Used 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Consumer Reviews

Superu

Best of its class for resale and snow

Poor Heat Ouptput

I'll start off my review with the cons, although I really do like my car. I'm not a car expert, but thought I could give my feedback to real world drivers. Bought the car early Dec and driving through a Cold NJ winter! That being said I have not ever been warm enough in this car!! The fan is Loud but there is not a whole heck of a lot of heat coming out especially on the floor!! I hate the Radio, but my iPod music sounds Great! I also think there could be more storage compartments as well as an armrest for the driver. Finallly, not lovin the black on black on black interior. You see every speck!! The "ivory" was not an option - that would have been black in a week.

New buyers disappointing experience

After owning Toyotas for the last 28 years I decided to buy a 2014 Crosstrek. 3 months now and the Check Engine light is on !. Took the car to the dealer and the car needs an Oil Control Valve. Many cars have this but last at least 75k miles. My "New" Crosstrek in the the shop for days and I know this car will give problems in the future. I bought Subaru because of all the reliability hype. As I research the internet more and more, I find that they are not durable, unreliable past 50k miles. Mine broke at 7k miles, thats a smack in the face for Subaru. Don't buy it. Every make has its problems but you are better off with Toyota or Honda for reliability. Do your homework on the internet.

Dissapointingly unreliable oil burner

After owning several Volkswagens, and hearing about Subaru's longevity, I bought a 2014 XV Crosstrek with a 5 Speed Manual brand new in 2014. I loved the car, I loved the performance in the snow and the AWD was fantastic. The boxer engine was fun with a stick shift, even if it wasn't the quickest. The MPG was decent. Sure, it was a little crude, but it was an honest, simple car, and rugged outwardly. That said, 7-1/2 years later, I will likely never own another Subaru, and I'm noticing that many people know someone whose Subaru has had major engine issues, ranging from burning oil, to various gasket failures, and in some cases, engine replacement. Subaru can't build a solid engine to save their lives - they had head gasket issues for decades, and while those mostly appear to be solved, their new FB series engines burn oil. I'm not alone in many of the issues below, and I think Subarus tend to age poorly. The 2013 XV Crosstrek is now on Consumer Reports' "Used Cars to Avoid" list and the 2014 (my year) has a below average rating. To start, I feel like the car was burning out bulbs, constantly. I've never had a car which goes through bulbs as often as this car. 20k miles - my oil light came on, letting me know the engine oil was low. This would continue to be an issue the entire time I owned the car. I let Subaru know at this point that the car burned oil, but apparently an oil consumption test passed (though I was suspicious it was even performed) Somewhere around 40k-50k miles, both the throw-out bearing in the transmission failed, AND not long after the AC Compressor failed. Both of these are major items to fail, and while they failed outside of warranty, Subaru did step up and replace them on a goodwill/free-of-charge basis, which I thought was wonderful. That said, these items shouldn't fail - I've driven a stick shift for years and never so much as worn out a clutch - apparently these are known failure items. Around 80k miles the rear shocks needed replacement, along with some bushings/suspension parts on the front end. Around 100k miles the PCV valve was replaced as an attempt to solve the oil burning, which was now around 1 quart every 1100 miles. This didn't fix the problem. I was also told that my cam carrier seals/gaskets were leaking, which is apparently a failure point - but another shop couldn't find this leak. Subaru wanted thousands for that repair. Around 116k miles I finally had another oil consumption test, and the car failed, and was told a new engine/short block would cost $5600 to solve the issue. I asked Subaru for help seeing as how the car was maintained with service records and oil changes at Subaru, and they offered $750 seeing as how the car was out of warranty. I accepted the oil burn and wanted to drive the car into the ground; I then now replaced the front shocks, and a failed passenger side CV axle, as the car clicked/made noises in turns. My check engine light had started coming on intermittently, and when the shop scanned this, I was told that the catalytic converter was starting to fail (which is no doubt due to all the burned oil going through it). The fix for the catalytic converter would also be several thousand dollars. That was the drop that broke the dam, and I'd had enough. I now drive a Toyota RAV4, I'm crossing my fingers that Toyota's reputation for reliability and legendary longevity is actually deserved, unlike Subaru's. It's a shame, because they really are fun, quirky, great performing cars, but the engineering and consistent quality control just isn't there in the long run.

Subaru Bluetooth is garbage!

