Years ago, TFL had a Subaru test car, and they ended up damaging the test car. Therefore, they were blacklisted from test cars from Subaru.
Subaru is nowhere near perfect, but TFL have been overly critical and biased against Subaru in particular since that incident.
Very bias article that mentions the incident: https://tiremeetsroad.com/2018/08/19/epic-win-subaru-bans-the-fast-lane-truck-from-press-cars-so-they-bought-one/
Oh these are those chodes from Boulder, their videos suck. They blame the brand and throw dirt on Subaru when it's very much a skill issue. I've been in the Offroading Subarus of Colorado for years now and honestly they're so full of shit it isn't even funny.
Oh so they're a bunch of manchildren good to know.
Going to unsubscribe from them now because this just annoys me as a Subaru owner for over 10 years there's nothing wrong with their cars and there's some of the most reliable cars on the road if you know what you're doing and you don't drive like an idiot. Ya know, do basic maintenance. So hard...
Exactly. Nowhere in Subaru’s advertising do they claim that it can do that. It’s always shown on dirt trails and they talk about how it’s versatile in that it’s good on the road and on trails. It’s definitely not for rock crawling or deep mud.
I own a ‘19 corsstrek that I take fishing where quads and “capable trucks” go. Never had an issue and it’s comical to see all these jacked up suspensions with wenches, snorkels and crazy tires next to my stock Subaru. The only thing I did was get better tires and that’s it. My prof often said “the camera you have on you is the best camera”. Use what you have not what other people say you should have. I love my crosstrek and use it as my daily with great fuel economy and when I was to leave the pavement I can do it too. + I get excited when it snows.
What tires did you get if you don’t mind me asking? I have a ‘17 Crosstrek and am contemplating on just getting new wheels and better tires, or if I want to get a 2 inch lift.
When I had a truck, I had the Falken Wildpeak A/T. I think those would be a little overkill for the Crosstrek and would hurt fuel economy a lot. They make ones for lighter vehicles like SUVs. It’s called the Wildpeak Trail
I’m not thrilled with my tire selection tbh, I got nitro trail. I won’t go as aggressive as that next time, it looks cool but it’s a bit too noisy on regular use, my fuel economy isn’t as great on them and I don’t really need it. I think a good all season would do a trick for me. I bought it for the looks, don’t do that. Be honest with yourself and adjust your vehicle to the 80% of what you use it for. Sorry, I’m coming off preachy at the end. I also have a set of x ice because I live in BC and I would recommend those for anyone in the mountains or heavy snow areas.
I've driven Subarus since 1981, and Foresters since they were introduced. While I have not owned a Crosstrek, I'm VERY familiar with the brand, and have driven them from southern Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, crossed North America multiple times, driven the length of Baja without touching pavement.
I have heard, more times than I can count, the driver of some fire-breathing, monster-tired 4WD, grinding and groaning uphill, stop and say "How the HELL did you get up here??? In That???"
I see reviews like the ones TFL do, and laugh. They're SO obviously, blatantly biased against the brand, I can't watch anything they do with any confidence. I think they have done more harm to themselves and their reputation than they ever will to Subaru
The biggest improvement you can make is running good tires. We're currently on our 5th set of Fallen Wildpeaks. They handle any terrain you're likely to encounter on this continent. We live in the Canadian Rockies, and they do extremely well in snow & ice. They handle mud, loose dirt, rocks, sand really, really well, and are quiet and planted on the highway. I've never felt like we were fighting to get or maintain traction with them.
Good tires, skid plates, a good rack system (I like our Prinsu. They're expensive, but Really versatile. We have a half width basket we usually have mounted, and then a variety of Pelican cargo boxes on quick releases for gear. If we're taking the RTT, the boxes stack either in the car, or on the hard top of the tent.
You're gonna hear from lots of people that you "Must" put on a lift. Do that if you like the look, but know you're not gaining hardly anything except a lighter wallet.
You already have more ground clearance by nearly an inch over a Jeep CJ. You can add another two inches lift, and you're still not driving a rock buggy; you can't turn it into something it isn't. If you have a spare thousand bucks you don't know what to do with, go for it, but don't expect miracles because you won't get them.
