OFF ROAD AND ROAD READY CUV Improved ride, handling awaits drivers of 2018 Subaru Crosstrek crossover
Following hot on the tires of a complete remake of the Impreza comes the second vehicle to use Subaru’s new global platform: the Crosstrek. It ranks as one of the company’s top sellers, so getting it wrong was not an option. The second generation will be offered in Convenience, Touring, Sport and Limited models.
The Crosstrek’s style is bolder, with a wider stance, chiselled lines and a sweeping roofline.
The look has remained remarkably true to the funky concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016. It is a good-looking rig that rides on a 30-millimetre-longer wheelbase (now 2,665 mm) with shorter front and rear overhangs.
The new platform is 70 per cent stiffer torsionally than the outgoing unit and during the test it made a world of difference, bringing a more athletic drive with a faster response to input.
The cabin has been reworked to great effect. The materials are very good; the two-tone grey leather upholstery on the Limited added a light airy feel to the cabin, while the contrasting orange French stitching brought some visual zing. It also comes with all the right kit: Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a rearview camera in the 6.5-inch base and eight-inch uplevel infotainment touch screen, and on the lengthy list goes.
The rear environment is equally accommodating. There is more rear-seat legroom (26 mm) and extra space under the front seats for the rider’s feet.
It also has a wider (100 mm), squared-off opening for the trunk, with 588 litres capacity with the seats up and 1,565 L folded down. The load floor is flat and there’s an under-floor storage spot for the privacy cover.
The Limited and Sport models come with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, and are offered with Subaru’s EyeSight. It comes with precollision warning with brake assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure/keep assist, highbeam assist and reverse automatic braking.
A full 80 per cent of the Crosstrek’s engine is new. The 2.0-L flat-four boxer produces 152 horsepower (up four) and 148 pound-feet of torque. It works well with both transmissions. The manual moves from a five-speed to a six-speed and the continuously variable transmission (CVT) is 85 per cent new.
The former has a clean gate and works nicely with the engine, but it’s the CVT that’s going to be the more popular choice. When in drive it mimics the shifting characteristics of an automatic, which does away with almost all of the CVT drone under hard acceleration, meaning very little of the racket many dislike so much. When the CVT’s manual mode is selected, there are seven preset ratios accessed through paddle shifters.
The other strong reason to go CVT is fuel economy.
The manual is rated at 10.5 L per 100 kilometres in the city and 8.1 L/100 km on the highway.
The CVT returns 8.8 and 7.2, respectively.
Naturally, both transmissions come with Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive.
The manual box is teamed with a viscous coupling that splits the power evenly front-to-rear and locks when needed.
Again, the better choice is the system that comes with the CVT. It sends 60 per cent of the power forward and 40 to the rear, and it is both proactive and reactive, so it does what’s necessary in a fast and efficient manner; the secret lies in the multi-plate clutch that controls the power split.
Subaru’s X-Mode is a new addition to Crosstrek. It’s geared toward off-road situations and works at speeds of up to 40 km/h. When engaged through a console-mounted button, it picks a lower set of gear ratios than normal, remaps the throttle according to the conditions and allows the stability control system to let a wheel slip to maintain momentum.
When demonstrated, the differences between on and off were manifold. Rather than seeing the opposite front and rear wheels spin needlessly, with X-Mode engaged, the system used the brakes to force the power to the wheel with grip. It also works to provide downhill descent control.
Perhaps the single biggest improvement is found in the suspension and steering.
Both have been reworked to produce a crossover that drives like a sports sedan, but with some off-road ability.
The first couple of laps around the high-banked oval at Subaru’s proving grounds was in a Limited CVT wearing P225/50R18 tires.
The response to steering input was very quick (it uses the same steering setup as the BRZ) and there was very little body roll, even during high-speed lane changes. Much of the credit, steering aside, is down to the standard brake-based torque vectoring and the rear anti-roll bar, which is attached to the body rather than the subframe.
This simple move, says Subaru, cuts the amount of roll in half.
When pushed, the Crosstrek Limited handled as well as the Impreza, upon which it’s based.
The second trip was in a Sport model with the manual gearbox and stock P225/60R17 tires. It felt slightly softer in its responses; it’s likely the taller side walls and different AWD system were the reason. It was nothing to get worked up about, but it did make a very good argument for moving up to the Limited and its larger tires. When the Crosstrek is so equipped it’s easily the best of the current crop of compact crossovers (and many compact sedans) when it comes to its driving dynamics.
On the off-road test, the Limited worked equally well. With its 220 mm of ground clearance, 18-degree approach and 29-degree departure angles, it proved to be as adept off-road as it was pounding the high-banked oval. The handling afforded on-road came through clearly during a hard and fast drive on a loose gravel road. Even as the rocks made it feel like I was driving on ball bearings, the Crosstrek retained its composure. It also climbed and descended a 22-degree grade — on loose surface — with a sure-footed feel, thanks to the action of X-Mode.
The pricing ranges from $23,695 for the entry-level Convenience with a manual transmission (down $1,300 from the outgoing base model) to $33,195 for the full-zoot Limited with EyeSight safety features. The improved Crosstrek hits Canadian showrooms next month.