To get the most out of a low power engine, a manual transmission is the only way to go.

The last 5 minutes of this video makes me happy. I'm so glad Subaru still offers manual transmission in new models, and a updated one at that.

Thank you thank you thank you for reviewing the manual model unlike everyone else

Subaru, if you're listening put a turbo in the Crosstrek with a manual transmission.

I have a 2018 crosstrek 6spd manual, and I've got 1800 miles on it. So far, per tank average, is 31-33mpg, which includes in town, bumper to bumper fwy commuting traffic, and some offroading. I live in So Cal. Slightly downhill to work, and slightly uphill coming home. The 6pd manual is every bit as good on fuel efficiency as the CVT and I'd say I could easily beat its efficiency. It has several ways of monitoring your gas consumption and it's pretty easy to get 35-39mpg on the hwy, going 70mph. Don't gun it all the time, and you'll save a lot of money in gas. I'm not convinced about the hype of the CVT having better gas mileage at all!

After watching this I feel even happier about my 2019 6 speed manual Crosstrek purchase. I love it and its fun to see what others think compared to other versions of the same car. Thank you!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Ryan and DSTV! I have been WAITING for a video like this where folks compare Automatic/CVT AND Manual vehicles! Thank you especially for doing it with the Crosstrek! I'm a subscriber now.

A great overview, Ryan. And very timely. I'm getting ready to order a Crosstrek and really want the manual. You have given me confidence in that choice. Thanks!

LOVED hearing you enjoyed the manual! My dealer just factory ordered a 2019 premium manual transmission for me since the manuals they had coming in were already pre-sold. I will have to wait for it, but worth it to get the manual, which is what I wanted!

I would also get it with the manual, I completely agree with him ! I don’t need this extra fancy stuff

The crostrek doesn't need more power if you know how to drive it. The vehicle so well balanced that you really don't need to slow down much before a turn. The ecu cvt version also learns your driving habits and will adjust itself to how you drive, I feel it especially feel like it copies driving habits from when driving in manual mode. IMO The best cares don't maximize power but they maximize overall balance... if you really want more power there is always aftermarket mods, or just mod the motor for ones self.

Thank you for this specific review. I'm looking into the manual version and this helps me out a ton!

Hell yes. Just ordered the exact Premium 2.0 in orange and 6spd. You can get lots of the tricky stuff added on. Can't wait to see it.

Ty. Just bought one and waiting for delivery. I feel better about the purchase after see your video. TY.

Great review! Glad you did the comparison, as I love manual.

Purchased my first Subaru last year. 2016 crosstrek. I have owned many cars and rarely have one i truly love. I love my crosstrek. 2 complains, power and tech. It is way behind in both. But i freaking love it. I enjoy driving it daily. Great in the snow and light off roading. Taking it to the beach and it does well as long as not too much time has passed since it rained. If anything were to happen to my crosstrek or when its time for another car i would go right to the dealership and say, "again please". My next car will be another crosstrek

I purchases a 2017 WRX premium last year and love it. With a baby on the way I'm leaning towards a Crosstrek manual eventually. Seems more practical and still with the manual, a little bit of fun. If they popped in a turbo with 200-225 horsepower, that would be amazing. Crosstrek XT would be badass! Great review as always.

Thanks for this video. I have a 2016. 5 speed. I ready for the the new 2018. I know. Manual is always more fun. Plus I believe is safe too. You always focus in driving.

I'm honestly thinking about getting one of these with the 6 speed manual, I'm a big jeep guy, had a few wranglers but I recently priced the new JL and their prices are insane, this is a much better daily driver/weekend warrior vehicle in my opinion, and good on Subaru for still keeping a stick in it for those of us that still enjoy the driving experience

This was a great, comprehensive review. Thank you!

