Subaru’s Crosstrek replaces its XV. Every version is four-wheel drive, helping to make it more capable off-road than most of its contemporaries. However, the towing capacity of the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i Touring is quite low, considering its size and weight.

What am I looking for in the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i Touring?

Is the car as able on Tarmac as off it? And is the powertrain powerful enough for towing?

Towing ability of the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i Touring

The Crosstrek 2.0i Touring’s specification suggests both strengths and weaknesses. Strong points include four-wheel drive, which could make it an attractive choice for fans of caravanning in winter. While many of its rivals look like 4x4s, some are either front-wheel drive or only have four-wheel drive on the pricier range-topping models.

The kerbweight is hefty for a car of this size, too, at 1672kg (including 75kg for the driver).

However, the Crosstrek’s biggest on-paper weakness is its low maximum towing figure of just 1270kg, which can pose difficulties when it’s time for the car/caravan matching.

That rules out towing up to the 85% match figure and puts the Subaru’s maximum around 200-300kg lower than the competition but for those who own small caravans with a light weight, it will not pose a problem.

The Crosstrek's towball
Fitting the Crosstrek’s towball costs £591, not including the electrics

For my test, I matched the Subaru to a Swift Challenger Hi-Style 442 (MiRO 1142kg), borrowed from Raymond James Caravans. When being driven gently, the Crosstrek coped
well enough with the Swift. However, with just 136hp and 134lb ft of torque, I found the 2.0-litre engine had its work cut out when it was accelerating on a sliproad or overtaking.

The car can run on electricity alone under light loads and for brief periods, but its electrical power does little to supplement the engine’s modest outputs.

Push the accelerator to the floor and there’s lots of noise as the continuously variable transmission (CVT) summons high engine revs and adjusts the gear ratio to build speed. The engine sounds coarse and the speed only builds slowly.

The Crosstrek copes well with a hill start on a 1-in-10 slope. As you’d expect in a four-wheel drive, there’s no wheelspin, even on a damp road, which could be a useful factor if you’re towing a caravan in winter. But the Subaru accelerates gently on a 10% gradient, so handling a steeper slope could be more of a struggle.

It might be sluggish, but the Subaru is stable, feeling secure and composed on country roads, and tows straight and true on the motorway, something we always look for in the best cars for towing a caravan. In stability terms, the Crosstrek feels as if it could cope with a much heavier van, although this would require a much punchier engine.

Solo driving the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i Touring

There’s less need to work the engine hard for everyday driving. The performance is still merely steady, but should be acceptable.

The driver can take charge of the gearbox with paddles behind the wheel, which mimic the set gears of a regular automatic, rather than the continuous adjustment of a CVT.

It feels incongruous to use racing-car-style paddles in a car that’s anything but sporty, but this does help to prepare it for overtaking, rather than having to wait for the gearbox to respond.

The Subaru handles well and feels as though it could easily cope with a lot more power. The steering is well-weighted and precise, and the car corners with little lean. Country roads are enjoyable, so long as you can conserve momentum and don’t need to accelerate hard – in which case, the rowdy engine and reticent acceleration will rather spoil the fun.

The Subaru from the rear
There’s plenty of room up front, although headroom in the back is less generous

In town, the Crosstrek can creep in traffic using electrical power, but anything more than featherweight pressure on the accelerator wakes up the petrol engine. The car can only travel very short distances in EV mode.

On the motorway, it feels planted and secure. However, there’s more wind and road noise than you’d hear in a Škoda Karoq, for example.

Perhaps the all-season tyres contribute to the road noise. Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres are highly regarded and designed for use in every condition, from the heat of summer to snow and ice. Although made for Tarmac rather than off-road use, these tyres will surely find more grip on a muddy track than the summer tyres most of us use throughout the year in Britain.

Space and practicality

There’s plenty of room up front, and the range-topping Touring has electrical adjustment for both front seats. You sit quite high, even with the seat on its lowest setting, with a clear view.

The 11.6-inch infotainment screen is easy to use, although I found it sometimes took a second prod before responding. It’s compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The infotainment screen in the cabin
The cabin is solidly built and the 11.6-inch infotainment screen is easy to use

Passengers in the back have lots of legroom, but headroom is less generous. Although there are USBs in the rear, there are no air vents between the front seats or in the door pillars.

I thought luggage space was disappointing, however. There are just 315 litres with the seats upright – less than you’d find in some small hatchbacks – and could limit some of those luxury caravan accessories you may like to take with you.

Buying and owning

The Crosstrek is far from cheap for a car of this size: the Touring model costs £36,995.

The specification goes some way towards justifying the price tag, with driver aids, synthetic leather upholstery, sat nav, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats and more.

Despite being a hybrid tow car, it is still surprisingly thirsty car.

The fuel gauge
The Subaru is a thirsty car, achieving just 22.9mpg while towing the Swift

The official combined figure is 36.8mpg, and I achieved just 22.9mpg while I was towing the Swift. There are two-tonne SUVs that are more fuel efficient than the Crosstrek.

Alternatives to consider

The Ford Focus Estate 1.0 EcoBoost 155PS mHEV Active X Powershift provides practical towing and is fun to drive solo, with good boot space to be found inside. Alternatively, the Škoda Octavia Estate 2.0 TDI 150PS SE L DSG offers fuel efficiency, a spacious cabin and adds practicality to the towing experience.

Technical spec of the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i Touring

  • Price: £36,995
  • What Car? Target Price: £36,995
  • Retained value after three years: 49%
  • Kerbweight: 1672kg (Including 75kg for driver not included in Subaru’s published kerbweight)
  • 85% of kerbweight: Above max tow
  • Gross vehicle weight: 2100kg
  • Max towing limit: 1270kg
  • Gross train weight; 3370kg
  • Towball limit: 80kg
  • Price of towball: £591 (Fitted, but not including electrics)
  • Boot size: 315-1297 litres
  • Payload: N/A
  • Test conditions: Damp
  • Engine size: 1995cc
  • Power (hp/rpm): 136@5600
  • Torque (lb ft/rpm): 134@4000
  • Official combined economy: 36.8mpg
  • Towing economy: 22.9mpg
  • CO2 emissions: 174g/km
  • First year car tax: £1085
  • Second year car tax: £180
  • Insurance group: 20
  • Euro NCAP overall protection rating: 5/5

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