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.

  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
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