I got my first subaru a few months back.Its a 2018 crosstrek limited.Its fully loaded,and like you said get the extra safety stuff.Mine has the eye sight safety,and its already paid for itself.A guy pulled out in front of me at the last second.And before i could react the safety system kicked in and stopped us from T-boning that guy.The gas mileage is awesome.With 3 adults and some luggage coming back from Vegas,got 30+ on the on the mileage.i would probably go with fabric seats,as the leather seats are not very comfortable when it gets to be 90+ degrees outside.I use the back hatch all the time,when i leave work i open the hatch throw stuff in and go.This my first vehicle like this,as i have been a truck guy most of my driving life.I agree it does lack some power.I have no problem passing on the freeway,and if you add power ,you may lose a little mpg's.I don't think people buy a crosstrek for its power.It has the mileage range to get you out there and back.

Love our 2019 premium with 6 speed manual transmission. So fun to drive while on the power band. The exhaust note sounds pretty cool too!

I find the speed quite adequate. I already load it up with tons of camping gear to take to the storage plus a grill, vacuum cleaner, and a heavy tent cot. Its a real fun car to drive with just the right amount of tech as I got the premium standard package with the cvt. With the stiffer ride and 13:1 steering ratio you can go faster on the turns/ curbs without having to feather the brakes. I like how the big trucks try to intimate by tailgating but cant keep up on the turns. I love love this Crosstrek (2018 model)

Thanks for doing this comparison. I was happy to see Subaru gave the Crosstrek a 6 speed Manual rather than the 5 speed. I wondered how the two transmissions would compare.

I've owned the manual for the past 2 years, it's been my city commuter car, going into nyc and Newark almost daily. I feared that it would be exhausting driving a stick in traffic but I was pleasantly supprised, the clutch is light and first gear is somewhat shorter of a ratio, so there is less effort required to set off. And as soon as you want to have some fun it is far more entertaining then driving the automatic wrx even. I am buying out my lease when it ends.

Excellent review, I want take a look to the new engine upgrade version this year.

Great review. I'm going from a wrx sti, so this is going to be rough, but it's time to get practical I guess. If anything, I'll go with the manual so I can still pretend I've got some power ha.

Just picked up my 2022 Manual Crossteek sport. Did a trip last weekend and measured fuel used compared to distance traveled suggests I could get 900km for a 63L tank. Most of my driving is in town, which brings range down to 680km. Had the car on a very hilly back road with bog potholes and smiled to no end. This little car is amazing on side roads.

Thanks for the comparison. I am still debating about the make/model of my upcoming purchase, but if it is the Crosstrek, it is going to be with the 6MT, no question about it ! Certainly wish it had a spunkier motor in there, but it is what it is.

Thanks for the review. Outstanding job!

Looking for part of review about manual transmission? Go to 7:35

Yes! I'd love to see a CrossTrek WRX... with a stick of course. I'd buy one.

Finally a Professional reviewer!

My wife has the manual 2016 crosstrek. I have a 2018 WRX STI, of course I notice a power difference. She never has issues passing on the highway, peak torque for most gears is higher than expected (like 5000 RPM) obviously not in 1st gear! I took a tent trailer (about 1000 lbs) through some hilly areas while camping and it towed it pretty well, at higher RPM it was eating hills, going about 130-140km/h. It tapped out on one hill in 5th gear, but then again I'm really pushing it's limits in this example. I was testing it out that time, I don't generally drive like that while hauling nor suggest doing it. The torque split is a true 50/50 split with a viscous coupling, the CVT version is biased 51/49 front/rear iirc, like an imprezza. All in all it's a great daily driver, and has decent passing power once you get a feel for it (was never an issue in our experience.) Also if you want a few more HP (like 2 lol.) you can remove the carbon filter in the intake air box. They have it double filtered for the PZEV rating but it ends up restricting the air flow as well. An excellent vehicle, I remark on how nice it is whenever I borrow it, engine sounds amazing too. It was a choice between the Nissan Qashqai and the Crosstrek, Crosstrek was really expensive, and more of a niche market, but it was exactly what she wanted (AWD, stick shift, japanese, not a fat ass SUV.) Won't say it's the mutt's nuts, but it fits the bill and doesn't disappoint. I see lots of "slow" comments online, but don't see a lot of owners complaining about it. Though most people don't have the manual version and a lot of the power complaints relate to the CVT.

i have the 2019 6 speed Manual CrossTreck and its a great car.

