Suspension and steering produce great sporty feel
Subaru’s X-Mode is a new addition to Crosstrek. It’s geared towards offroad 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 difference between on and off was 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 highbanked 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 set-up 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. It’s 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 — likely the taller side walls and different AWD system being 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 offroad as it was pounding the highbanked 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, again 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. The vastly improved Crosstrek hits Canadian showrooms next month.