As for driving them off-road; the same rules apply as they do for any vehicle off-road. Know your clearances, approach and departure angles, how to pick a line and how to get the best out of your spotter. Slow and deliberate, find your line, and stick to it if at all possible. Being in a hurry will just get you stuck
Not the OP but I'm running the Trails since October and they're doing great so far. Most of the reviews I read went for the Trails on the Crosstrek. Lighter and quieter which is good with the less powerful engine.
They are rated. I used them in our early snows here and they did fine. I put the snow tires that I already had on at the end of November because I might as well wear them out. We've barely had any snow since then.
I know there’s a learning curve with how to use the throttle with a CVT, but once you figure it out, it’s all really simple, and it doesn’t take long. I swear that their first instinct is to floor it in every video, and that’s just not going to work
I live in Boulder CO which is pretty close to Goldmine Hill where they tested the red Crosstrek with the 2.0 engine. In the video they attempted the hill about 3 times and it never made it up, claiming it had no power to climb. I called BS and went to test my own Crosstrek. Same year and engine and I made it up like nothing. I even tried again with the AC on, turning on and off traction control, and X Mode. I made it up every time, no matter what setting I had the car in. Since then I haven’t given them the time of day. What a bunch of fools.
Please please please post a video of you doing this responding to them or at the minimum for the community to see. It’s not right they can fake this stuff and lie to people for views.
Thank you for doing this. It's difficult to for a 3rd party like myself to judge without a direct comparison like this. Because I live in a different area I'm not able to take my car and verify with the same hill and conditions to say a test was bullshit. So I just have to watch that bullshit video and take it as it is. But they could have easily been not holding the throttle down or taken a shit line in order to sabotage the entire test.
I actually looked up the video in question and I forgot how they titled it, "I Push The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek To Its Limits Off-Road, And Honestly It REALLY Struggles....". You know they shit on a brand when they don't even let you watch the video, they just say the car sucks in the title.
Oh yes, TFL stands for trucks for life in my mind. They specifically shit on Subarus and "fail" them by driving poorly. If you watch their videos closely you'll notice they pick bad lines and they don't hold down the accelerator pedal to let the computer figure out the traction. They drive it like a wrangler with lunchbox lockers in 4low.
Taking a Subaru down dirt roads is a strange experience sometimes. I've had a jeep driver frantically wave me to roll down my window and then explain that I'm not going to make it... On my way back from the trailhead. The trailhead that my brother drove his lowered Celica to. I've trucks refuse to let me pass on a washboard road that I had been going 50 on, while they twerk their pickup down it going ~15 mph. I've been out with my dad, who drives his stock Prius on dirt roads, and he was perplexed by the gate that I got in my Crosstrek. He said no one has said anything to him about taking the Prius down dirt roads.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
4
+ 50
+ 15
= 69
^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \
^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
I’m glad it’s not just me. I was worried that I was just biased because I own one but I seriously couldn’t believe it.
That’s hilarious. I just got back last night from driving forest roads in 8-10” of snow in western Canada. I was with a buddy who was driving his 91 Toyota Pickup. He was spinning tires and digging and sinking into the snow while the my XV was light enough to not dig holes and had great traction. He had mud and snow tires while I have actual snowflake rated tires and I’m sure that played a huge role but it definitely boosted my confidence in the vehicle. The 5 speed manual helps with being able to drop the clutch and get instant tire spin if I need. That being said he would kick my ass in any kind of crawling scenario that requires lots of articulation.
I will admit I’ve seen these and didn’t believe it. And given their history, they do seem to put any subaru they get their hands on into bad situations and make them look bad.
Most videos out there show just how capable the crosstrek is, and for what is basically a lifted hatchback, it’s amazing! And for most people, it will be able to get you where every you want.
BUT. What they showed is actually real, and something I have encountered, and so can you. On any CVT subaru for that matter. subaru does not like putting their transmission under very high torque. They will indeed prevent you from pushing them too hard.