I can understand with manual we cannot have whole eyesight system, but why we cannot get full led headlights and bigger infotainment system....

Nice review Ryan!

Nicely done, great review thanks!

Great review, thanks a lot!

great vid man, Thank you very much.

I got the manual 2018, and it's fun as hell to drive.

Thanks for the suberb and thorough review.

2.0XT engine from the forester in this... Crosstrek STI... pre-made gravel rally car. DONE. Especially since they don't sell the hatchback STI anymore...

My fiancé and I recently picked up our (my) 23 Crosstrek 6MT and I absolutely love it. It’s no WRX but I didn’t expect it to be. Besides, they don’t even make the hatchback WRX anymore which is the body style I fell in love with. But this Crosstrek is a huge step up from my 97 Nissan pickup (455,000 miles pops is the original owner). It’s comfy, heated seats, handles nicely, drives great, decent fuel economy (averaging 30 combined with my highest documented at 32) and even though it’s the 2.0 it still has pep in its step. Do I think it needs a little more with that 2.5, sure do! But I didn’t want to sacrifice not having the manual and honestly I’m so happy I stood my ground. It’s a good mix of the old tech that I love and the new tech that I need. All around it’s a great solid car that gets you to and from work with decent fuel economy and also have some fun when you want to. Will be taking it up to Durr Rd here soon!

I don't know why people complain about the power. This isn't supposed to be a sexy roadster, it's a vehicle designed for adults who require practicality - and as he said, capability. I've had a few sports car back in the day and they were great when I was a young man. Now I need something I can drive in the country that's reliable and durable and has a lot of cargo room for everything from dogs to lumber, so my options are something like this or a truck and I don't like trucks. I don't bomb down highways anymore either. In short, I'm their target demographic and there are a lot of us out there. A bigger, more powerful engine is just going to add cost to the vehicle that said target demographic isn't asking for to begin with. Reviews and reviewers should always keep these sorts of things in mind, yet they rarely do.

Excellent review!

I mainly got my crosstrek with a 6spd because I liked how it drove. It was one of the biggest factors that led me to go for the crosstrek instead of the impreza with a 5spd.

Thanks. You just sold me on a 6MT next time. Probably will shoot for the 2020 model year. That's the last one before refresh right?

Ryan, I hope you realize the Crosstrek in manual transmission actually has a 4.444 final drive ratio, unlike your Legacy's 4.111 final drive ratio. Also, the 2nd gen Subaru XV (MY2013-2017) 5-speed manual also redlines at around 30 MPH in 1st gear, and around 60 MPH in 2nd gear just like the 3rd gen Subaru XV you drove in the video. I'm guessing the revised FB20 engine with direct injection makes it a far better drive than the old fuel-injected FB20 engine.

Love this video! Thank you :)

great review, also any sand and mud with the manual?

Just ordered a 2021 base model in 6MT because I hate moonroofs, 18" wheels, CVT and fog lights. Solid roof is lifetime trouble free, 17" rims will allow more rubber on the wheels, manual transmission will be trouble free forever and no fog lights only mean I will have one set of bulbs less to think of replacing. Nothing really beats the base model.

Thanks for the review! Do you think it would be hard to learn the gearbox on? I haven’t driven a manual in a very long time... 15 years... and never in any traffic which I would have to contend with on occasion!

I wish my CrossTrek had a manual instead of the CVT

Love my 18 Crosstrek premium 6-speed manual. Had to sell the 13 Crosstrek because I hated the CVT!

