2023 Subaru Crosstrek release date

The 2023 Subaru Crosstrek is a quirky little SUV with good off-road capabilities and excellent safety scores at an affordable price. Pricing starts at $23,645.

The Subaru Crosstrek is a solid choice in subcompact SUVs. If you want something efficient and affordable but also something that stands out from the crowd, the Crosstrek has the quirks you want and the practicality you need. It has a generous list of standard safety tech features and is an IIHS Top Safety Pick. On top of being a sensible car for the daily commute, it’s not afraid to get dirty. Thanks to standard all-wheel drive (AWD), 8.7-inches of ground clearance, and off-road features like X-Mode, the Crosstrek is one of the best off-roaders in its class. Some of its closest rivals are the Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, and Toyota Corolla Cross.

2023 Subaru Crosstrek Pricing

The 2023 Subaru Crosstrek has a starting MSRP of $23,645 for the base model with a manual transmission. The Premium trim starts at $24,795. The CVT automatic transmission is a $1,350 option on both of these trims.

The new Special Edition starts at $26,745. The Sport model begins at $27,995, and the Limited trim starts at $29,495. The Crosstrek Hybrid starts at $36,845 before any tax incentives kick in.

The Crosstrek has a destination fee of $1,225.

The starting price of the Subaru Crosstrek is about average for a subcompact SUV. The Mazda CX-30 (which also has standard AWD), Kia Seltos, and Toyota Corolla Cross all have similar starting prices as the Crosstrek. If you want to save a few bucks and you’re willing to forego AWD, the Kia Soul, Hyundai Venue, and Nissan Kicks are more affordable options.

Driving the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek

The Subaru Crosstrek is a pleasant car to drive. The ride is smooth, the seats are comfortable, and the cabin is relatively quiet.

One of the few weak points of the Crosstrek is the base engine. Even if rip-roaring performance isn’t that important to you, the standard 2.0-liter engine in the Crosstrek is underpowered. Getting up to highway speeds requires patience; even around town, it just feels too pokey.

We highly recommend upgrading to the available 2.5-liter engine, which is standard in the Sport and Limited trims. It adds an extra 30 horsepower and 31 lb-ft of torque, giving it some much-needed pep. It’s still no drag racer, but the bigger engine provides the Crosstrek with a satisfying spring in its step.

The available plug-in hybrid powertrain delivers performance pretty similar to the base engine. However, it’s also super-efficient, with a combined fuel economy rating of up to 90 MPGe. That efficiency makes the underwhelming performance more forgivable.

One of the main selling points of the Crosstrek — or almost every Subaru — is standard all-wheel drive on every trim. AWD can be a costly option on competing SUVs, but it comes at no extra cost on the Crosstrek. This feature not only makes the Crosstrek better on snowy roads, but it makes it a good off-roader if you’re feeling adventurous.

Interior Comfort

The Subaru Crosstrek has a utilitarian interior, but it is comfortable and ergonomically designed. It feels a bit cheap in the lower trims, but it gets nicer in the upper trims with upgraded materials and available features like navigation, premium audio, and a moonroof.

The seating is pretty spacious in the Crosstrek for an SUV this size. Average-sized adults can ride in the back without complaints, which is a claim that not all of the Crosstrek’s rivals can make.

The cargo space in the Crosstrek is pretty good as long as you don’t get the hybrid. The non-hybrid Crosstrek has 20.8 cubic feet of space behind the back seats. The Crosstrek Hybrid drops to 15.9 cubic feet because there’s a battery pack in the way.

Exterior Styling

The Subaru Crosstrek looks unmistakably like a Subaru. It speaks the brand’s design language with tall ground clearance, rugged plastic cladding, and distinct body lines.

The look changes a bit depending on the trim. For example, the new Special Edition model for 2023 has a unique Desert Khaki paint color and stylish dark gray metallic wheels. The hybrid model also has unique touches like special wheels, low-profile roof rails, and the exclusive Lagoon Blue Pearl paint option.

