Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Test – Cool tech gadgets without crazy price



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I've recently started testing cars to see what technology they use, and the hybrid Subaru Crosstrek is one of the last I've driven. After the CES 2019 technology show in January, it was clear to me that a lot of technology was breaking out on new vehicles, although it will still take a while before real autonomous cars take the road to road.

This hybrid plug-in is what they call a sub-compact sport utility vehicle. The acceleration was not bad, since it was a hybrid electric and gasoline car. It's also attractive, and even though I stopped at a red light, I received a compliment from another guy who thought it was cool. (He told me that he was a Subaru seller.)

The electric motor is slightly noisier than others I've driven. When I walked on the throttle with the electric motor running, I heard a small moan. At first I thought it was a distant ambulance siren, but it was just the engine that was spinning.

The base price of this hybrid is $ 35,000, about $ 8,000 more than the price of the Subaru Crosstrek gasoline only model. The hybrid I tried included some extras (sunroof, heated steering wheel, navigation system and 8-speaker Harman Kardon audio system) priced at $ 38,470.

As an electric vehicle, it has a range of 17 miles, and can go up to 90 miles per gallon, with a total range of 480 miles. For gasoline only, it can reach 35 miles per gallon. Being able to charge the car while parked means that you can use a lot more of its two electric motors than if you had a classic hybrid with a single electric motor.

Starlink

Above: Apple CarPlay allows you to connect to apps like Waze or Spotify in your car.

Image credit: Marla Takahashi

The car has a more Starlink 8-inch multimedia system, another 8-inch high-resolution touch screen and a SiriusXM satellite radio. You can integrate your smartphone via the Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Starlink cloud apps. I enjoyed streaming audio via Bluetooth from my smartphone, which allowed me to play Spotify songs from my phone.

A 4G LTE Wi-Fi access point allows up to eight devices to connect to the Internet. You can stream TV shows, movies and music. You can also play games and check your emails (but hopefully not while driving).

As I found in other vehicles with CarPlay, some of the applications are very useful on the big screen. When I turned on Waze on my iPhone, the instructions were displayed on the much larger map of the car screen. You can touch the icons on the screen to control items such as maps, messages, and music, but not as much while driving. CarPlay, Internet access and some digital security features are identical to those of many new cars.

You can use Subaru Starlink remotely, allowing you to control the climate. With the Starlink system, the car has an automatic collision notification, improved roadside assistance, a stolen vehicle recovery and vehicle diagnostic alerts. The Starlink Concierge delivers alerts in real time. When you receive a service alert, you can tap the screen to see what it's all about, then check the appointment times with the nearest Subaru service provider and schedule an appointment. you.

By pressing the blue Starlink button near the rearview mirror, you can call a human concierge. A living person will answer and take care of things like making a restaurant appointment and sending you directions. You can also press a red button to make an emergency call. Using MySubaru.com or a mobile app, you can set limit, speed and curfew limits to manage your teenager's behavior.

Driver assistance

Above: The Subaru Crosstrek hybrid is endowed with an elegant dashboard.

Image credit: Marla Takahashi

The vehicle is equipped with EyeSight Driver Assist technology with adaptive cruise control, auto-crash braking, lane departure and stability warning with lane-assist assistance.

This forward-looking feature allows the vehicle to detect lanes on the highway and will notice it if you start to take another lane. An intelligent system will force the steering wheel back to the center of your lane. You can know that this is in effect when a small green light appears on the left side of the instrument panel. This light only appeared when I was driving on the highway. If I made a sign to change lanes, the steering wheel would let me make the change without trying to force me to return to the center.

Above: The hybrid Subaru Crosstrek is a beautiful car.

Image credit: Marla Takahashi

The camera system can also alert you if someone slows down or stops in front of you. A red light will come on the dash when you have to brake hard. The rear cameras show you the view when you are in reverse. There was a parallel parking button on the screen, but it did not work when I tried.

The mirrors have a blind spot detection and light up with an orange light if someone in your blind spot is passing you. When you move slowly, a pedestrian alert system monitors the environment around you. You can also heat your front seats and mirrors and even defrost your windshield.

Above: The quarters are pretty tight in the Subaru Crosstrek hybrid.

Image credit: Marla Takahashi

It takes about two hours to charge the car at 240 volts and five hours at 120 volts. You can connect a charger to the device if you wish, without having to worry about getting out of your range because of the gas engine. Like the other cars I've seen recently, it has keyless access and a push-button start. (I still have to get used to this way to start a car).

The Crosstrek hybrid does not offer some of the great features I've seen in other cars, like a head-up display on the dashboard (which I saw in the new BMW X5 xDrive 40i), but the base model of $ 60,700 for the BMW. Overall, I liked this car and its condition on the road. When they chased her, I was a little sad.

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