As I settle into the all-new Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0S, I do think about my grandfather who was 102 when he finally ran out of gas. It’s a little weird, I know, but I wonder what he would have thought given the opportunity to slide into the drivers’ seat of Subaru’s newest small SUV to get a load of the tech on hand.
From memory, his last car was a Rover 2000. They were cool at the time for old blokes and English police: if it had a radio, it would have been a push button affair. The seats would most certainly have been manually adjusted and the seatbelts were not retractable, I do remember that quite clearly.
The Subaru Crosstrek, on the other hand, feels as if it’s been put together around you. And to be fair, that is intentional as the designers did a huge amount of research into making the driving experience more intuitive. But I’m not sure Pop would have noticed that. He would have been stuck pointing at things saying something like, "why on earth is there a giant TV on the dashboard?"
Of course, he’d be referring to the 11.6" centre information display. He’d probably wonder why it was measured in inches, not centimeters, a question I often ponder myself. He would have pushed the buttons to activate the apps, too. Nothing's surer than that. The tech on offer is genuinely amazing, and I’m hoping we’re not blasé about what’s on offer.
Wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™*Compatible Apple® or Android™ device required are actually quite brilliant. I know this now, because recently I was driving in a car that, unlike the Crosstrek, was not equipped with a wireless charging pad*Compatible Qi enabled and compliant device required. on a day when I did not have a cable to charge my mobile phone. It was a drive from the Hunter Valley to Sydney – a cruise of just over two hours.
That’s two hours of commercial radio. Two hours of radio jocks yelling at me and maniacally laughing at their own jokes before they got to the punchlines. Or half an hour, before I switched channels to some talkback radio which was somehow worse. Then scanning between stations looking for acceptable music. No podcasts, no playlists, no great sense of joy at the thought of my own company as I drove down Highway One.
It was a tough lesson. The only upside was the Harmon Kardon®*Harman Kardon® is a registered trademark of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. Only available on Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0S and Crosstrek AWD Hybrid S. speakers, which do offer a fine surround sound. And whilst I could have purchased a charging cable, I was curious to know how I would cope without a phone delivering my entertainment needs via the Apple CarPlay®.
Not well, obviously.
Next time, I’ll buy two cables. One for the hotel, and one for the USB A and USB C charging ports conveniently located for front and rear occupants*Rear USB C and A ports only available on the 2.0R, 2.0S and Hybrid S..
No, next time, I’ll drive the Crosstrek because I won’t need a cable, I can use the wireless charger for my phone.
Even better, I can keep my hands on the wheel and work my way through a whole host of functions on the steering wheel controls. If Pop was around, I could say, "Pop, check it out. Adaptive Cruise Control. I set the speed, and the car stays on it. And, if the car ahead is going slower than me, I’ll match that car’s speed automatically. And I can set the distance between us with this button here."
"Adaptive what?" He’d bellow.
"And, look at this!" I’d say back to him. "The system monitors the car’s position, and it activates the steering assistance, accelerator, and brake functions, all to keep me in the center of my lane. I know. Amazing."
"Stop it", he’d say.
"I can get warnings if I’m not paying attention, too."
"Why wouldn’t you be paying attention? You’re driving a car!"
So sensible, my Pop. "And look. I can turn the music up and down without taking my hands off the steering wheel. It’s like magic, but it’s not."
So, book a test drive in Subaru’s all-new Crosstrek, a small SUV literally loaded with the features that make a Subaru, a Subaru. Symmetrical AWD, Boxer engine, a certain feel to the driving experience. But it’s also got an extraordinary amount of tech that gives everyone in the family a reason to feel special.
It’s most definitely been redesigned with the driver in mind, but really – there’s something for everyone.
Andrew Daddo
Subaru Ambassador
Paid Partnership
