The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek emerges as a standout choice for road trip enthusiasts, combining the brand’s legendary all wheel drive capability with improved comfort, technology, and efficiency. Building upon its predecessor’s success, this latest iteration of the Crosstrek has been thoughtfully refined to enhance its appeal as a versatile adventure companion. While maintaining its compact crossover dimensions, the vehicle offers surprising interior space, robust safety features, and the kind of reliability that makes it ideal for long-distance travel.
What sets the 2025 Crosstrek apart in the crowded crossover segment is its unique blend of on-road comfort and off-road capability. The vehicle’s 8.7 inches of ground clearance, standard symmetrical all-wheel drive, and updated X-MODE system make it equally capable of tackling mountain passes or cruising highways. The new platform provides improved rigidity and noise isolation, making long drives more enjoyable than ever.
Subaru has also addressed previous criticisms by offering a more powerful 2.5-liter engine option alongside the standard 2.0-liter powerplant, providing the additional power that many drivers desired for confident highway passing and mountain climbing. Combined with enhanced fuel efficiency and a larger fuel tank, the new Crosstrek offers an impressive range between fill-ups a crucial consideration for road trip planning.
Capability and Performance
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek is designed to offer exceptional capability and performance, making it an ideal choice for road trips and adventure enthusiasts. At the core of its performance are two refined powertrain options. The standard 2.0-liter flat-four engine produces 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque, providing a balanced blend of power and efficiency for everyday driving. For those seeking more power, the available 2.5-liter flat-four engine delivers 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. This engine option offers a more robust performance, enabling the Crosstrek to tackle challenging terrains and steep inclines with ease.
Both engines are paired with Subaru’s latest Lineartronic continuously variable transmission (CVT). This transmission has been retuned for the 2025 model year to offer improved response and efficiency. The CVT provides smooth and seamless power delivery, enhancing the driving experience. For driving enthusiasts who prefer a more hands-on approach, a six-speed manual transmission is available on select trim levels, offering greater control and engagement.
Subaru’s renowned symmetrical all wheel drive system is a key feature of the Crosstrek, providing excellent traction and stability in various driving conditions. The system has been enhanced with an updated version of X-MODE, which includes specific settings for snow/dirt and deep snow/mud. These settings optimize the engine, transmission, and all-wheel-drive system to provide maximum traction on slippery surfaces.
Additionally, the system now includes hill descent control and a new auto-hold function. Hill descent control provides controlled and safe descents on steep or slippery slopes, while the auto-hold function maintains the vehicle’s position on steep grades without requiring constant brake pressure. These features are invaluable when exploring off the beaten path destinations and challenging terrains.
The Crosstrek’s suspension system is designed to strike a perfect balance between comfort and control. The MacPherson strut front suspension and double-wishbone rear suspension have been refined with new damper tuning and bushings, which better absorb road imperfections while maintaining stability. The electric power steering system provides good feedback and requires less correction on highway drives, reducing driver fatigue during long trips. This combination of refined suspension and steering ensures a smooth and comfortable ride, even on rough roads.
Fuel efficiency is another area where the Crosstrek excels. The 2.0-liter engine achieves up to 33 mpg on the highway, while the 2.5-liter engine manages up to 31 mpg on the highway. Combined with a 16.6-gallon fuel tank, this gives the Crosstrek a theoretical highway range of over 500 miles between fill-ups, making it ideal for long-distance travel. These fuel efficiency figures not only reduce the frequency of refueling stops but also help keep operating costs down.
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek’s capability and performance make it a versatile and reliable choice for road trips. Its powerful and efficient engines, advanced all-wheel-drive system, and refined suspension and steering provide a blend of power, efficiency, and off-road capability, ensuring that the Crosstrek can handle a wide range of driving conditions with confidence and ease.
Interior Comfort and Practicality
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek’s interior has been thoughtfully designed to maximize comfort and practicality, making it an excellent choice for extended journeys and road trips. The cabin is spacious and well-appointed, ensuring that both driver and passengers can enjoy a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience.
The front seats of the Crosstrek feature new padding and improved bolstering, providing enhanced support for long drives. Higher trim levels offer 10-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat, allowing for personalized comfort and optimal driving position. Additionally, seat heating is standard on all but the base trim, ensuring warmth and comfort during colder weather. For those in warmer climates, ventilated seats are available on Premium trims and above, providing cooling relief on hot days.