When we upgraded our cell phone to a Samsung S6, we lost the ability to automatically reconnect each time we use the car. This is time consuming and has to be done BEFORE we move the car, delaying our travel. We cannot connect the bluetooth when driving, even though the driver is not pushing the buttons. Subaru Customer Support says that they cannot keep up with all the new cell phones and carriers, and have a list available with the ones that work. GET MORE HELP THEN! This is a poor excuse why they cannot get the autoconnect feature to work, but as a consumer it's a good excuse to never buy another Subaru if they cannot keep current with technology.

Don't buy one

This car is crap... it's so loud while driving, with the combonation of wind and road it literally sounds like you are sitting by the wing on a airplane, that i can barely hear bluetooth call even turned all the way up. have to have a/c full blast otherwise it barely blows. it's guttless on freeway, good luck on on-ramps. gas mileage is worse than i was getting with my 94 pathfinder that was sent to scrapyard. there is no way in heck that ppl are getting anything close to 20 even. we get about 13mpg. it is the worst car ever. please do not buy one. its so awful and we are stuck with 380$ payments for the next 8yrs.

Great Car/Value

Great vehicle, roomy, plenty of power on highway, rides nice, CVT trans is good. Fun to drive. Great value and features. Not a lot of road noise. Cargo room is great. I have had 3 weeks and so far avg 26-28 mpg. Very happy so far. My wife bought one also.

AWD vs. MPG

I bought the car when I lived in Pennsylvania, and it was great for winter weather. When I moved to North Carolina, I no longer needed the AWD and wanted something with better MPG. I recommend this car to anyone who wants a reliable vehicle for winter driving and isnt concerned about fuel mileage.

Starter Subaru

The only thing j don't like is the cvt transmission.

Perfect for what I need

I used to only buy American, after having several problems almost from the start with my "superior American" cars for years I finally decided to buy a Nakajima, so far the fit on everything is better "it's amazing how many panels on American cars don't line up exactly right), it has FAR more features for the price point than any American car I've seen, a chevy Cruze or Ford fusion would cost the same for two wheel drive, cloth, no heated seats etc. I've even gotten fond of the CVT transmission, it reacts different than American transmissions and the power band doesn't feel the same so it takes getting used to but it's actually a lot smoother than American automatics, and I still have the use of 5 speed manual in this. It's not a dragster like my constant headache mustang was, but it's not supposed to be and now that I'm a daddy I'm over my racing days... Though if I ever got back to it now I might instead opt for a WRX or EVO over a mustang

Love my Subaru!

I love my crosstrek, but I just had to replace the cvt valve body which I have read a few people having issues. 108,000 miles though so I can't expect perfection. Warranty covered it and I'm back on the road loving my Subaru. I love the way it feels and how it handles when I drive. I can't wait to find a little slippery trail to try out the AWD. I love the Bluetooth and to be honest, the sound system is not that bad for my liking. Overall a 4 out of 5 only because having the car in the shop was an inconvenience and the fact that so many people had the same problem. Still love my Subaru.

Problems within a week

Day 6 check engine light on. Rattles. Usb doesn’t work.

Solid Used Car

It's a great handling quiet car, hybrid system is a bit clunky but it's nice to have the little boost in gas mileage. The info-tainment system is dated, but that is easily remedied with a trip to car toys. No recalls, and overall a good little SUV. Has had very few issues over the last two years! Handles well in slippery/icy conditions

Been a great trouble free Toad! Our 5th Subaru!

Towed a 2003 Baja until we found this rare standard transmission 2014 Crosstrek. Has been the ideal car for towing behind a motor home! Bought new and will be selling when we get our new Toad rigged out! Has 65k miles, will be available with the invisible Roadmaster brake system, tow bar system and light kit!

Great sports car

Great sports car, plenty of power, fun to drive

Love my crosstrek

Love this car

xv crosstrex

I'd buy another one. Recommend buying if looking.

Good value

Love of my life

Always ask for carfax. Check the interior and exterior of the car you never know the car you might bought could be a salvage or flood accident. Check for color matching on the car if you spot even a little this could be a bad sign already, moist or unpleasant odor underneath the carpets is sign that a vehicle might be in flood accident. To good to be true price, if you see a price that is very attractive to your eyes be very careful. Example a 2014 BMW 328i with 30k miles for $10k price is so beautiful but what is wrong with this car? You never know until you own this and suddenly it stopped working. Some dealership will not say anything just to sell a vehicle. If they offer you a different one think it first you have to follow your instinct not them. The price they gave might be good but are you sure about that? So be prepare and be smart.