Sacramento,
California – There are a lot of good
reasons to buy a Subaru, and most of them can be found on the tested 2016
Crosstrek 2.0i Limited sport-utility vehicle.
You have your
all-wheel drive, excellent off-roading capabilities, strong fuel mileage (26
miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg on the highway) and dare I say that the
exterior styling looks downright cute.
Yes, I said
cute.
And the
starting price is pretty reasonable at $25,095.
Mine was dressed up with extras (a multimedia/navigation system and
power moonroof were part of the deal) that brought the bottom line to a
still-reasonable $28,840 for this five-passenger model.
Over the
years, Subaru has mastered the art of driving dynamics. I thought it was my imagination for a long
time, but seriously, you can FEEL the strength of Subaru’s engineering right
away.
Road manners
are solid and smooth. Off-road manners
can be downright aggressive, when needed.
Auto-reviewing
colleagues have taken some shots at this Crosstrek, noting that its flat-4
engine configuration is lacking in power, at around 150 horsepower.
Well, OK, maybe if
you’re racing that Corvette to the exit ramp you'll find reason to complain.
Otherwise, I found this crossover SUV quite capable in most conditions,
certainly capable enough to keep me happy.
Subarus aren’t
necessarily known as luxury liners, but the tester was nicely equipped with
goodies that included leather upholstery, an all-weather package with heated
front seats and multiple connectivity perks.
Standard
safety features are plentiful, including a helpful blind spot-detection
system. Also noteworthy: top safety
ratings, including a max five-star overall vehicle score from the feds.
The five-door
design is functional, and while the Crosstrek looks small at first glance from
the outside, it is surprisingly roomy on the inside.
In sum, this
Crosstrek can do a lot -- on the pavement or off it -- and not crush your bank account. It might shape up as that multitasker you
been hunting for, a versatile commuter/suburan/wilderness warrior available at
a nice price.
We bought the same car because, even with the upgrades, it costs less than the basic model of many popular cars out there. The extras were awesome, the moon-roof and navigation package alone are well worth the extra bucks. I don't know how I ever survived without a navigation system up to this point and will be lost without it in my car.
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