Subaru Crosstrek (2026) Review

The Crosstrek is the cheapest way into a Subaru and it has quietly been one of the better value small crossovers in America for a decade. All wheel drive is standard on every trim, EyeSight driver assistance is standard, ground clearance is 8.7 inches, and the base car costs 26,995 dollars before delivery. Very little else at that price will take a rutted forest road without complaint.

For 2026 the significant change is the hybrid, new to the Crosstrek line and using the same next generation system as the Forester Hybrid. It pairs the 2.5 liter flat four with electric motors for an estimated 36 miles per gallon combined against 29 for the gasoline car, which closes the one gap that used to send buyers to a Honda or a Toyota showroom instead.

The complaints are old and unchanged. The 2.5 liter with a continuously variable transmission is slow and loud when pushed, the vertical touchscreen is dated and sluggish to respond, and the interior plastics are precisely what twenty seven thousand dollars buys. What holds the grade up is what happens afterward. Crosstreks hold their value better than almost anything in the class, they are cheap to insure and service, and owners keep them for years. The Wilderness trim adds genuine off road hardware and tows 3,500 pounds.