One of the standout features of the Crosstrek’s interior is its cabin noise reduction. Subaru has employed additional sound-deadening materials and acoustic glass to create a quieter environment. This reduction in cabin noise minimizes fatigue on long drives, allowing occupants to converse easily and enjoy their journey. The interior materials have also been upgraded across all trim levels, featuring soft-touch surfaces in key contact areas and more durable fabrics that resist wear and staining. These enhancements ensure that the interior remains comfortable and visually appealing, even with frequent use.
The rear seats of the Crosstrek offer impressive space for a vehicle with compact exterior dimensions. Rear passengers benefit from 37.8 inches of legroom and improved thigh support, ensuring comfort on long journeys. The rear seats also recline slightly, adding an extra level of comfort for back-seat passengers. Climate control has been enhanced with improved rear ventilation and available dual-zone automatic climate control on higher trims, ensuring that all passengers can maintain their preferred temperature.
Storage solutions within the cabin have been cleverly integrated to maximize practicality. The larger center console provides ample space for personal items, while door pockets can accommodate 32-ounce water bottles. A new dashboard shelf is perfect for storing smartphones or small tablets, keeping essential items within easy reach. Additionally, USB-A and USB-C ports are strategically placed throughout the cabin, ensuring that all passengers can keep their devices charged during long journeys.
In terms of cargo space, the Crosstrek offers 20.8 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, which is ample for luggage and gear. When the rear seats are folded down, the cargo capacity expands to 55.3 cubic feet, providing plenty of room for larger items and extended adventures. The rear seats feature a 60/40 split folding design and a new one-touch folding mechanism, making it easy to expand the cargo area when needed.
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek’s interior offers a blend of comfort and practicality that makes it ideal for road trips. Its thoughtfully designed seating, upgraded materials, ample storage solutions, and generous cargo space ensure that both drivers and passengers can enjoy a comfortable and convenient travel experience.
Technology and Safety Features
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek is equipped with a suite of advanced technology and safety features designed to enhance the driving experience and provide peace of mind on the road. At the heart of Crosstrek’s technology offerings is Subaru’s latest Starlink infotainment system, which provides seamless connectivity and entertainment options for all occupants.
The Starlink system features a standard 8-inch touchscreen display, with an 11.6-inch vertical screen available on higher trims. This user-friendly interface supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, allowing drivers to access their favorite apps, music, and navigation directly from their smartphones. The system also offers voice recognition, Bluetooth connectivity, and SiriusXM satellite radio, ensuring that entertainment options are always at your fingertips. For those who prefer built-in navigation, higher trims come with a native navigation system that functions even in areas without cellular coverage, making it essential for remote adventure travel.
For audiophiles, the available Harman Kardon premium audio system delivers exceptional sound quality, transforming the cabin into a concert hall on wheels. The system includes multiple speakers strategically placed throughout the cabin, ensuring an immersive audio experience for all passengers. This premium audio system enhances the driving experience, making long journeys more enjoyable.
Subaru’s EyeSight driver assistance system has been upgraded for the 2025 model year, offering new cameras with a wider field of view and improved performance in challenging weather conditions. The system includes adaptive cruise control with lane centering, which helps reduce driver fatigue on long highway stretches by maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead and keeping the Crosstrek centered in its lane. New for 2025 is an enhanced emergency steering assist system, which helps avoid obstacles while maintaining vehicle stability. This feature provides an additional layer of safety, particularly in emergency situations.
The Crosstrek also offers a range of additional safety features, including blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, reverse automatic braking, and a new driver attention monitoring system. The driver attention monitoring system can detect signs of fatigue and provide alerts to help keep the driver focused, which is particularly valuable during long trips. The DriverFocus system can store settings for up to five drivers, automatically adjusting seats, mirrors, and climate preferences based on the driver’s profile.
For added convenience, the Crosstrek offers an available 180-degree front-view monitor and a rear-vision camera with guidelines, making parking and maneuvering in tight spaces easier. The available Subaru Starlink Safety and Security services provide remote access to the vehicle, including remote start, vehicle locator, and emergency assistance.
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek’s advanced technology and safety features enhance the driving experience by providing connectivity, entertainment, and comprehensive safety systems. Its intuitive infotainment system, premium audio options, and advanced driver assistance technologies make it a well-equipped vehicle for any road trip, ensuring that both drivers and passengers can enjoy a safe and enjoyable journey.
