Subaru unveils new 2024 Crosstrek, bins manual transmission

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Heading into 2024, the third-generation Subaru Crosstrek will feature more tech, better performance — and fewer transmission choices.

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That’s right. For the first time since the model appeared about a dozen years ago, the Crosstrek will not be available with a manual transmission. Instead, all trims will get a continuously variable transmission (CVT), marketed by the company as Lineartronic. Subaru promises ‘smoother and quieter’ performance out of this box, a commitment we plan to examine at the first opportunity.

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Two engines will be on tap. Entry-level trims get a 2.0L four-cylinder mill producing 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. Spendier models earn extra displacement, showing up in the form of a 2.5L engine delivering 182 hp and 178 torques. Some trims will feature paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, allowing the driver to control the Lineartronic transmission through an octet of pre-set ratios. While certainly better than enduring a CVT’s constant drone while accelerating, your author takes the presence of these ‘pre-set ratios’ in an infinite ratio transmission as a tacit admission by manufacturers that most consumers do not like the baleful mooing generally exhibited by a CVT.

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Anyway, the world will keep turning. Also new on the 2024 Crosstrek is a fresh wardrobe, showing up with a frameless hexagonal grille, compact headlights, and a more broad-shouldered stance compared to the current car. Like it or lump it, black wheel-arch cladding and rocker panels provide a sharp contrast to the body colour. Small aero tweaks are said to improve fuel economy and driving stability.

Refinements continue inside the cabin, with engineers chasing noise and harshness by reducing sounds within a particular frequency. Different seat designs are said to reduce fatigue. Base trims remain saddled with the brand’s unfathomable dual-screen centre stack, comprised of two 7-inch monitors, while better-equipped models earn the corporate 11.6-inch tablet. The vehicle’s climate control system has been updated to focus on occupied seats instead of entire cabin in a bid to improve comfort and fuel economy; this is a trick taken from EVs and, reading between the lines, helps prep this model for an electrified powertrain at some point down the road.

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Standard on all trims is the latest version of Subaru’s EyeSight driver assist technology, said to operate more smoothly and quickly and under a greater range of conditions thanks to a wider field of view and updated software. A new electric brake booster also helps. EyeSight can warn drivers of impending doom and, in some instances, apply braking to avoid collisions. Subaru can offer it on all trims now that they’ve gotten rid of the manual transmission.

Crosstrek models with the 2.0L engine should appear at dealers this Spring, with its 2.5L brother showing up in the Summer. Canadian pricing will be announced around the same time.

Find Subaru Crosstrek specs, pricing, and reviews in the Driving.ca Buyer’s Guide.