I would have appreciate to see the review out of the tarmac with the MT and see how it compares with the CVT with Xmode. That missing option with the manual, added to the lack of power, are what stops me from buying it.

Got my manual 2018 Crosstrek. Im a happy boy.

Great video. Thanks

It still kills me inside when a manufacturer makes a manual option, but it is intended as a "I need the cheapest car possible" option, and restricts the options you can get. Like, the car people who would buy stick would also be the most keen to get exactly the options they want (at least I do).

X-Mode DOES let you 'pick your speed' for hill decent. X-Mode also applies a basic downhill decent control by default, which can't be turned off, that won't let you accelerate too fast when less than 10% throttle is being applied. Reviewer appears to only be using that option and not using the cruise option to set speed.

Awesome video 👍

Hill descent is too fast because you went into the hill without pressing the brakes. You're supposed to use the brakes to find the speed that you want, and then let go.

Didn't see you driving the cvt with the paddle shifters, you can keep the revs up just as you mentioned with the manual. I love having the option for automatic in traffic, and staying on the on the power curve in the twisties in the manual mode cvt. I drove manual cars for 40 years, before finally getting my cvt 2018 Crosstrek, and I am not missing them.

Perfect Places - Lorde. Good tune.

They have done well with the interior now! Very nice Touchscreen and air vents. More beefy engine though! Quicker like 0-60mph in 8-9 Seconds

Still love my '17 Outback 3.6R. That thing moves.

What about the efficiency of manual transmission in off-roading? Thx for the informative video.

When are car manufacturers going to stop de-contenting manual transmission cars in the American market?!? We should at least be able to get those tech options individually with a manual trans instead of having to get the most expensive package.

I drove a new 2018 Crosstrek manual recently. I think it was a base model. It was such a great manual to shift! I tried out the 2018 Forester base manual just before that, and the new C-Trek is so much smoother, slicker, and easier to shift. Maybe after it's broken in the Forester gets easier as well, not sure, but overall I liked the Crosstrek better in many ways. More comfortable seats -felt like you are sitting in them, not on them. Easier to see gauges, right at eye level for me, I'm around six feet tall. Forester gauges hard for me to see, blocked by the housing that sticks out over the display. And the new Radio display is SO much nicer in the Crosstrek, and compatable with Android as well as Apple Car Play (I am pretty sure you can't use Android in the Forester). The 2019 Forester is going to be all new, so assume it will have much of the new Tech this Crosstrek has. In Forester's defense, it has a more powerful engine, bigger cargo capacity, and better visibility, especially to the rear. But If I were to buy one, I would be leaning towards the all new Crosstrek

Can you get the manual with the same infotainment that was featured in the CVT model? I think having a display that shows the tire pressure in each tire is extremely useful.

same sentiment with the reviewer. hope they will include turbocharged engine (altealst a 1.6 liter turbo same with levorg.)

Unfortunately my Sentra just broke so I had to get a new car. and price being the most important thing I got the HRV with the six-speed manual and that completely transforms that car to being fun. basically drives like a fit on stilts I've owned a fit loved it and this is basically 15% more car with the six-speed so I'm glad to see that manufactures still offer 6-speed and that they're still fun to drive. more so than the CVT could ever be.

After this video I decided to buy my Subaru Crosstrek 2018 with manual transmission- no regrets ever since!

Great video.... I would get a 6-speed Premium too... (...ooopps then i lose "X-Mode")

Just bought one from Kelly Subaru in Chattanooga Tennessee for my wife love it for the money

any chance you could revisit this and take the new 2021 6 speed manual version to the test on your off road test? im on the market for this car right now and have been REALLY struggling hard between the 6 speed manual version and the new 2.5 liter sport version with the CVT (yuck..). bottom line is i want whichever is most reliable, fun, and best when the worst conditions like extreme off roading happens. and which one will handle it better with minimal stress on the car such as drive train and engine. ive heard all about the new 'X mode" they have and still question how gimmicky it is compared to the good old fashioned tried and test 6 speed manual as i understand their all wheel drive systems distribute power in different ways during off roading. id really love it and appreciate it if you could do an extreme off road test of the two and see which handles it better and with less stress to the car.

