Family car review: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek AWD 2.0S

How big is the boot of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek?

Space in the cabin of the Subaru Crosstrek is extremely comfortable for passengers and legroom is very generous. The space does feel like it has been taken slightly from the boot, where it feels shallow and compact compared to the cabin.

There is a full-size spare tyre underneath the boot floor which is fantastic as this is rare in most new cars.

In the boot of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, you can fit 10 shopping bags which is comparable to the Mazda CX-30 which also fits 10, the Hyundai Kona which fits eleven and the Kia Seltos which fits twelve shopping bags.

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek's boot floor is nice and flat and carpeted, great for transporting a small-sized family dog or an emergency nappy change.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat…

…will fit in the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek's boot with two shopping bags.

The Thule Urban Glide 3 single is the ultimate all-terrain stroller…

… with the back wheels removed, it will fit in the Crosstrek boot…

… with five shopping bags.

The Thule Spring, lightweight and one-handed folding stroller…

… fits in the boot of the Subaru Crosstrek with six shopping bags.

The Subaru Crosstrek's boot can accommodate two 70L and two 40L Thule Chasm duffle bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

How good is storage in the New 2024 Subaru Crosstrek?

Storage in the front of the Subaru Crosstrek is practical for families, with a good-sized storage space for everything you need. Two cup holders are in the central console that will hold refillable or disposable coffee cups.

The central console box is a generous size…

… and there is a wireless phone charging pad in front of the gear lever.

The glove box will hold an iPad and wallet with the manual.

… and the front door bins are a very good size and fit a refillable water bottle and iPad and have the same storage wells in the door handles.

Rear passengers are well looked after too, with two cup holders in the fold-down armrest in the central seat back, that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup or a kid's drink cup fits in there too.

There is a single map pocket on the back of the front passenger seat, that will hold but not conceal an iPad.

The door bins in the back will fit a refillable water bottle and there is storage in the handle wells too.

So… How noisy is the new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek?

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek has had a technology upgrade since I last drove one. The Crosstrek has a large portrait media screen in the central dash. It is modern and easy to use and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. The climate controls stay along the bottom of the screen and the temperature controls along the side so they are easy to locate and use while driving. 

Within the settings screen, you can customise many aspects of the car. Like turning the auto engine cut out on and off, the lane departure etc.

Things you can customise includ the sound, so those with noise-sensitive kids can turn things down or off (including the warning beeps).

When you put the Crosstrek in reverse, the camera image is lovely and clear and you can turn the parking sensors off with a button on the screen.

There are different angles you can view the cameras from…

… including a 360-degree camera.

The indicator sound is not too loud in the Crosstrek and would not disturb any sleeping passengers.

In the Subaru Crosstrek the windows and doors aren't too bad for noise. Closing both the windows and doors is not baby-waking!

The tailgate of the Crostrek opens manually and nice and quietly, it is silent to open and close which is a great BabyDrive feature so you can access the boot while Bub is asleep without waking them up!

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The road and engine noise were really good in the new Subaru Crosstrek, I found it quiet and smooth to drive!

How many child seats can you fit in the new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek?

When it comes to installing child seats in the back of the Subaru Crosstrek there are ISOFix in the two outer rear seats.

They are behind flaps of the seat fabric and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seat backs, They are clearly labelled within plastic guides and are easily accessible through the boot.

Three child seats will fit across the rear seats for families that need them to. However one of them does need to be rear-facing, I couldn't fit three forward-facing child seats across and these are some of the slimmest child seats on the market. They will only fit three across of one of the child seats is rear-facing because the sides of the Subaru CrossTrek taper in at the rear side pillars. So if you need to fit three child seats across then consider the ages your children will need to be rear and forward facing.

Two child seats fit very comfortably in the back of the Subaru Crosstrek in the outer seats.

Legroom is fantastic in the Subaru Crosstrek, we found we could sit a 182cm driver in front of a rear-facing child seat.

With a forward-facing child seat, we could fit a 186cm driver or taller.

Rear passengers do not get air vents in the back of the Subaru CrossTrek. So you do need to use the central front vents to warm or cool down your rear passengers. There are USB and USB-C sockets in the back of the central console box for rear passengers to charge their devices.

With only one child seat installed in the back, there is plenty of room to feed Bub.

Posting Bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car was fine in the Crostrek too.

Australia being a country of weather extremes- blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

So… How comfy is the New 2024 Subaru Crosstrek?

The front seats in the Crosstrek are very comfortable.

Both front seats have electric adjustments on the side and are heated using the buttons down in the central console.

I found I couldn't wear a ponytail in the front seats because the headrests are not fully adjustable.

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

I found the rear seats comfortable too. It was too tight for me to sit in the central seat between the two child seats but I could sit beside two child seats.

The central seatback is firmer due to the cup holders but the hump in the footwell is not too high and easily straddled.

The steering wheel is fully adjustable up/down and in/out and the cruise control buttons on the right on the steering wheel are simple and easy to use.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front of the dashboard, one either side of the large media screen and one at either end of the dashboard.

The air-con controls are on the bottom of the media screen and the temperature control buttons are on the side. I found them nice and easy to locate and use while driving.

There are no air vents in the back for the rear passengers in the Crosstrek so you have to share the vents from the front to keep rear passengers comfortable while driving along. There are two USB sockets in the back of the central console so rear passengers can charge devices.

There are no built-in window shades in the Subaru Crosstrek so I did have to add my own window shades. The side windows are a good size giving good visibility for all passengers forward and rear-facing in the back.

I found visibility very good out of all the windows when driving even with three child seats in the back I could see out of the rear windscreen.

I found the Crosstrek is easy to drive around town and when manoeuvring and parking because it is compact and has a great turning circle and visibility.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually, I dread parking long cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Subaru Crosstrek compact SUV was easy to reverse park!

The rear interior lights are in the ceiling just behind the sunroof and I found them easily reachable when driving which was great!

I have found Bub does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

There are handles above both back doors, which I found were well-located for hanging baby toys from.

So… How safe is the New 2024 Subaru Crosstrek?

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek is yet to be given an ANCAP safety rating.

Nine airbags come as standard including;

dual front, dual front side, dual curtain, driver's knee, far side and front passenger seat cushion

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek comes with adaptive cruise control (ACC), autonomous emergency steering, blind-spot monitoring (BSM), brake light recognition, distraction warning, drowsiness warning, EyeSight assist monitor, facial recognition, front pre-collision braking (AEB), high-beam assist, intelligent speed limiter, lane keep assist, lane centring assist, lane departure prevention, lane departure warning, lane sway warning, lead vehicle start alert, lane change assist, pre-collision braking system (AEB), pre-collision throttle management, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, reverse automatic braking (AEB), speed limiter and speed sign recognition as standard.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!