If you love a car brand that’s constantly changing its approach and trying new things, you’re not the ideal Subaru buyer. The Japanese brand with the REI image and dog commercials is nothing if not perfectly consistent.
Subaru today unveiled the third generation of its plucky little Crosstrek subcompact crossover. It differs from the second generation. We swear. But we understand if you don’t believe us.
Visual Evolution
The 2024 Crosstrek looks an awful lot like the 2023 Crosstrek. It’s even priced almost identically. The base model starts at $24,995 – the same price as a 2023 Crosstrek Base equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Its grille has grown and wears a chunkier black mesh. The Subaru Pleiades logo now sits in a heavy black crossbar that links the narrow headlights. Scratch-resistant black plastic body cladding around the wheels is a bit thicker, and the front fenders have new brake vents that seem entirely extraneous in a vehicle no one will ever take to the track.
The roof of the 2024 Crosstrek sits less than an inch lower than the roof of the 2023 model, though Subaru says the change doesn’t mean less headroom.
But, fundamentally, it still looks like the junior varsity Outback. And that’s probably a good thing. The Crosstrek became Subaru’s best-selling vehicle in 2022. Designers haven’t messed with what’s working.
New Seats, Navigation Tech
Inside, the front seats have gained supportive new bolstering, and Subaru says new sound-dampening material should mean a quieter cabin.
The interior design theme is recognizably similar but seems better executed for 2024, with soft-touch materials throughout. Lower trims get a pair of 7-inch touchscreens. The top screen controls Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as entertainment functions. The bottom screen handles climate control.
Higher trims get an 11.6-inch multimedia screen in portrait orientation instead. An available Starlink multimedia screen adds navigation using What3Words technology – a system that can navigate to sites more specific than an address, like a particular trailhead.
No More Manual
And Subaru owners often are the type to drive to a trailhead. With that in mind, every Crosstrek remains all-wheel drive. Little has changed mechanically. Subaru offers the same two engines – a 2.0-liter flat 4-cylinder making 152 horsepower or a 2.5-liter flat-4 making 182. Both come paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission. The 6-speed stick offered last year has disappeared from the lineup.
Subaru hasn’t mentioned whether the plug-in hybrid setup optional on the 2023 Crosstrek will return. But automakers often announce hybrid models separately, so we don’t read much into the omission. It’s probably coming back.
That’s not to say there are no mechanical changes. The 2024 Crosstrek gets a stiffer chassis using full inner-frame construction. It’s the same technique used on the current WRX, where our test drivers found it did make for better handling.
2024 Subaru Crosstrek Pricing
Subaru will also charge $1,295 to deliver a 2024 Crosstrek.
| Model | MSRP |
| Base | $24,995 |
| Premium | $26,145 |
| Sport | $28,995 |
| Limited | $30,895 |
