Distance: 832km
Location: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
Date: 19-21 February, 2023
Up front: The materials are cheap and the exterior paint flakes after less than two years on the road, but kept interesting with the use of imitation leather texture and shapes pressed onto the dashboard plastic. The sheer surface area of the reflective piano black material is a cause of concern under sunlight. At over $30,000 take-home price, it’s overpriced, but people will gladly pay a premium just for the ride height of a crossover.
The controls are simple and easy to use because there aren’t many. Air conditioning is one-zone only, there are no heated elements inside the car apart from the heating vents, and the seats are manual. But everything works as it should. There is plenty of steering wheel adjustment, the smartphone tethering works every time after a simple setup process, and visibility is good for parking and lane changes.
If the car cost $5,000 less at its base model configuration, I would recommend it without reservation. At its current price point, I feel it deserves at least manual lumbar support and heated wipers, Subaru offered them as standard on their mid-trim models 20 years ago.
In the back: Second-row comfort is excellent with some reclining possible, but I would avoid putting humans in the third row. The third row is nothing more than a number on a spec sheet. It’s difficult to climb into and passengers are basically sitting on the floor. I just used the seats to reduce the cargo capacity so my suitcase wouldn’t roll around.
Speaking of cargo, there is the choice between five passengers and five bags or seven passengers and no bags, which isn’t really a choice.
Driving: The front-wheel drive mid-size crossover comes with a 2.5L four-cylinder engine and dual-clutch transmission combo that feels like it came from a crossover from 10 years ago. While the naturally aspirated engine has predictable acceleration and might be suitable for a compact sedan, it is underpowered for a 7-seater.
The steering feels loose and the car feels light over 80km/h, not making it a great highway cruiser. The acceleration and braking is responsive at first, but fail to sustain performance when pushed. The driver needs to push the accelerator hard or plan additional distance for braking when dealing with suburban start-stop traffic that ranges from zero to 80 km/h. It’s best for short trips in the city in comfort mode, anything else feels like driving a washing machine with a loose tumbler.
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