| 2021 |
Back in the 2000s Subarus were prone to head gasket failures, and for this and other reasons could be somewhat expensive to maintain. For the past decade, though, their reliability has been much better despite a switch to CVT transmissions, which can be troublesome and expensive to replace in some other makes.
The generation of Impreza on which the Crosstrek is based has been in production since the 2017 model year, and so far has been very reliable. In our reliability survey only one in ten 2018 Crosstreks or Imprezzas required a repair in the year ending June 30, 2018.
We don't have reliability data for the Kia Seltos, which was introduced only a year ago. The turbo engine and dual-clutch automated manual transmission could be less reliable than the Subaru's larger, less-stressed non-turbo engine and CVT far down the road. But if you buy the Seltos new a warranty covers these for the first ten years or 100,000 miles. For second and later owners, the Kia's powertrain warranty is the same as the Subaru's: 5/60.
full 2021 Subaru XV Crosstrek review |
2018 Subaru Crosstrek
Best
13%
Worst
2013 - 2017 Subaru XV Crosstrek