2024 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Is a Champion of Adventure

• Subaru's Crosstrek is a dominating figure in the small crossover category and prospective customers have choices even within the Crosstrek lineup.

• Offered four trim levels, the Crosstrek Sport features the larger, 182-hp 2.5-liter flat four-cylinder, yellow-highlighted styling, and dual-function X-Mode.

• Class-leading off-road capabilities characterize all Crosstrek models, but is the Sport model's leather trim, 18-inch wheels, and 30-hp bump worth a $30,290 price tag?

Crawling up Plattekill Mountain, a miniature ski slope nestled in New York's Catskill mountain ranges, the accelerator pedal was pushed to the floor, and yet only the faintest engine noise could be heard. Following a steep, slimy descent down one side of the mountain, traversing a bog was the only way through, as our bike-cog-inspired wheels were nearly submerged in the freshly rain-softened mud. But the possibility of a frigid night stuck on the mountain wasn't even an afterthought, as a swift burst of power plowed us straight out.

From this anecdote, it would make sense that I was in a 35-inch tire, four-low, wench-equipped rig. But I was in a college-student special instead, a small crossover whose usual duty involves going from parking lot to parking lot.

More importantly, I was sitting in Subaru's most popular model, the Crosstrek. First introduced for the 2013 model year, Subaru's Crosstrek nameplate has accounted for over one million sales in the US since then, with sales peaking last year at 155,142 units sold. Compared to its direct competitors (Honda's HR-V, Toyota's Corolla Cross, and Mazda's CX-30), Subaru is winning the sales race by a minimum of 40,000 annual units. Let's call it a landslide.

To the watchful eye, these numbers aren't exactly surprising, but it takes a bit of driving and some number crunching to understand why the Crosstrek is so popular. For one, the price is right, with the 152-hp, 145 lb-ft 2.0-liter flat-four base model starting at $26,290 and rising to $27,440 for the Premium trim. If you'd prefer to have the 182 hp, 178 lb-ft 2.5-liter flat-four instead, your options are the $30,290 Sport trim or the $32,190 Limited version. Subaru says that its sales figures are split down the middle, with half of its customers going for the cost-conscious 2.0-liter while the other half crave additional power and leather seats.

There are some extra incentives to jump on the Crosstrek bandwagon, as 2024 model-year cars remain on Subaru's Global Platform chassis while receiving some key upgrades. The chassis is 10% stiffer thanks to full inner frame construction and additional structural adhesives, its aerodynamic profile has been revised through a new front-end and wheel arch design, and a revised, slightly loosened version of Subaru's infamous Symmetrical AWD system allows for more off-road capability. Comfort and connectivity were next on the list of priorities for Subaru, with all-new front seats (produced with the help of medical professionals) as well as improved sound deadening and two screen sizes (7-inch on the base model or 11.6-inch for the rest) for Subaru's proprietary Starlink Multimedia system to display on.

Day-to-day driving is easygoing but unremarkable from a performance perspective in the Crosstrek Sport, though the redesigned seats are particularly comfortable, and the improved sound deadening is leaps ahead of the previous generation, too. Getting up to 75 mph with the 2.5-liter FB25D flat-four happens in average time (though sounds strained); the Crosstrek is much happier to mosey along at state highway speeds of 50-60 mph. Selecting the sportier setting in Subaru's SI-Drive powertrain management system does add some clear enthusiasm to the throttle mapping, but the Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission is ultimately responsible for purveying the power.