Perhaps more important in the pavement world, Crosstrek has 60:40 folding rear seatbacks. With both seatbacks down, the cargo area can increase to 54.7 cubic ft. of useable space. The 41.0-inch-wide rear gate opening with low liftover height allows easy loading and unloading. Standard fixed cross bar mounting points (and standard raised roof rails on Premium and higher) add more cargo-carrying options.

The Base and Premium models come with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder direct-injection engine rated at 152 horsepower and 145 lb.-ft. of torque. The Sport and Limited have a 2.5-liter engine delivering a 182 horsepower and 178 lb.-ft. of torque. Standard on all trim levels is a Lineartronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). Premium, Sport and Limited trims have a so-called manual mode with steering wheel paddle shifters that allow the driver to control the transmission via eight pre-set ratios.

The SUV’s drivetrain has standard Active Torque Vectoring and the SI-Drive performance management system. The Base and Premium come standard with 17-inch alloy wheels and the Sport and Limited have 18-inch alloy wheels.