Redesigned 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Will Cost You a C-note

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

An extra one, that is. As Subaru prepares its second-generation Crosstrek for a trip to dealers this summer, just-released pricing shows buyers won’t have to dig much deeper into their wallet.

To get into a new Crosstrek, which adopts the stiffer Subaru Global Platform and massaged 2.0-liter Boxer four of its Impreza sibling, customers will need to pull out just one extra bill: a Benjamin. With an MSRP of $21,795 for a 2.0i base model, the 2018 Crosstrek costs just $100 more than the 2017 model. A destination and delivery charge of $915 brings the price to $22,710.

However, if you’re simply not up to the task of rowing through the new six-speed manual transmission, Subaru has a deal for you.

Unlike the previous Crosstrek, Subaru’s Lineartronic continuously variable transmission will now be available on the base model, saving buyers the expense of adding a $1,000 option to the mid-level 2.0i Premium. The 2018 2.0i CVT carries an after-delivery price tag of $23,710. Dealer specials aside, the cheapest 2017 Crosstrek a buyer can find with a two-pedal setup will set them back $24,370 after delivery.

For that lower price, a 2018 Crosstrek buyer with an aversion to manuals gains four horsepower, a stiffened body structure, improved rear suspension, a longer wheelbase and more rear seat room. A 6.5-inch multimedia touchscreen now holds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. Subaru claims the CVT model will return an extra mile per gallon in city driving, for a rating of 27 mpg city, 33 highway.

If a six-speed and a higher degree of content fits the bill, a new 2.0i Premium — like the base model — will cost $100 more than last year. Going Premium brings drivers into contact with Starlink connected services, an all-weather package and available butt-saving EyeSight driver assist technology. However, adding an extra cog to the stick shift has a downside. With a rating of 23 mpg city and 29 highway, manual-equipped models see highway mileage drop by 1 mpg compared to last year.

Of course, buyers of the range-topping Limited model needn’t worry themselves about stick shifts. There isn’t one, just as there wasn’t one last year. There is, however, a new price, and it isn’t as mild an increase as seen on the 2.0i and Premium models. At $26,195 before delivery, the Crosstrek 2.0i Limited’s MSRP is $1,100 higher than the 2017 model’s $26,295 starting price.

The Crosstrek, basically a jacked-up Impreza 5-door with 8.7 inches of ground clearance, remains an increasingly popular model. American sales have risen each year since its introduction, hitting 95,677 in 2016.

[Images: Subaru]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Matt3319 Matt3319 on Jun 16, 2017

    Gotta say I really like the Crosstrek. I would row my own gears for sure. I think everyone would agree with me and say the major elephant in the room is lack of HP. I small turbo with 180-200hp would make just about everyone happy including me.

  • Nicholas Weaver Nicholas Weaver on Jun 16, 2017

    The GF has one of the first Gen1s, in manual. The thing is a nice car: the ground clearance is such I've taken it on rutted ranch roads and the like without issue. Or 8" of unplowed snow. Basically the rule is "can you, with a straight face, sort of call it a road"? If so, it will go down it. Yes, we would LIKE more power. About the only thing she'd upgrade it for would be a XV-STI if Subaru ever wanted to make it. But it doesn't need more power, even when towing about ~800lbs of crap to the dump on a harbor freight trailer. This new version: Improved looks etc, but otherwise the same capabilities and the same price, will undoubtedly sell, sell, sell a ton.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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