Storage and Versatility
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek’s storage capabilities and versatility make it an ideal road trip companion, offering ample space and practical solutions for carrying gear and luggage. Whether you’re heading out for a weekend getaway or an extended adventure, the Crosstrek’s cargo area is designed to accommodate all your travel needs.
With 20.8 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, the Crosstrek provides plenty of room for luggage, camping gear, or other essentials. When the rear seats are folded down, the cargo capacity expands to 55.3 cubic feet, offering even more space for larger items. The rear seats feature a 60/40-split folding design and a new one-touch folding mechanism, making it easy to expand the cargo area and configure it to suit your needs. This flexibility is particularly valuable for road trips, where you may need to carry a variety of items.
New for 2025 is an adjustable cargo floor that enhances the vehicle’s practicality. This adjustable floor can be positioned to create a hidden storage compartment, perfect for stowing smaller items out of sight, or it can be set to provide a flat load floor when the rear seats are folded down. This feature adds a layer of flexibility, allowing drivers to organize their cargo area efficiently and securely.
Roof rails come standard on all Crosstrek models, providing additional storage options for larger items that may not fit inside the cabin. These roof rails are equipped with integrated tie-down points and are compatible with Subaru’s extensive range of cargo carriers and accessories, including roof boxes, bike racks, and kayak carriers. This makes it easy to transport outdoor equipment and recreational gear, further enhancing the Crosstrek’s versatility for road trips and adventures.
The vehicle’s towing capacity has been increased for the 2025 model year, with the 2.0-liter engine capable of towing up to 1,500 pounds and the 2.5-liter engine capable of towing up to 2,000 pounds. When equipped with the optional trailer package, the Crosstrek can easily handle small campers, utility trailers, or additional gear trailers, expanding its road trip capabilities and allowing for more adventurous travel.
The Crosstrek’s interior also features multiple small-item storage solutions, including a larger center console, door pockets that can accommodate 32-ounce water bottles, and a new dashboard shelf ideal for storing smartphones or small tablets. USB-A and USB-C ports are strategically placed throughout the cabin, ensuring that all passengers can keep their devices charged and ready for use during long journeys.
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek’s storage and versatility make it a practical and efficient choice for road trips. Its ample cargo space, adjustable cargo floor, increased towing capacity, and roof rails provide the flexibility needed to accommodate a wide range of travel needs and gear. These features ensure that drivers can start their adventures fully prepared and confident that their vehicle can handle whatever the journey requires.
Value Proposition
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek offers a compelling value proposition for road trip enthusiasts, combining an attractive starting price with a host of features that enhance the driving experience. With a base price of around $25,000, the Crosstrek provides an affordable entry point for those seeking a capable and versatile vehicle. Even the well-equipped Premium trim, which includes most features desired for long-distance travel, remains under $30,000. The top-tier Limited trim, which comes with the more powerful 2.5-liter engine, tops out at around $35,000 when fully equipped, offering a range of options to suit different budgets.
Standard features across all trims include Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive, the EyeSight safety system, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration. These features provide a solid foundation of capability, safety, and connectivity, ensuring that even the base model is well-equipped for road trips. The Crosstrek’s strong resale value, proven reliability, and comprehensive warranty coverage (3-year/36,000-mile basic and 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain) make it a smart long-term investment.
Maintenance costs for the Crosstrek remain reasonable, with service intervals well-spaced and parts widely available. The vehicle’s durability means it can handle repeated long-distance trips without requiring excessive maintenance, and fuel economy improvements help keep operating costs down. These factors contribute to the value proposition, making the Crosstrek a cost-effective choice for road trip enthusiasts.
When compared to competitors, the Crosstrek’s combination of standard all-wheel drive, ground clearance, safety features, and proven reliability make it a standout value for those prioritizing road trip capability. Its balance of on-road comfort and off-road ability, combined with practical features and reasonable pricing, creates a compelling package for adventure-minded buyers.
The 2025 Subaru Crosstrek offers excellent value for road trip enthusiasts, with a combination of affordability, capability, and advanced features that enhance the driving experience. Its strong resale value, reliability, and comprehensive warranty coverage make it a smart long-term investment, ensuring that drivers can enjoy their road trips with confidence and peace of mind.