If doing off roading how much of a sacrifice would it be to go with the 6 speed manual and give up the X-mode?

This one checks off everything in my list EXCEPT for the lack of power. I hope Subaru at least considers offering an option for a turbo or a larger 4 banger - I would totally get it.

add the 1.6 turbo from the levorg and it will have alot more buyers

i got 53 mpg going from Gastonia NC to columbia SC and coming back on 1 tank of gas and I still had below half a tank of gas when it was all said and done

Loved watching this video watched because I was thinking about getting a crosstrek but now I want to learn how to get into the industry of reviewing vehicle like you do. Any suggestions. I work in the auto industry now. thanks

I’ve noticed Subaru drives better on rough road. Daily city driving the all wheel drive is vague. But the all wheel rides better for sure on the rain and snow. I owned 4 Subaru never look at any other competitors out there. Just love it.

After being an owner of a cvt, man i tell you i,ll go straight to the manual option.

manual tranny, naturally aspirated, awd, great gas mileage, good ground clearance, and practical interior. It's friggin' perfect, nobody cares that it's not fast. It has enough power keep up with highway speeds, and to merge safely (perhaps with a second or two more planning than normal)

My only vehicle currently is a 2020 Tacoma TRD Offroad which gets 19 MPG, so I'm thinking about picking up a used Crosstrek Premium manual as a daily driver because I drive about 500 miles per week and 30 MPG is appealing. Now that they offer a SIX speed instead of the outdated 5 speed, it's definitely a more desirable package. I just want to make sure there is no oil consumption issue with the engine before I buy one, but overall it's a great all-weather vehicle for the price.

Save the manuals!! Can’t wait for mine to come in a week🤤🤤

Crosstrek XT would be pretty sweet. Judging by the way the Forester XT ditched the 5spd in 2009, though, I'm confident a Crosstrek XT would only be a CVT.

having always driven manuals reluctantly bought a cvt with 2.5L for wife. To my surprise I do like the cvt at highway speeds, not so much in town. The manual paddle shifter makes it very controlabal on everyday mountain passes, and have no problems whatsoever passing semis on 2 lanes. would still prefer a 2.5 manual crosstrek

Did the manual have leather seats? It looks like it did but I didn't think you could get it with leather seats.

Rear legroom gains an inch. Wow, im heading for the dealership right now

Thanks for this video. Woke up thinking about trading my 2018 Crosstrek. Won't.

I went from a Outback with a cvt to a Forester with a manual. I like the Forester a lot better. I don't get as good fuel economy though.

Hows the offroad performance pf the CVT? Can it climb?

That’s it I’m getting the manual XV

I have had a 2.0 MT turbo diesel. Real power, and real fun to drive. However off-road (where I use it a lot) it is quite helpless whatever strange it may sound. Although the diesel engine's even torque helps on steep dusty-tracks or in deep mud, a CVT with petrol can perform much better. It may be a fun to play with the slipping clutch, but it smells like hell, and sooner or later kills it. I'll change back to CVT.

oh yes I'm getting this in a manual. if in the right position, an STI on the side. right now I have a 2018 WRX.

Would have liked to see the manual compared to the XMode on the hill decent.

Can you get the 4-wheel drive modes with the premium manual. I have a base and would spec my owne and order it if I could get it

I hear you about the manual transmission, but when it came time to buy your own Crosstrek, you picked one with the CVT, lol! I know it's the only transmission available on the model with the 2.5L engine that you got, but if you liked the manual so much, why didn't you get the 2.0L model with it?

It's so random that these Crosstrek's were tested in my backyard (Black Hills).