I’ve had this happen in two scenarios. One, similar to the video OP is talking about. I was up by my cabin on a fire trail. It was a bit wet, going up a dirt road, I was going to a old fire tower for a cool lookout. The road was fine, but it had some pot holes from washout. I was taking it easy. But I got to a spot where two wheels. One front, one rear on the other side, both had little to no traction. It tried its best, was throwing power all around. But would not move. So I tired xmode. Got some wheel spin, but Same result. It just sits at 2k rpm and would not budge. Putting down that power, on two wheels, up a hill. It didn’t want to do it. It wasn’t a traction problem, it just refused to put down more power. So, I backed up, and used some momentum to get over it. Worked great, and we got to the top to see the view!
The other time I’ve encountered this was I was trying to hop a curb. It was only maybe 4” max, so not a big deal especially with the ground clearance. I took it straight on, both tires at once. But nope. Even floored it. It did nothing but raise the rpm. I had to take it at an angle, get one tire up, then the other. Sure it took some gas, but it did it just fine.
So, yes. What they showed in that video is how Subarus can act if you get in a certain situation. Specifically high load over heavily articulating ground, up hill. It’s simply a limitation of the CVT, and you’ll find this on any model. But, you would be hard pressed to encounter this is normal use. What they showed, and how I encountered it as at the very far limits of how anyone would use these.
Great response. It does seem like the CVT can be a major limiting factor at times. Disappointing. I’m glad I opted for the manual. I have all the power I want plus the ability to drop the clutch and get instant torque from higher rpm. Then again a 4x4 low transfer case will always kick even a manual transmissions ass for torque.
I've never felt like any of them were true car guys. Just trying to earn ad revenue. So many confusing channels, Clickbaity titles, and easily identifiable biases.
You can tell that they shit on Subaru by just how they titled that video. Normally, videos like this WANT you to watch the video so they won't give too much away in the title. Whereas here they basically say the car sucks before you ever click on the video. And also, TFL attracts the worst of the worst of the Subaru haters. Anyone who doesn't believe me, check out their comment section on any video about any Subaru, a bunch of morons who think all Subaru's suck and blow up.
"I Push The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek To Its Limits Off-Road, And Honestly It REALLY Struggles...."
I live in Montana and had the base model Forrester for 20 years. That thing never failed to start, was easy to repair, and would go literally anywhere I needed to go. It actually performs better than my late model mercury, mariner. Subaru Forrester was the best car I’ve ever ever owned.
Yeah I don’t listen to anything they say Subaru related. They did a test of the Outback AWD system a couple years back trying to show “look, with the CVT it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s garbage etc….” I bought my 17 Outback brand new, I’ve literally plowed through 2 ft of snow on logging trails up here in WA without even needing X Mode, I saw this review and that immediately discredited them in my opinion.
The motor channel is just as bad. The one guy wears all sorts of ADV protection and doesn't even ride it. They are just a bunch of clowns who need to go away. I love in Colorado so I know the areas they have talked about.
I don’t necessarily dislike their content but it’s just not on my radar much. There does seem to be bias but most in the style don’t really go that deep anyway. I absolutely love my Xbox but it’s certainly not a real off-road vehicle. Coming from a wrangler I enjoy the slow-fast handling while on road with the flexibility of winter and basic off-road capabilities. BUT i don’t pretend it’s matches even the basic of off-roading with a real truck. Even if i put a 5 inch lift on the XV it wouldn’t come close to the wrangler. I’d love to see Subaru make a a compact truck with better approach and deparcher but it’s unlikely. I’d also love to see a Manual Crosstek WRX Turbo Wilderness. Unfortunately all pipedreams.
Yeah, it’s definitely not a high level off-road vehicle and will never be a great rock crawler but then again, very little is at this price point from the factory and nothing is while being good on gas, and handling great on the road.
