I bought a new 2021 Subaru crosstrek premium, automatic, no turbo just standard engine and cvt from a local dealership.Was I dumb for buying this vehicle? I've watched a few of your videos talking about Subaru and I feel like I made a bad choice. I looked to see where it was manufactured and it just says "mfd by Subaru corp".
How many years and miles do you plan to get out of the vehicle? I don’t think you made a mistake. Subaru is one of the top 4 brands I recommend for reliable vehicles (next to Toyota, Honda, Mazda). Be sure to stay on top of the maintenance, especially engine oil and CVT transmission fluid change intervals. I personally would change the transmission fluid (drain and fill) every 30,000 miles - Subaru recommends 100,000 miles which is too long.
Honestly no you are not stupid for buying that vehicle. Those crosstreks are getting better and better and so are the CVTs. Yes, the CVT is still the weakest part of that car but Subaru has come a long way with them and in my opinion, they are one of the better CVTs out there. Drive it conservatively and do not tow with it and it should last a good amount. The fluid change on the Subaru CVTs are a pain so if you’re not planning on doing the fluid yourself I’d find a good transmission shop in your area that deals with CVTs cause the dealer will destroy your wallet. What people don’t seem to understand is the Japanese are switching to these CVTs so if you want an automatic Subaru or Honda, even some Toyota’s, that’s what you have to deal with. Luckily though the Japanese traditionally speaking, tend to perfect and fix the weak areas of their vehicles. So hopefully over time these CVTS will get better as they seem to be with Subaru.
No, not stupid. Me personally I'd have gotten the Crosstrek premium with the manual transmission, but they're still good cars, just don't be to hard on the CVT. The thing that lets them down is the CVT. For Subaru seems you can only get a manual transmission in only 4 of their models, which is a shame because they're much more fun to drive with a manual. The choice of a manual transmission is ever dwindling every year across all car brands and I hate that trend.
In general, imho, CVT's (all mfg's) still aren't up to the task that a regular automatic or manual transmission have proven over the years. Some are better than others, and I see all sorts of problems mentioned in the forums, even with Toyota's CVT. Not to the extent other brands do yet they do occur. As other's have said, drain/fill the trans fluid 30,000.
I agree with all of the above. They’re good cars and getting better. My daughter has an ‘18 Crosstrek with over 70k miles and no issues whatsoever so far.
Regarding the CVT: everyone is right, as long as you don’t tow it will be fine. Be aware that if you change the fluid you void the warranty; wait until the warranty expires then have a Subaru shop change the CVT fluid.
Look at your VIN for the country of manufacture.
1,4,5 = US
2 = Canada
3 = Mexico
J = Japan
No. These are a good deal better than Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, FCA, etc.
Just keep on top of the preventive maintenance.
