We slowly move forward, partly to avoid punctures, but also to savor the surrounding landscape. Every bend is scented with an unspoiled magic and the complete absence of hikers only makes today’s climb feel even more intimate. Our only company is a few hawks, seeming almost to glide like drones. I love that familiar crunch of tires on gravel and after a few kilometers I’m pleased to notice that the bad weather hasn’t made the trail impassable.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Bruno Serra

Here I am. The wait felt endless this time, but it only heightened the desire. After a miserably failed attempt last summer due to a crossover that fell short of the off-road capabilities required for this particular climb, I decided to play safe and turn to those who have made all-wheel drive their hallmark. Subaru — soon to introduce several new models, including the first without the aforementioned Symmetrical AWD — is the first name that comes to mind when facing a rugged mountain trail with no lateral protection. For that kind of endeavor the key factor is keeping a cool head and placing (a lot of) trust in the vehicle.

There’s no doubt then, that the Crosstrek, now approaching its well-earned retirement, is the ideal choice, first and foremost because of its compact dimensions. This is a crucial aspect, given that I’ll be maneuvering just a few centimeters from rock faces and a ravine that due to recent rainfall may have swallowed up a few centimeters of road. Road, much closer to be a trail mainly worn down by grazing livestock and a few rough work vehicles used by shepherds to go up and down the valley. It has rained heavily in recent days, and the sudden drop in temperatures has blanketed the higher and shadier sections in white, casting some doubt on the actual possibility of reaching the summit.

After all, the spirit of every explorer flourishes precisely in that sense of uncertainty, in the total unpredictability of the elements, today made even more intense by a dark, threatening sky. Anyone else would have turned off the alarm and rolled back over, postponing the climb to another day. Not me. I’ve waited too long for this moment — maybe more than for any other challenge — because the mountains are a calling you simply cannot ignore. You can hear the whistle of the wind plunging headlong from the most distant peaks, seeping into you and guiding you to where the air is thin and where the scorching heat of this summer feels light-years away.

Suddenly, silence. Far from towns and the traffic in which the Crosstrek moves with ease — thanks to a body that offers space and comfort on board without becoming cumbersome when negotiating intersections — I take advantage of its ground clearance and short overhangs to tackle the first stretch leading toward the pass. For now, it’s still paved, but already devoid of traffic. The bends follow one another and in some sections you can glimpse the villages below growing smaller and smaller. At times it almost feels like looking at them on Google Maps, seeing with your own eyes those landmarks you picked out days earlier while planning every detail from a comfortable, welcoming office.

Out here, everything is different. Even the silence, broken only by the 2.0-liter 136-horsepower mild hybrid, vanishes the very instant the tires leave the asphalt and roll onto the first meters of gravel. This is the boundary line that marks the beginning of a new adventure. The point beyond which every moment is absorbed like oxygen, sending your gaze bouncing from side to side in total admiration and devotion to a landscape that never fails to amaze me as if it were the first time. I open the sunroof and let the cool breeze fill the cabin. At the same time, my eyes fix on the wildest peaks — bare rock where there is no sign of life — which is exactly what I hope for along the entire route: very narrow and always ready to test your vertigo as the wheels skim the void. The Crosstrek is equipped with several cameras, including ones positioned near the front wheels. This makes it possible to avoid damaging the underbody or bumper on large rocks and above all to precisely calculate where to place the wheels when the trail becomes incredibly stingy with space.

Progress is slow partly to avoid punctures, but also to savor the surrounding scenery. Every corner smells of untouched magic and the complete absence of hikers only makes today’s climb even more intimate. Keeping us company are only a few hawks, gliding almost like drones, ready to strike a lethal blow — probably at some unfortunate small rodent that wandered too far from its burrow. I love hearing that characteristic crunch of tires on gravel and after a few kilometers I’m pleased to note that the bad weather hasn’t made the trail impassable. The air grows steadily colder: from over 22°C we’re now down to 3°C. The temperature swing slips in through the few centimeters of open window, almost as a reminder that I’ve already been driving for quite a while, an imperceptible detail when you find yourself enveloped in a kind of glass bubble.

This is the typical Subaru effect: making every climb seem deceptively simple, even without engaging X-Mode: the well-known system that manages traction and can pull you out of even the most desperate situations. I’ve tested it several times and can only confirm its effectiveness. With every hairpin, you climb as if ascending a flight of stairs. You can truly feel the change of season, with colors shifting toward an almost surreal orange as the gravel kicked up by the tires covers the increasingly rare patches of green grass. The higher you go, the more rock there is, more wind and you can’t step out of the car without a jacket.

My grip on the steering wheel is never uncertain, yet the ease with which the Crosstrek carries me to 2,000 meters on a dirt road is surprising. By this I mean to reiterate that I expect the same from its future 100% electric replacement. Driving in these conditions makes you appreciate the much-criticized CVT, which here feels perfectly at home. The steering is precise and even in the tightest hairpins I’m never forced to make more than a single maneuver. There are a few herds of cattle grazing and – as I discovered just a second after closing the door — also a bunch of sheepdogs guarding their flock. Luckily, I was upwind, otherwise I might have ended up with a nasty bite as a souvenir of this wonderful adventure.

We’re not exactly on National Geographic, but you’ll have to forgive me if I’m so deeply in love with this place. We know the Crosstrek well and I chose it precisely because it’s able to instill the confidence you need in places like this where there’s no phone signal and where it would take half a day on foot to reach the nearest town. Maybe. The added value of being aboard an off-roader that is in every respect a real car makes this Subaru the ideal object for those who live in the mountains, or for those who want to bring that same confidence onto the road every single day of the year, regardless of weather conditions. There’s a precise navigation system, a large 11.6-inch vertical display and an endless array of driver assistance systems, which – admittedly – I’d prefer would automatically switch off, perhaps via facial recognition of the driver.

I truly believe there are very few real alternatives of this kind. The first that comes to mind is the Suzuki Jimny, but over long distances it’s simply not comparable as its on-road behavior remains that of a Jimny. Jeep has the formidable Wrangler, of course — but it’s much bulkier and once again not nearly as well finished inside. That’s why the Crosstrek is probably the most interesting Subaru in the current lineup. And with prices starting at around €37,900, it’s not even proibitive, a fact you’ll agree with me when you tackle snow or mud with an ease you never thought possible. The clouds grow darker and a few raindrops begin to fall. I decide not to tempt fate, at least not this time. The return journey is just as thrilling, as is a section that imposes a twist capable of defeating 110% of today’s crossovers (and SUVs). Not the Crosstrek, thug, because even with two wheels completely off the ground, it remains unfazed. A moment later we’re almost where it all started and the cowbells are now drowned out by the rush of the wind. One last glance at my beloved mountain, with the promise that I’ll return soon, even if I don’t quite know how, given that this might be the last time we have a (combustion-powered) Crosstrek in our hands. That’s why expectations for the upcoming model are high and if you were wondering, this is the whole point of the story: no limitations on freedom are acceptable. I demand to return to where every Subaru has always been ready to take me.