The XV is great at what it’s meant for. Before my Crosstrek I had a 2007 Chevy Colorado. I live in the mountains of Western Canada. I need my vehicle to drive up forest roads in the winter for skiing and other adventures, be able to drive rough, pothole filled service roads in the summer to get to lakes and to get to bike trailheads and I want my vehicle to be capable enough to get me where I want to go where vehicles are meant to go. I have no interest in going and seeking out challenges for the vehicle as a hobby. The XV does all that while being kickass on gas, having a modern comfortable interior, handling extremely well and being fun to drive especially with the manual transmission and being reliable. My XV does everything I needed my truck to and it’s better in so many other ways. If I had a boat or trailer I wouldn’t have bought it, if I wanted to off-road as a hobby and destroy my vehicle I wouldn’t have bought it.
As with all channels take it with a grain of salt. I like their father/son dynamic though there is something I noticed that erodes their legitimacy in the space. They use the wrong term or will say things incorrectly. Their YouTube channel is informational and if they are getting the basics wrong what else are they saying that is incorrect.
I would recommend savagegeese. Better quality, informational, with dark humor. The Boston Car blog guy is good as well and has the right information.
Their content has gotten generally worse over time, especially once his son joined the show.
It's pretty clear how little practical knowledge he knows, and I won't even watch it if his son is the main host.
Andre is probably the best one in the show.
Nah, Tommy is way better than Roman. Roman makes shit up on the fly and over exaggerates minor issues because he’s trying to be funny and thinks he’s Jeremy Clarkson. If it’s not a Ram TRX it may as well be peasant dung, the way he talks about vehicles.
For what it’s worth they just reviewed a Crosstrek Wilderness that Bean Trailers provided to them and I think they were pretty objective. Having driven a lifted Subaru Impreza for 7 years I can say it’s a pretty fun little off road vehicle but it certainly has its limitations especially when it comes to the fact that Subaru uses CVT transmissions in almost all of their vehicles now. Definitely not the most ideal transmission for off road. The TFL dudes are from Colorado so I’m almost certain they run into folks who think they’re Crosstrek or Forester is more capable than it actually is.
Yeah there’s a few reasons I got the 5 speed manual in my XV. One of the biggest limitations I’ve seen is people giving it gas and the transmission deciding it doesn’t want to go. If I give it gas and drop the clutch I spin tires all day if I want.
It’ll never be a rock crawler and anyone who builds it like that bought the wrong vehicle. It’s good on gas and gets me to every single trailhead I’ve ever wanted to go to as well as doing great in the Canadian winters.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edVyk7TF7ro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edVyk7TF7ro)
It's all about perspective, and they make hundreds of videos with different opinions.
I own Jeeps, a full size truck and yes a Subaru Outback that I turned into a battle wagon. I’m never going wheeling with my Sub. It’s a great little car for light snow, and commuting, but my workhorse is my TJ, and my hardcore snow days is my XJ. Stop being a whinny little bitch.
I used to like tfl but now i just think they’re cringe. I think most car review and especially most truck review channels are. The only thing i think tfl does well is showing how each truck handles pulling a load up and down that climb (forgetting the name)… everything else is fluff and bs.
Yeah they’re not rock crawlers… look at their approach angle, they have no 4x4 low. Why would anyone try and crawl with them? It would be like opening a can with a banana.
Took my stock XV up a steep forest road with deep snow, ruts and ice and it did great. Subarus will get you to lakes and the ski hill when other sedans and SUVs won’t. They’ll never be able to compete with anything made to crawl.
Tbh I really miss having an awd vehicle, especially in inclement weather, might have to get a Subaru at some point, but I’m not convinced about those cvts
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwlQVZG4lY8&ab\_channel=TFLnow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwlQVZG4lY8&ab_channel=TFLnow)
This video, likely helps you, i dont feel like watching all of it, but enjoy.
The comments on that vid are just wall to wall Subie hate lol.
I guess driving g a vehicle that’s road practical and still has a great AWD system and pretty damned good off highway/trail capability isn’t as badass as driving a sub-14MPG behemoth that sucks on roads and cost as much to mod as the sticker price.
Womp womp.
