When I used to test drive vehicles for fun at a variety of dealers, I was never able to test drive the models I truly desired, and never thought twice about the models I did drive. While some cars were easily a top choice, I was never able to imagine myself in any of them. Import and domestic cars were all appealing with their own unique features, but it wasn't until I test-drove a 2007 Subaru STi that I had a dream about any of them. An actual dream of driving a car... And, I didn't even really know how to drive a stick back then. In early 2010, I had grown weary of my Pontiac Grand Am (that really was a great car considering my abuse of it) and started looking for a performance car I didn't have to customize with suspension and wheel upgrades - something that was great right out of the box. Looking at everything from Mazda to Audi, I happened upon an advertisement for the 2010 Subaru WRX STi "Track-Ready" Special Edition; and those two words, "Track-Ready," sold me faster than the car's advertised 0-60. On May 2, 2010, I flew to Arizona and purchased my first real sports car in what I still think is Subaru's best color. #DGMftw
Fast forward to my upcoming birthday in 2017, when I went shopping for a daily. I didn't yet know whether I wanted a tow rig for Matches or just a daily beater, but my needs were simple: something new that I can purchase and beat the crap out of but still look nice when I want it to and not cost the amount of original purchase-price in maintenance and repairs after five years. (Mercedes...) After some test drives, I was edging toward the Mazda CX-3 or 5, BMW X1, Audi Q3, Jeep and even a Toyota Tacoma. Any which way, between my healing spine and need for more utility, cars were out of the picture and crossovers were easily at the top of the list.
News and reviews about the 2018 Subaru Crosstrek were long floating around by this time, and I even went to test drive a silver one despite the scant power numbers I was seeing online. While it wasn't bad and didn't feel terribly slow on surface streets, it initially just felt so... dull. The excitement was especially lacking on the freeway, and making a pass felt...eh. Plus, why could I not have a sunroof with a stick? Blasphemy!! For the first time ever, I was truly disappointed in Subaru and sad to say I didn't really want one. The BMW X1, meanwhile, drove like a car, both nimble with some get-up, but the maintenance costs were astronomical. The Audi Q3 felt cramped and more floofy in the turns, and while I had a great time in the CX-3, it was JUST. TOO. SMALL. The CX-5 was standing out more with acceptable handling and acceleration, but it just didn't give me that "my car" feeling...
A couple weeks later, I pulled up next to a 2018 Crosstrek at a light. The dude who owned it (or his dealer) had installed Bridgestone tires and a lift kit, topping it with one of those - cue Zoolander voice - look-I-have-a-cool-roof-rack-to-look-cool. (No, I'm 100% sure those racks come in handy. I often wish I had one now.) I was entranced by its originality and watched as he took off, but he wasn't at all far behind everyone else and I got that Subaru love spark for a reason I couldn't yet determine. I later ran through reviews from over the past few months again and read deeper into the off-road capability of the 2018, and sure, it had a stiffer chassis and all-wheel drive, but it wasn't going to be what my FJ Cruiser was in capability and reliability given the circumstances. Even so, that undeniable yearning feeling sent me straight back to local dealer listings.
Seeing as every 6MT Crosstrek that hit American soil was sold within minutes, I finally returned to Subaru and drove another CVT Crosstrek in serious consideration. The sales rep let me drive it onto the freeway, and I kept driving it for almost 50 miles and testing the paddle shifters. I couldn't lie - after being in one for a while, the interior was bordering on luxurious, and I still felt like I was driving a car, which was important. (I'm six feet tall, but I like fitting in small spaces... meow.) At one point, I felt like I was settling since driving it was rather uninspiring to boot, but it was the perfect height, the brakes were especially fantastic for the setup, and it was the most comfortable ride of everything I'd driven up to that point. So, I went home to think about it.
Days passed, then another week or so before it finally happened: I had another Subaru dream. It was a minor dream of just getting out of a Subaru (what my conscience decided) at a parking lot and going up to some guy I had known (and wanted to date) from a couple years prior and going to try food at all these random restaurants lined up in a strip mall... It was a weird dream, but I was comfortable and content for its duration - and most importantly, I was living adventurously in that dream, and I suddenly felt the Subaru love spark again.
I called a number of Subaru dealers within a day's driving distance to try one more chance at testing a manual, but all hope was lost. However, I did decide a number of years ago that my next car would have a sunroof, so I reluctantly chose the CVT. With an estimated arrival time of "last week of November," I placed my custom order for a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Premium with the STi package in late September. ...with a sunroof. And, to be different and even more adventurous, I ordered it in Sunshine Orange.
For two long months, I pondered the capabilities and setbacks of having a Crosstrek, but it slowly grew on me - as slowly as it accelerates, even! When Princess Poppy finally arrived November 25, 2017, I wasn't sure if I was 100% happy, but I wasn't at all disappointed, either. It was one cute car, and when I sat in it, I said, "this is my car." That was when I smiled and knew I made the right choice, and I was grateful. Plus, the sales rep had talked me out of the Harman Kardon system at the time of purchase to save some money, and I was still blown away by how crisp and bass-droppy the stock system was. Seriously, it's good. I'm a recording artist, and I approve.
The majority of reviews out there determined the 2018 Crosstrek is a slow, boring mass of stale imagination. However, I can't help but think these reviewers have a lens stuck on power and are missing an entire universe of productivity. In contrast to over-crowded roads and increasingly limited escapes, Princess Poppy continues to make up for everything she lacks. Indeed, what I call the dead-zone is between 40-65 miles per hour: she's zippy around town, but I have to put my pride in that spaciously roomy back seat when I enter the freeway or attempt to pass someone on an incline. The brakes, again, are fantastic, though. They stop on a dime, and she can still corner well enough to get some serious Gs. (Downward circular onramps are particularly fun.) We've also made more friends in a new and growing realm of Subaru culture, we've gotten more done than ever all while averaging around 450 miles per tank, and when there were high crosswinds tipping over semi-trucks, we were the only car not getting blown around or having to slow down. (The Crosstrek is surprisingly stable in high winds.)
To narrow it down for you: I absolutely love this car.
No, it doesn't feel good to have to rev up to 6000 RPM to pass someone uphill as the Crosstrek relies heavily on momentum, but it always feels good to get out and wander at the flip of a blinker, which is where the inspiration kicks in. The Crosstrek is the automotive equivalent of love and empowerment: it forces you to slow down and look at the bigger picture, which makes a smart frame of mind even wiser. Princess Poppy is not a weekend warrior, but the perfect weekend explorer: you just can't cross the desert or take spontaneous jeep trails and snow-piled fire roads in any other crossover without getting stuck or borked, and that's the beauty of the Crosstrek. It's as resourceful as it is adaptable, and a creative person such as myself uses the full scope of this car without a worry in the world.
Because Subaru.♡
Plus, it makes one helluva parts hauler for race cars. :)
1 YEAR
MILES DRIVEN: 13,477
FLAT TIRES: 1
MECHANICAL ISSUES: 0
TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS: 0
FOLLOW PRINCESS POPPY ADVENTURES ON INSTAGRAM: @TWOBAWOO
Until next time...
Maintenance regularly; drive often...
All photos/videos by me, unless otherwise noted.
Life's obstacles are more entertaining with a sports car.™
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