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The 7 Best-Selling Small SUVs - New Subaru Crosstrek Makes A Bold Mark

The top 7 best-selling small SUVs through the year's first quarter include the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. See how it's making a mark with the top-selling models.

If things were normal, Subaru of America's two best-selling all-wheel-drive models would be the 2022 Forester compact SUV and the 2022 Outback midsize SUV. Because it's been a crazy year with new car shortages, the best-selling model in the Camden, N.J. automaker's all-wheel-drive lineup in the first quarter of the year is now the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek subcompact SUV.

The hot Crosstrek is now among the twenty-five best-selling cars, SUVs, and trucks in the first quarter. Crosstrek sales were up 6.5 percent compared with last year. The Crosstrek is now the number two-selling subcompact SUV with 37,463 sales through the first three months, and the Honda HR-V is the top subcompact with 42,168 sales.

2022 Subaru Crosstrek features, upgrades, specs, fuel mileage
photo credit: Competition Subaru

How does the Crosstrek compare with the top compact SUVs?

The Subaru Crosstrek is even among the best-selling compact SUVs, with the Hyundai Tucson (39,655 sales) and Ford Escape (39,962) also among the twenty-five best models this year. The Nissan Rogue (45,235), Honda CR-V (58,579), and Toyota RAV4 (101,192) are the top three selling compact SUVs.

When Subaru refreshed the Crosstrek in 2021, sales of the subcompact SUV took a jump. Customers had been asking Subaru of America to give the Crosstrek more power. They responded by building a new Crosstrek Sport trim level with the 2.5-liter Boxer engine with 30 additional horsepower.

2022 Subaru Crosstrek features, upgrades, specs, fuel mileage
photo credit: Schumacher Subaru

Subaru also dropped the 2.5-liter engine in the Crosstrek Limited trim level. The Crosstrek appeals to a younger audience, and the Sport trim was an instant success with outdoor enthusiasts. Subaru says 30 percent of Crosstrek owners take their subcompact SUV off-pavement for weekend adventures.

What sets Crosstrek apart from the competition?

The Subaru Crosstrek comes with standard Symmetrical all-wheel-drive and 8.7-inches of ground clearance which no competitor exceeds. The Crosstrek base and Premium trims come with the standard X-Mode for more severe winter driving and off-road excursions.

One of the significant changes for the refresh also included giving the Crosstrek Sport and Limited a dual-function X-Mode for added off-pavement performance. It includes a Deep Snow/Deep Mud setting.

What is the price of the 2022 Subaru Crosstrek?

The 2022 Subaru Crosstrek comes in five trim levels for customers. The base trim has an MSRP of $23,570, Premium ($24,720), Sport ($27,920), Limited ($29,420) and Crosstrek Hybrid ($37,895). Prices include destination and delivery fees ($1,125).

What is the Crosstrek fuel mileage?

You can have an all-wheel-drive SUV with gas prices rising and still get excellent fuel efficiency. The Subaru Crosstrek uses direct injection on its new 2.5-liter four-cylinder Boxer engine and gets 27/34 city/highway mpg and 29 combined mpg.

The 2.0-liter engine gets 28/33 mpg and 30 combined mpg with the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) automatic, contributing to better mileage.

What are the Crosstrek safety scores?

The 2022 Subaru Crosstrek, rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), has been a Top Safety Pick winner for 11 consecutive years. The Crosstrek Hybrid earns the highest Top Safety Pick + award.

2022 Crosstrek trims with the CVT automatic transmission come standard with Subaru's EyeSight safety technology. EyeSight includes forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with complete stop, lane departure warning, lead vehicle start alert, rear vehicle detection, blind-spot detection, lane change assist, and a rear cross-traffic alert.

Our take

Which trim level is the best value? The 2022 Premium Crosstrek trim hits the sweet spot and comes with the standard features most customers want. We would pick the Sport trim with the 2.5-liter engine for outdoor enthusiasts because it offers more horsepower without sacrificing fuel mileage. It also has the dual-function X-Mode for severe weather and extreme all-terrain ability.

The 2022 Subaru Crosstrek is now among the seven best-selling small SUVs in the first three months of 2022. The top-selling model in Subaru of America's all-wheel-drive SUV lineup is now the Crosstrek.

You Might Also Like: The 9 Best SUVs Under $25K - Subaru Crosstrek Now Scores 2nd Overall

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Subaru USA

Comments

Frank A Martin (not verified)    April 10, 2022 - 9:34AM

I don't see how it will be possible to introduce a 3rd generation Crosstrek, a 6th generation Impreza, and an upgraded Outback. There is no point in introducing new generations if you can't p roduce enough vehicles to meet demand.