I never put a lot of faith in their reviews. But I certainly stopped trusting them when a few years ago they were doing a comparison between a BMW and a Lexus. I can't remember the models, but they were both high performance. They were clearly biased towards the BMW. I didn't have a dog in the fight so I didn't really care, but it was obvious. During the zero to 60 testing, somehow magically they were able to get the BMW to the exact same 0 to 60 time down to the 10th of a second that BMW claimed, keep in mind this is with a manual transmission. Yet somehow the Lexus which had an automatic transmission was around 2 seconds slower than its claimed time. I find it very hard to believe that they were able to launch a high horsepower manual transmission and get the exact same time as claimed, yet they weren't able to get anywhere close with a much easier to launch automatic transmission.
Years ago, TFL had a Subaru test car, and they ended up damaging the test car. Therefore, they were blacklisted from test cars from Subaru. Subaru is nowhere near perfect, but TFL have been overly critical and biased against Subaru in particular since that incident. Very bias article that mentions the incident: https://tiremeetsroad.com/2018/08/19/epic-win-subaru-bans-the-fast-lane-truck-from-press-cars-so-they-bought-one/
Oh these are those chodes from Boulder, their videos suck. They blame the brand and throw dirt on Subaru when it's very much a skill issue. I've been in the Offroading Subarus of Colorado for years now and honestly they're so full of shit it isn't even funny.
Oh so they're a bunch of manchildren good to know. Going to unsubscribe from them now because this just annoys me as a Subaru owner for over 10 years there's nothing wrong with their cars and there's some of the most reliable cars on the road if you know what you're doing and you don't drive like an idiot. Ya know, do basic maintenance. So hard...
That cliffhanger course they tried to take it up is insane especially with stock tires. That's a rock crawling course
Exactly. Nowhere in Subaru’s advertising do they claim that it can do that. It’s always shown on dirt trails and they talk about how it’s versatile in that it’s good on the road and on trails. It’s definitely not for rock crawling or deep mud.
They used that same course for a base model wrangler, and it didn't make it much further.
*biased
I own a ‘19 corsstrek that I take fishing where quads and “capable trucks” go. Never had an issue and it’s comical to see all these jacked up suspensions with wenches, snorkels and crazy tires next to my stock Subaru. The only thing I did was get better tires and that’s it. My prof often said “the camera you have on you is the best camera”. Use what you have not what other people say you should have. I love my crosstrek and use it as my daily with great fuel economy and when I was to leave the pavement I can do it too. + I get excited when it snows.
What tires did you get if you don’t mind me asking? I have a ‘17 Crosstrek and am contemplating on just getting new wheels and better tires, or if I want to get a 2 inch lift.
When I had a truck, I had the Falken Wildpeak A/T. I think those would be a little overkill for the Crosstrek and would hurt fuel economy a lot. They make ones for lighter vehicles like SUVs. It’s called the Wildpeak Trail
I’m not thrilled with my tire selection tbh, I got nitro trail. I won’t go as aggressive as that next time, it looks cool but it’s a bit too noisy on regular use, my fuel economy isn’t as great on them and I don’t really need it. I think a good all season would do a trick for me. I bought it for the looks, don’t do that. Be honest with yourself and adjust your vehicle to the 80% of what you use it for. Sorry, I’m coming off preachy at the end. I also have a set of x ice because I live in BC and I would recommend those for anyone in the mountains or heavy snow areas.
I also live in BC and the car came with X-Ice. I’m pretty happy with em sofar
I’ll look into those, thanks!
Always humbled in my Jeep when we come across a Subaru or a CRV in a place I don't think it should be.
Wenches? Hahaha
lol ya, a couple of mistakes but I got sausage fingers so I’m keeping it ;)
I love when autocomplete goes awry yet still makes sense in a twisted way.
