My son loves his Crosstrek and thinks it has plenty of power. Loves the size and useful space.
2 Likes
I think Subaru - and others - you find multiple engines - and obviously different people see vehicles differently.
This is what KBB says on Cross Trek - so you might need to venture up to the higher trim for those inclines.
The base engine found in the lower trims develops 152-horsepower. We can point you to several competitors (Honda HR-V, Kia Seltos, and Chevy Trailblazer) with similar or even less output. We find this engine capable of sufficiently motivating the Crosstrek; however, venturing into higher elevations saps performance.
Picking the Crosstrek Sport or higher trim gains a higher output engine with 30 more horsepower. This still doesnât transform the Crosstrek into a high-performance SUV, but the extra power and torque go a long way in making the Crosstrek more entertaining to drive. We put the 2.5-liter engine through its paces on-road and off and came away satisfied with the extra grunt compared to the base engine.
1 Like
As I wrote in a post above, the new Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness has a larger, more powerful engine than some underpowered non-Wilderness Crosstrek models.
While at a Subaru dealership for routine service visit, I test drove Crosstreks with both engines. Immediately turned around and went back to the dealership after testing a non-Wilderness version due to inadequate acceleration & inadequate responsiveness which would make highway driving unsafe in my view.
Totally different experience with the Crosstrek Wilderness test drive. Power & acceleration is more than adequate.
However, if seeking more power & quicker acceleration in a small, fun-to-drive vehicle, the Hyundai Santa Cruz may be a good option. (281 horsepower versus 182 hp for the Crosstrek Wilderness.) The Hyundai Santa Cruz limited has an all around surround-view-camera that is very helpfulâespecially so if travelling off road.
Love, love, love my 2017 Audi Q5.
It looks good, inside and out. It is fun to drive and handles well in rain and snow. Two car seats fit easily in the back and there is even room for another child or smaller adult. It is easy to park, both in a parking lot and when parallel parking. I donât drive a lot anymore, so this car only has about 50,000 miles.
My SIL also drives a Q5 and loves it. H and D drive Volvos, XC60 and XC90, and are happy with them. They are not as âzippyâ as my car.
2 Likes
Iâm not familiar with the turbos in the above mentioned vehicles, but generally, turbos require more maintenance over their lifetime and theyâre expensive to rebuild or replace when out of warranty.
And generally speaking, theyâre noisier.
I love the Audi Q5. It was down to that or my Mercedes GLK 350 and I went with the GLK due to better visibility. I love the styling of Audi.
2 Likes
This generalized model comparison list for insurance rate could be a helpful (just as a starting point⊠lots of factors involved).
Not surprisingly the âminimum coverageâ amounts are quite similar - about $600/year. But when buying a new car, youâd be more likely to go for âmaximum coverageâ. From their example list:
- lowest is Suburu Outback ($1600/yr)
- highest is Cadillac Escalade ($2700/yr)
The exact cost will of course vary.
Does anybody know of a similar kind of list, with more models included? (Yea, I know there are lots of sites where you can enter specific info. But often at the end they want your email address⊠which generates a lot of junk email).
I think there are various articles like this - but of course the terms they are using will dictate pricing and different insurers see different risks in different brands and by location, etc. Youâll note all the prices in this one are higher than the one you just shared.
On this one, you can expand the rows to get more.
3 Likes
Aside: Some sites email the information you are seeking, but Iâve discovered many post what you want immediately after youâve shared your information. In those instances, I usually use the phone number of a recent spam caller 
3 Likes
Here are some listings of insurance loss rates by make and model from the IIHS/HLDI:
However, it is likely that driver demographics has a significant effect on insurance loss rates, which can sometimes be observed with similar cars (e.g. sometimes the sporty version of a car has higher insurance losses, even though it should theoretically be safer with better handling and braking).
1 Like
This is a fun thread to read. After 2 Volvos, 2 Lexus, and a Subaru, I am happiest with my little mini coupe. No snow or hills where I live, and I mostly drive around town.
6 Likes
I just traded a Subaru Forester for a Ford Escape PHEV.
the forester averaged 26mpg, we had it for 8 years, 115k miles. We spend several thousand on a few AC repairs, and it had a major transmission repair at 95k but the warranty on the transmission had been extended and covered that repair. I loved that car but I didnt trust it not to cost me in repairs.
The Ford Escape wasnât on our original list. We almost bought a CRV hybrid (I loved my Odysseys in the mom taxi years) but kept looking. Also looked at Ford Maverick (too hard to come by) and the Toyota RAV (no hybrids available in our area, expensive) and finally took a look at the Escape and bought it.
So far, Iâve driven the Escape 1600 miles, Iâve put 9 gallons of gas in it one time, a couple of days ago, and charged it at home on a regular 110 outlet. Iâve put less than $20 of electricity into it. And l love driving it. I was not expecting it to be so quiet and smooth driving. All the tech has been a learning curve after my pretty basic forester. And it was a lot cheaper than the RAV PHEV, which we couldnât find anyway. Planning to buy the Ford extended warranty so I donât have to worry about repairs. Even my Hond Odyssey extended warranties paid for themselves, though. I love it.
3 Likes
Check out Ford Explorers. The high end models have leather and drive really smooth.
If you get a black one, then do not be surprised if other drivers carefully obey traffic laws around you.
8 Likes
My understanding is that Ford is discontinuing three models this year: The Explorer Hybrid, Edge, & Transit internal combustion engine vehicles in order to devote more resources to EVs. The Escape will be discontinued in 2025.
Test drove 2022 models of the Explorer & Escapeâthe two models that we ownedâand were disappointed. (We owned the highest model of the Ford Explorer for about 20 years and the 6 cylinder Escape for 16 years. Very disappointed with the new (2022) versions which dealers had difficulty selling even during the height of the recent car/vehicle shortage.)
1 Like
Consumer Reports states that the 2024 Ford Explorer suffers from a"clunky transmission, noisy engine, and stiff-edged ride."
Edmunds notes âlack of room & subpar materials quality.â
Another poster wrote that, in general, turbo charged engines are noisy; this is not our experience.
Ford Fiesta was last produced in 2023âless than a year ago.
Not sure how credible that page is, due to it mentioning the Fiesta, which was discontinued in the US years ago.
Regarding the Explorer hybrid, it does look like hybrid is standard for the police version, since the hybrid battery can support heavier electric accessory use while keeping the engine off while stopped. Police probably do not like paying for gasoline any more than anyone else.
Ford killed the Transit Connect - not just ICE but the entire model.
Other OEMs killed their similar vans - Nissan with the NV 200, Chevy, Mercedes and its Metris and Ram and its Promaster City to highlight a few.
My friend is a State Trooper and he has the new hybrid Explorer. It took some getting used to. Police never shut their cars off during a shift, so it would make sense to have a vehicle that had the option to run on battery power when stationary.
For non-US markets. The last model year Fiesta in the US market was 2019.
2 Likes