2017 Subaru Crosstrek Review

If you can handle a manual transmission, get a 2.0i Premium and add the EyeSight safety system and upgraded touchscreen infotainment package. This saves you from the disappointing continuously variable transmission (CVT) experience but still brings niceties such as heated front seats and infotainmen...

The smooth-yet-slurred nature of the CVT is readily apparent as it keeps the engine revving high when you accelerate from rest or hit a freeway on-ramp. Once up to speed, though, the Crosstrek is livable and pleasant.

The small, underpowered engine and continuously variable transmission (CVT) conspire to make the Crosstrek one of the slowest cars in the class. The engine sounds strained under heavy throttle, and our 0-60 mph test required 9.9 seconds.

In town and in heavy traffic, the brakes are smooth with a moderate amount of pedal firmness. They're never touchy or oversensitive, either. The Crosstrek needed 120 feet to complete our simulated panic stop from 60 mph, which is about average for the class.

Electric power-assist steering makes for light effort at low speeds yet offers a decent amount of feedback on streets and highways. You get a good sense of what the tires are doing even if the grip limits are somewhat low.

Although the Crosstrek has soft springs and dampers to accommodate light off-roading, it still has the sure-footed handling of a car rather than a truck. There's a bit of body roll around corners, but this machine inspires confidence both on road and off.

The smooth-yet-slurred nature of the CVT is readily apparent as it keeps the engine revving high when you accelerate from rest or hit a freeway on-ramp. Once up to speed, though, the Crosstrek is livable and pleasant.

The Crosstrek has a higher underbody ground clearance and more favorable front and rear bumper clearance than almost everything in its class. It's uniquely capable among its peers thanks to power distribution to all four wheels based on traction needs and a well-calibrated stability control system.

The Crosstrek is comfortable enough in many respects. It delivers a smoother ride than its high stance suggests, and its seats are reasonably accommodating. But this is not a particularly quiet car, with abundant powertrain noise when accelerating and wind and road noise while cruising.

Nicely shaped seats offer good adjustability, although power adjustment isn't available. The padding is relatively firm, but there isn't a lot of lateral support. The points where your elbows rest are thinly padded.

The Crosstrek's high-riding stance features abundant wheel travel for absorbing uneven terrain, which also makes it generally smooth and adept at absorbing bumps around town. Never harsh, but it can sometimes feel a bit bouncy after larger impacts.

Engine drone is hard to ignore when accelerating or when climbing hills because of the way the continuously variable transmission operates. Wind and road noise isn't annoyingly excessive, but it's definitely noticeable when cruising above 50 mph.

The standard climate controls are large, easy to understand and within close reach of the driver. Airflow is strong, but the air-conditioning doesn't blow as cold as we'd like. Automatic climate control isn't available until the top-of-the-line Limited trim.

The Crosstrek offers a decent amount of head- and legroom front and rear. The cockpit is adjustable enough for the driver to settle into a comfortable position that gives a good view of the outside, but some controls are easier to use than others.

Most controls are easy to get along with, particularly the three-knob climate control setup. The display screen for the audio system is fairly useful, but the navigation interface is unnecessarily awkward. The steering-mounted control buttons are small and annoying to use, too.

Since the Crosstrek is essentially an Impreza on stilts, its seat sits taller. This actually eases entry and exit, but taller folks might feel the need to duck a little because the Crosstrek combines the floor height of a small crossover SUV with a more carlike roofline.

The driving position is a bit high, but that actually helps the driver see out over the hood. A tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and height-adjustable driver seat make it possible for most pilots to settle in comfortably without significant issues.

The Crosstrek's high roof and tall windows make it feel roomy, especially in the headroom department, and you'll find sufficient head- and legroom in the rear seat, too. That said, pure crossover competitors such as the Honda CR-V are wider across the width of the cabin at the hips and shoulders.

It's easy to see out of the Crosstrek because the roof support pillars are slender, the rear three-quarter blind spot is small, the mirrors are fairly big, and a rearview camera comes standard.

The Crosstrek's utility is solid but stacks up differently depending how you compare it. It can tote more than similarly priced subcompact crossover rivals such as the Jeep Renegade and Mazda CX-3, but it lags behind pricier compact crossover SUVs including the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.

The glovebox is average-sized, but the Crosstrek has a large center console and several big cupholders. There's plenty of room to store most of your flotsam and jetsam.

There's 22.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, expanding to 51.9 cubic feet with those seats folded. It handily beats the Jeep Renegade (18.5 cubic feet and 50.8 cubes, respectively) but trails crossovers such as the Honda CR-V (37.2 cubes; 70.9 cubes).

The Crosstrek's smartphone convenience features make it look reasonably competitive on paper. But in reality it's missing some of the latest tech and what it does have feels a generation old. The opposite is true of the optional EyeSight driver aid suite, which works quite well.

Large, aesthetically pleasing display with logical menu structure. Stereo sound quality is merely average, though. Navigation is optional and a bit cumbersome to use.

Bluetooth pairing is difficult, indexing songs on your device takes a long time every time you connect, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not available. You'll find either one or two USB ports, depending on trim level, and one auxiliary input.

Optional driver aids include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and a forward collision mitigation system with automatic braking. All systems work well, especially with Subaru's most recent EyeSight systems.

Voice controls can change radio stations, adjust temperature and make phone calls. The system is often slow to respond, however, and many times during our test it failed to understand clear and deliberate commands.