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AUTO REVIEW

neers are to be commended for tuning the
suspension so that the Crosstrek can move
quickly when it needs to without compro-
mising ride quality.

Predictably, I’m going to gently mention
that, unless you make me happy and choose
the six-speed manual transmission, you’ll be
stuck with the squishy continuously variable
transmission (CVT) that everybody tolerates
and nobody loves. For the record, most peo-
ple don’t care if they drive a car with a CVT,
and it does get you better fuel economy and
lower emissions. The result of all that virtue
is that the Crosstrek is slow. With only 148
HP coming from a 2.0 L four-cylinder en-
gine, the Crosstrek’s 0-to-60 MPH time is
an unimpressive 10.3 seconds.

All Subarus come with standard AWD,
and that’s a big plus in slippery conditions
like a sudden rainstorm or if you find your-
self on a dirt road trying to find your friend’s
lake cabin, which you know is just around
this corner. Or that one, or that one.....

As far as options go, the most
significant one is a hybrid drive
train for those who are looking
for better fuel economy and
lower emissions.

Naturally, many different trim levels and enough for many buyers these days. While Steve Schutz, MD, is a
stand alone options are available for those so the Crosstrek is small inside and not very board-certified gastroenterolo-
inclined. The most interesting is the “Eye- fast, it looks very cool and provides many gist who lived in San Antonio
Sight” safety package, which adds steering- of the pluses customers are looking for in in the 1990s when he was sta-
responsive headlights, adaptive cruise a crossover, so I expect it will continue to tioned here in the U.S. Air
control, lane-departure warning, and a for- sell well. Force. He has been writing auto reviews for
ward collision avoidance system with auto- San Antonio Medicine since 1995.
matic braking. Pretty Lexus-like. If you’re in the market for this kind of ve-
hicle, call Phil Hornbeak at 210-301-4367.
As always, Phil Hornbeak will happily
walk you through all of the possible permu-
tations of the Subaru XV Crosstrek or any
other vehicle you’re interested in exploring.

The 2017 Crosstrek isn’t a crossover, but
it sure looks and acts like one, which is

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