Hey Scotty,
How well do these Subaru Crosstrek hold up over time? And the bigger question is, how is the maintenance on these things? Been fighting back in fourth between a Camry, Corolla, and a Crosstrek but I want to have fun as well in some mud/snow here and there. (I live in Nebraska btw, all seasons here lol)
Thanks!
The main issue with Subaru at this point is their claim of "lifetime" fluid in their CVT. (They're not alone in this.) If you ignore that and change the fluid at regular intervals (like 30K to 40K miles) you'll get longer life out of the transmission.
How well do these Subaru Crosstrek hold up over time?
They're slightly bellow average. With good service I'd expect to get 125k-135k miles.
The main weakness is the CVT and boxer engine being of bellow average quality, with correct driving and frequent service they can be decent but they're just not as good as the competition.
how is the maintenance on these things?
Engine oil and filter every 4.5k-6.5k miles, replace CVT fluid every 25-35k miles, brake fluid every 20k (according to the manual), fuel filter every 50k, spark plugs every 60k - nothing special here.
Been fighting back in fourth between a Camry, Corolla, and a Crosstrek
Well, the Camry offers the best reliability, comfort and driving experience.
The Corolla is nicer to drive and be inside of than the Crosstrek but lacks ground clearance.
I want to have fun as well in some mud/snow here and there
THEN AVOID CVTs!
In that case consider a MANUAL Crosstrek.
Inside of a CVT there are two cones and a chain, when you're in mud or rocking in the snow - this chain may slip on the cones and scuff them ruining it. Most shops in the US do not rebuild CVTs so scuffed cones will require transmission replacement.
Refer to these pictures of a Toyota CVT completely ruined after was rocking back and forth in the snow: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/are-toyota-cvt-transmissions-different-than-others/#post-204823
And these Toyota units are much better built than the stuff inside of a Subaru.
Crosstrek
If you're shopping new - consider the fact that the current generation of the Crosstrek is being phased out.
The 2024 model year will be a mild hybrid - which is another way to say "a useless waste of lithium"
Unlike a real hybrid, this does not come with a big battery - so it does a disappointing 35 mpg combined while having all of the disadvantages of a hybrid.
Consider a Corolla Cross - it's better in any configuration than the CrossTrek,
and for off-road use I'd also recommend the hybrid as Toyota/Subaru hybrids use a PSD - so there's no belt/chain in the CVT, just a small planetary gear-set with no friction packs, so a reasonably bulletproof transmission (obviously not for heavy off-road use)
Crosstrek reliability is fine, especially if you maintain it well (which is easy to do yourself for most services). Maybe not Corolla/Camry level, but definitely above average.
Where the Crosstrek shines is in foul weather and light off roading (which sounds like your interest). I’m not sure there is a better handling car in the snow for even twice the price.
FWIW, my daughter’s Crosstrek is well over 100,000 miles without a hiccup.
Look in the search bar above. The Crosstrek has been discussed in detail a number of times here.
Cheers!
What year crosstrek, and CVT? Just curious here
We bought my daughter a 2018 (2nd gen) with CVT. Previously we bought my son a 2015 (1st gen) with a manual and it was fine too (the 2nd gen is much nicer to drive)
They've got the boxer engine & awd system down to a T. The CVT is still a working progress, and from what I've heard theyre getting pretty solid (If you can drive stick consider that option too). Toyota & Subaru are using alot of the same parts for electrical components and such, similar quality there. Corolla will probably out last it just bc they out last just about everything, but that's not to take away from Subaru's quality, they make a good car. I like my WRX so far.
I say test drive them, all good options, and if youre like me you may find the crosstrek has more personality
Like @nta98, Toyota and Subaru use a ton of similar components. He listed electrical, but I think it goes beyond that. Simple things like mirror joystick adjusters, power up button, to stuff we don’t see. It surprised me driving a Subaru, overall it looked like a Subaru, but looking and feeling the details, felt like a Toyota. Granted it’s not a Toyota, because there are distinct elements which makes Subaru, Subaru.
As far as maintenance, from my friends that have them, in order to change the spark plugs, you need to use a jack to lift the engine. Since the engine is a wide boxer engine, it doesn’t leave much room to access the spark plugs.
Plugs are definitely the biggest chore in routine maintenance, but you can do it without lifting the engine (I’ve done it multiple times). A wobble extension does the trick.
Interesting!
As a two-time Subaru owner, I'd say an AWD Toyota will give you a longer trouble-free life if you're good with mileage/time maintenance.
Subaru, with their post-2018 cars, are starting to surface with 100-120k engine issues (loss of compression and weird leaks) with non-racer owners. Sure, anecdotal, but I've got an engineer friend who is going through that right now with his high-freeway miles 4-cylinder. Although those are high-mileage drivers, still 120k is not even half-life for a Toyota.
Salted roads in Nebraska??? Then engine life is not as big of a concern...
My first inclination is to recommend an AWD Rav4 from 2016-2018. Did they make an AWD that wasn't hybrid???
All great responses and recommendations! Thanks, much appreciated and I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions if I change my mind etc! Thanks for everyone’s time