The Subaru Crosstrek is a little big for a subcompact SUV. It’s bigger than the Mazda CX-30, Kia Seltos, and Jeep Compass, and about the same size as the Toyota Corolla Cross.

Favorite Features

STANDARD ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
If you’re looking for a small SUV with all-wheel drive, the Crosstrek is one of the best values out there. AWD, combined with generous ground clearance and X-Mode, makes the Crosstrek one of the best off-roaders in its class.

PLUG-IN HYBRID
There are surprisingly few plug-in hybrid options in this segment, and the Crosstrek is one of them. It has a 17-mile all-electric range and achieves a 90 MPGe rating.

Standard Features

The Subaru Crosstrek comes pretty well-equipped with standard features for the money. Standard equipment on the base model includes torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, 17-inch alloy wheels, a Starlink 6.5-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control, a backup camera, roof rails, and the basics you would expect like cruise control and power windows.

A 6-speed manual transmission is standard, but adding the optional CVT automatic transmission adds many more desirable standard features. You get the EyeSight safety tech suite, including adaptive cruise control with lane centering, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. You also get X-Mode with hill descent control, SI-Drive, a rear-seat reminder, tire pressure monitoring, and more.

Unless you really insist on a manual transmission, the CVT is an easy recommendation because of the added standard features and better fuel economy.

Factory Options

Upgrading to the Premium trim adds some excellent extra features without too much of a price increase. It adds heated front seats, heated mirrors, SiriusXM, HD Radio, dual front USB ports, a cargo cover, orange interior stitching, fog lights, automatic headlights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and shifter, dual illuminated vanity mirrors, and welcome lighting. Like the base trim, you get the same upgrades when you add the optional CVT transmission.

An available option package for the CVT-equipped Premium model adds a power driver’s seat, push-button start, a power moonroof, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

The new Special Edition is very similar to the Premium trim, but comes with an exclusive Desert Khaki exterior paint, 17-inch dark gray metallic wheels, black exterior trim, red interior stitching, and the Starlink 8-inch infotainment system with over-the-air updates and NFC.

The Sport trim is where the more powerful 2.5-liter engine becomes standard. On top of the engine upgrade, you get dual-mode X-Mode with Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud settings, gunmetal exterior and interior trim, and Startex faux leather upholstery with yellow stitching. An option package for the Sport model adds the bigger infotainment system, a moonroof, and blind-spot monitoring.

The Limited trim also comes with the 2.5-liter engine plus leather seats, LED headlights and fog lights, automatic high beams, reverse automatic braking, blind-spot monitoring, the 8-inch screen, steering responsive headlights, a rear center armrest, and more.

A power moonroof, Harman Kardon premium audio, and navigation are optional on the Limited trim.

Finally, the Crosstrek Hybrid comes with a similar list of premium features as the Limited trim but with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. It also has a unique appearance package, blue interior stitching, and low-profile roof rails. The sole option package for the Crosstrek Hybrid adds navigation, a moonroof, Harman Kardon audio, and a heated steering wheel.

Engine & Transmission

There are three engine options in the Subaru Crosstrek. The base engine is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, which is available with an automatic or manual transmission. The Sport and Limited models have a more powerful but still fuel-efficient 2.5-liter engine. This comes exclusively with an automatic transmission.

The Crosstrek Hybrid uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain good for up to 17 miles of all-electric range before the gas engine needs to kick in. It achieves an impressive 90 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) rating resulting in low fuel costs. This also only comes with an automatic transmission.

Every Subaru Crosstrek comes standard with all-wheel drive.

2.0-liter flat-4 (base, Premium, Special Edition)
152 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
145 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/29 mpg (manual), 28/33 mpg (auto)

2.5-liter flat-4 (Sport, Limited)
182 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
176 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 27/34 mpg

2.0-liter flat-4 + two electric motors (Crosstrek Hybrid)
148 combined horsepower
EPA combined fuel economy: 90 MPGe, 35 mpg
Range in EV mode: 17 miles

KBB Vehicle Review and Rating Methodology

Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings.

We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology.

Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing.

Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)

We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.

More About How We Rate Vehicles

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