Woodsy Crosstrek further boosts Subaru's reputation

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- It has been my experience that Subaru buyers are among the most fiercely loyal in the automotive world.

Extensive investigation on my part has revealed that this loyalty comes from the simple fact that Subaru gives its loyalists exactly what they want.  And over a couple of generations that has included a peppy boxer-style engine and masterful all-wheel drive.

The tested 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness -- introduced last year as an all-new compact SUV offering -- simply improves on all that.  It's perhaps the most complete, customer-pleasing Subaru ever built. Consider it the Subaru in full.

The 2.5-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine on the tester was rated at 182 horsepower, and frankly, the car's lusty accelerations and darts in and out freeway traffic made it feel more powerful than that number.  The car's handling characteristics were quick and nimble to the max.  A pleasure to drive.

Naturally, with the Wilderness name, this Crosstrek was designed to take off road.  The hefty 9.3-inch ground clearance all but shouted that as well. Other wild country equipment included 17-inch Yokohama all-terrain tires, an all-weather package/body cladding, a retractable cargo cover, extra-study front/rear bumpers and much more.

I particularly liked the anodized copper finish accents placed outside and inside the vehicle. Ditto the LED fog lights with a hexagon pattern.

If you are a city dweller with a burning need to get lost in the Wilderness on your weekends, this might be your dream vehicle. For that matter, a suburban/rural resident might find this Crosstrek to be the perfect commuter/workhorse/daily driver.

The bonus: The bottom line investment on the loaded tester was only $35,560 ... an easy-on-the-eyes number in this time of $50,000 crossovers. Fuel mileage is pretty fair as well: 25 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway on the tested model.

Did I mention Subaru's EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, standard on all 2024 Crosstreks? That includes adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, pre-collision throttle management, lane departure/sway warning, lead vehicle start alert, blind-spot detection (with lane change assist) and rear cross-traffic alert.

With all this, little wonder that Subaru loyalists are determined ride for the brand.