Hello Mr. Kilmer. I have a question about the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek.
First off, I am an American living in Ecuador, South America in a city called Cuenca in the Andes mountains (8,4000 ft. above sea level.)
I am considering buying a Crosstrek from a Subaru dealership, but I am worried about the vehicle having the 4 cylinder engine and only 182 hp.
My worry is the altitude. Will this place a huge strain on the engine (or any other Subaru model for that matter) and then lead to problems in the future?
Please advise at your earliest convenience.
Thank you.
Rule of thumb is 3% power loss per 1,000ft altitude, so you're losing about 45hp.
The first american compact cars in 1950 (eg Nash Rambler) ran on only 80hp
Modern compact cars (eg Nissan Micra) also run on 80hp.
Your Crosstrek has plenty of power to spare.
Hello Mr. Joe. Thank you for the response.
Okay, to expand on my question and to clarify a bit, think of the roads in the rockies and now think of some of those paved roads having a steeper incline.
Now, will this be an issue or no?
And I will be able to access some of the dirt roads with the Crosstrek but some other areas will be better suited for a true off road vehicle.
well you will have to allow more time to get where you're going 🙂
Well, I have to admit, that was a bit of a ridiculous question.
My apologies Mr. Joe. {black}:scared:
none required.
You may get slightly less life out of the engine since it has to work a bit harder.
IMO, that’s a good choice, maybe.
A turbocharged car (such as the Subaru WRX) will do much better at altitude because it compresses the air to a higher pressure, which offsets the lower ambient pressure. But I think the Crosstrek’s simplicity and ruggedness make up for the disadvantage of a naturally aspirated engine.
(Just to be clear, you’re talking about a Subaru dealer in Ecuador, not the US, right? In other countries, it’s always good to buy what the locals are driving, for many reasons.)
Thank yo Mr. Joe and Dad2LM2 for your commenting.
Mr. Joe, that is a bit concerning. I will want the Full life of the car. I may have to reconsider my options.
Dad2LM2,
First off, the dealership is in Ecuador, but it is represented by Mercedes.
The WRX is a nice option. However, the low clearance of the car will cause issues. I most definitely will scrape the undercarriage in certain areas, such as going into and leaving parking garages.
This is why I was looking at the Crosstrek.
I have owned subaru sedans in the past when I lived in the States. I primarily enjoy the AWD and the dependability of the car. I have never had a severe problem. That's why I trust them.
Now that I'm living in the mountains an SUV is mandatory.
Most people here drive Chinese vehicles. They are cheap but very unreliable. I do see Nissan, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai and of course Ford as the other major players.
None of them have true AWD as a Subaru.
These Subarus are directly imported from Japan. So, after import taxes, a Premium (let's say Outback) will cost a little over $60k.) 😕
Mr. Joe, that is a bit concerning. I will want the Full life of the car. I may have to reconsider my options.
I would not be too concerned. I should have also added, that there is no exception to the loss of power due to altitude. The same applies to ANY vehicle with an internal combustion engine.
It is simply a fact of life you have to live with.