Subaru Crosstrek | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Subaru Crosstrek | Test Drive

18 June 2024 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Gian Romero

Twelve years after its launch and having become the best seller of the brand, the XV undergoes a renewal that is as profound as it is at times imperceptible. Have I confused you? Come with me and I’ll explain, but make sure you bring a heavy jacket. It’s going to be really cold today. No more XV, Subaru’s crossover based on the new Impreza is renamed Crosstrek – like overseas – and fortunately keeps unchanged all those characteristics that have demonstrated how it can be the best choice for the most disparate of uses: whether it’s in the city and obviously off-road.

In fact, if the dimensions do not change and the general look remains faithful to the previous generation, we have some small aesthetic changes that refresh the look of the Crosstrek, such as at the rear, where we find new headlights with “C” LEDs and a more massive bumper. The same goes for the front-end, where we therefore notice a more marked and angular appearance thus accentuating those plastic profiles which contrast with a clean bodywork and which perfectly embodies the brand’s mantra according to which substance must come before everything. Only one engine, a Mild Hybrid featuring a small electric unit useful for keeping the consumption of the 2-liter 136 horsepower 4-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine at low values, but above all for giving that fundamental inspiration wherever you take the Crosstrek face to face with some impervious path. We then have the Lineartronic gearbox combined with the proverbial permanent four-wheel drive and a weight that is just over one and a half ton (1,612 kg), to the full advantage of perceived ease of handling in any circumstance, but which does not imply sacrifices in terms of habitability for five people and their luggage.

After checking the weather forecast and making sure a heavy snowfall is gonna leap later during the day, we set off towards the French border beyond Cuneo. After passing the charming village of Vinadio, the rain finally turns to snow and as the road becomes increasingly narrow and lonely we proceed in the direction of the Colle della Maddalena, ready to put our Subaru to the test. There is no room for half measures today: with temperatures fluctuating between 0 and -5° we advance where few motorists stop to equip their cars with chains. All we need to do is engage X-Mode – also available in reverse for the first time – in one of the two available variants (Snow – Mud) and let the Nexen tires leave what appear to be the only ruts in the ever-deepening fresh snow that gets deeper and deeper.

The total silence of the valley is interrupted only by the boxer engine, which, due to the CVT gearbox, tends to keep a higher number of revs. And while the windshield is covered with increasingly insistent snowflakes, we advance in a complete comfort offered by an increasingly premium interior which benefits from an infotainment system that can be controlled via the large 11.6″ vertical display, flanked by some physical shortcuts, especially appreciated regarding the climate controls. I tackle the last hairpin bends until I reach 1,996 meters and, not happy with the extreme ease with which we got here, I continue on the French side, completely abandoned to the elements. Descent finally becomes a more delicate affair and thanks to the X-Mode equipped with Hill Descent Control I don’t have to put my foot on the brake, preventing a sudden lock that could end in losing control of the situation.

I’m literally creating a lane in the fresh snow and although the surrounding landscape is of rare beauty I can’t help but wonder if perhaps I’ve overestimated the skills of the new Crosstrek. The answer will only come on our way back, but I decide to be confident and instead of speeding up the time, we aim for a second climb, the Col de Vars. After less than half an hour we crossed the 2,108 meters and reached Vars, surprisingly crowded with numerous tourists who had perhaps heard of a weekend of fresh snow. A quick stop for a hot meal and it’s time to turn back. The ascent towards the Colle della Maddalena – which the French call Col de Larche and abandon to the fury of the snow – is more difficult than expected, at least for those few trying to tackle it. As we drive there isn’t a living soul, not even a tire track. The moment the climb begins, I engage the High Snow mode and try to stay between 35 and 40 kph so as not to stop on such a slope and risk asking too much to a car that has actually eaten up those deep white kilometers as if it were a simple breakfast. There is at least as much silence outside as in the cockpit, where between a mixture of apprehension and amazement I grip the steering wheel trying to “navigate” in the center of a road of which there is no longer the slightest trace.

After a few minutes I see the last curves and the summit of the Maddalena, with an impassable widening and an incredible border line that sees the Italian side always covered in snow, but not abandoned to itself like the foreign one. We stop next to the sign and while the icy wind attacks us, forcing us to find shelter in the cabin, I observe the Crosstrek in the same way I have looked at any other Subaru: with admiration and gratitude for having taken me out of situations that, behind the wheel of any other crossover, they would have ended in a seriously different way. The name has changed, some aesthetic details have changed and some horsepower has even been lost on the road, but the Crosstrek does not disappoint the expectations and if it wouldn’t mind a little more panache, it is the car I would like for any adventure on the road to the limit of recklessness, with the knowledge that it manages equally well to live with a random family, ensuring a very respectable average consumption (during the test weeks I obtained a good 7.5 l/100 km). There are three trim levels, all very rich: Style, Style Xtra and the top of the range of our test called Premium, with prices of €37,900, €39,400 and €42,150 respectively. When do we leave again?