT in the Crosstrek PHEV is a planetary gear system, totally different than the belt driven CVT in other Subies. Ours handles gnarly trails with ease.
eCVT’s use planetary gear sets. No chains or belts.
Hi Ryan! Great video as always. Did you ever take the 2019 Forester up this trail? Was there any noticeable performance difference vs this Crosstrek? Thank you.
We did. A clip is in our Dual X Mode video. I recall the Forester doing a better job overall.
@@drivingsports Would be awesome to see a detailed video of the Forester on that same gravel/forest road tackling some of those more difficult situations. Great videos.
So wait it seems that the gas engine wasn't running during much of this time and would come on/off slightly? Is there a way to keep the gas engine engaged always yet have electric support too? Would be really interesting to take a standard Crosstrek up here directly aftewards.
There is no control to override electric, outside of depleting the battery.
@@drivingsports youch
Two questions: Have you already tested the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid in the snow? What is the difference between the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Package 01 vs Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Package 02?
am in kenya,How can buyn one of this Subaru hybrid
Great video. You certainly pushed the car to its keep ability limits. I feel like the battery pack placement though was a complete afterthought. My biggest problem with this vehicle though is the lack of a spare tire. Subaru Sells Cars marketed with the image that you can take them off road and explore. I don't know too many people who'd be willing to go exploring with no spare tire. Thoughts?
The fact that the adapted a standard vehicle to PHEV as opposed to designing it to be a PHEV from scratch definitely causes some issues with packaging. I really think they should have done the Forester as a PHEV first, since it has more cargo room to spare. That said, Subaru is committed to continuing developing electric and I like that this one uses AWD all the time. For a commuter car that can also tackle the mountains... it's pretty good. The spare can be in issue, but I think that's more extreme than their target market with this car. Dirt roads to highly-trafficked trailheads are probably the target with this one. I love that Subaru included a full size spare with the Ouback Onyx XT for 2020. So they are aware that it's important for real adventure-mobiles.
Agreed. I'll also say that the stock tires are much more geared toward commuting. I bought one of these a month ago, and immediately replaced the stock tires with all-terrains, and also picked up a full-size spare. With that configuration, I've taken it off-roading twice now, and it has tackled dirt, rocks, and sand like an absolute dream while also being fully packed with two people and gear. It's gotten 32 mpg on my adventures, and 85-95 mpg on my commutes. It absolutely has compromises, but for me, it's the perfect combo of commuter/weekend adventure vehicle.
@@bowlchest5988 cool. Just wish they had found a way to do the batteries and not take up cargo space.
Use a spare-carrier that mounts to a hitch, steel rear bumper, or roofrack. Even a non-hybrid Crosstrek only comes with a donut that is just about useless offroad. A lot of modern CUVs don't come with even donuts, hybrid or otherwise.
"subaru owners take their cars down forest roads"
Yes that is all, only forest roads. :P
Brilliant SUV like it.
This Crosstreck does better than I expected.
Subaru's management does way worse than anyone would expect. There is only one PHEV model so far and this transmission is only available in PHEV. Instead, Subaru developed e-boxer, that has no power and makes no sense at all.
Fast forward one year. Rav 4 Prime
How do you get this car to test? Just curious since it's not for sale here in Washington state.
We arrange all of our test cars through the manufacturers. They ship them up to us.
Can I ask where this 10 mile off road is located in California? I'd really love to take it as it looks extremely fun!!
This is up in Washington State just off I90
Driving Sports TV Exit number? I want to take my Crosstrek there.
Any suggestions on how to find forest roads that a stock Crosstrek can handle?
Almost to 100k subs!
Clearly the weakest link in that drivetrain is the CVT. I'm actually surprised that it let you get as far as you did, without the CVT cutting out to protect itself.
Don’t you use X-Mode?
im still just so perplexed as to why manufacturers wont just use a fully electric engine, while the petrol engine acts as an electricity-producing generator that would run in the background simply to top off the batteries if it reaches a certain low-threshold.
30-tonne battle tanks use this configuration.
wouldnt the cost of production be DRASTICALLY reduced? because the petrol engine would now just need to run at a constant single speed, eliminating any need for valves, timing chains, throttle bodies, gears, clutches, blah blah blah...
Love the review, hate the car.
I would tune the engine make it push more hp
what is a point to overpaid 8k for hybrid?
Why did it not engage the gasoline engine?
tiers are everything.
Man, that thing is softer than pudding. Good for a snow/rain days and that about it.
Between the anemic engine, the open diffs and putty DCT . . . not for me.
We easily drove up a wet road in the rain that was longer and at least as steep and rocky as the one in this vid during engine break-in so I was being very gentle on the throttle. Hell, our driveway is about that steep. I don't know why this guy seemed to have so much trouble because our Crosstrek PHEV tackles roads like that with no problems whatsoever, and we're getting over 53 mpg so far.
Don't know where you got the idea that the transmission is a DCT. The transmission is a planetary gear CVT that's solid and smooth. And it has enough power and acceleration in sport mode to confidently pass cars going uphill in short passing zones on winding mountain roads.
It looks like it is too heavy
Ck S just underpowered for the given weight.
I don't think thats tire smell, I think thats CVT belt.
Subaru Lineartronic transmissions use a chain, not a belt.
As an old subaru fan i want manual gearbox and frameless windows.
Subaru should reissue some old epic models.
Die hard subaru fans are hating the new models and are buying used old models..that says a lot..come on subaru wake up!!.
I never bog my Subaru when going off road.... lose X-mode and take tractiin control off.
My 2014 FXT would have this trail for breakfast :P
He never would have had a problem on this trail with a Jeep Wrangler.
Rea Ality you don’t say...
@@ALMX5DP ayup. The Jeep will do better for the 10 minutes you spend getting up this track. And then you'll be tooling around getting less than 25 mpg for the rest of the week vs 90 MPGe or 35 mpg with the gas engine going.
Oh? What about a Wrangler?
electric is not ready for offroading. :)
Subaru's are overrated.
Norm T Granted almost all of those are due to the Takata airbag recall, which affected many manufacturers in the same way. It’s easy to come to false conclusions when you manipulate the truth with numbers.
@@afcgeo882 Close but not that close. 2019 so far:
www.cars.com/articles/subaru-plans-largest-ever-recall-for-impreza-forester-report-1420757495110/
www.cars.com/articles/1-3-million-subaru-cars-and-suvs-recall-alert-1420757502822/
www.cars.com/articles/2019-subaru-crosstrek-forester-recall-alert-1420757559471/
www.cars.com/articles/2019-subaru-crosstrek-recall-alert-404584/
www.cars.com/articles/2019-subaru-legacy-outback-recall-alert-405819/
Don’t buy a cross trek... I’ve never had such an under powered piece of trash.... hands down, worst buy ever... worse than a used 1991 Nissan Maxima I had with 120,000 miles... I’m not even exaggerating, it’s been in the shop for 3 MAJOR problems. MAJOR.... dangerous , over hyped. Terrible.
If this is how it do off road , you might as well Walk .. very sad :) off road 😂👎