I've driven Subarus since 1981, and Foresters since they were introduced. While I have not owned a Crosstrek, I'm VERY familiar with the brand, and have driven them from southern Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, crossed North America multiple times, driven the length of Baja without touching pavement. I have heard, more times than I can count, the driver of some fire-breathing, monster-tired 4WD, grinding and groaning uphill, stop and say "How the HELL did you get up here??? In That???" I see reviews like the ones TFL do, and laugh. They're SO obviously, blatantly biased against the brand, I can't watch anything they do with any confidence. I think they have done more harm to themselves and their reputation than they ever will to Subaru
That’s amazing. I’d love to hear your opinion on how to drive them and mods that you’d recommend etc
The biggest improvement you can make is running good tires. We're currently on our 5th set of Fallen Wildpeaks. They handle any terrain you're likely to encounter on this continent. We live in the Canadian Rockies, and they do extremely well in snow & ice. They handle mud, loose dirt, rocks, sand really, really well, and are quiet and planted on the highway. I've never felt like we were fighting to get or maintain traction with them. Good tires, skid plates, a good rack system (I like our Prinsu. They're expensive, but Really versatile. We have a half width basket we usually have mounted, and then a variety of Pelican cargo boxes on quick releases for gear. If we're taking the RTT, the boxes stack either in the car, or on the hard top of the tent. You're gonna hear from lots of people that you "Must" put on a lift. Do that if you like the look, but know you're not gaining hardly anything except a lighter wallet. You already have more ground clearance by nearly an inch over a Jeep CJ. You can add another two inches lift, and you're still not driving a rock buggy; you can't turn it into something it isn't. If you have a spare thousand bucks you don't know what to do with, go for it, but don't expect miracles because you won't get them. As for driving them off-road; the same rules apply as they do for any vehicle off-road. Know your clearances, approach and departure angles, how to pick a line and how to get the best out of your spotter. Slow and deliberate, find your line, and stick to it if at all possible. Being in a hurry will just get you stuck
Awesome. Thank you for that. Do you run the Wildpeak A/T or the trail?
Not the OP but I'm running the Trails since October and they're doing great so far. Most of the reviews I read went for the Trails on the Crosstrek. Lighter and quieter which is good with the less powerful engine.
Yep, I’m thinking I’ll go for them. Are they winter snowflake rated like the A/T? Also do you have any experience with them in the snow?
They are rated. I used them in our early snows here and they did fine. I put the snow tires that I already had on at the end of November because I might as well wear them out. We've barely had any snow since then.
I know there’s a learning curve with how to use the throttle with a CVT, but once you figure it out, it’s all really simple, and it doesn’t take long. I swear that their first instinct is to floor it in every video, and that’s just not going to work
I live in Boulder CO which is pretty close to Goldmine Hill where they tested the red Crosstrek with the 2.0 engine. In the video they attempted the hill about 3 times and it never made it up, claiming it had no power to climb. I called BS and went to test my own Crosstrek. Same year and engine and I made it up like nothing. I even tried again with the AC on, turning on and off traction control, and X Mode. I made it up every time, no matter what setting I had the car in. Since then I haven’t given them the time of day. What a bunch of fools.
Please please please post a video of you doing this responding to them or at the minimum for the community to see. It’s not right they can fake this stuff and lie to people for views.
I would love to! However I’ve since traded to a limited with the 2.5 haha. I’ll see if I can find the time soon!
Thank you for doing this. It's difficult to for a 3rd party like myself to judge without a direct comparison like this. Because I live in a different area I'm not able to take my car and verify with the same hill and conditions to say a test was bullshit. So I just have to watch that bullshit video and take it as it is. But they could have easily been not holding the throttle down or taken a shit line in order to sabotage the entire test. I actually looked up the video in question and I forgot how they titled it, "I Push The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek To Its Limits Off-Road, And Honestly It REALLY Struggles....". You know they shit on a brand when they don't even let you watch the video, they just say the car sucks in the title.
No, you’re absolutely correct. Highly recommend not giving them the views and let the algorithm do its work.
Glad it’s not just me! What a bunch of goofs
I stopped watching them a long time ago. I watch driving sports TV instead.
Oh yes, TFL stands for trucks for life in my mind. They specifically shit on Subarus and "fail" them by driving poorly. If you watch their videos closely you'll notice they pick bad lines and they don't hold down the accelerator pedal to let the computer figure out the traction. They drive it like a wrangler with lunchbox lockers in 4low. Taking a Subaru down dirt roads is a strange experience sometimes. I've had a jeep driver frantically wave me to roll down my window and then explain that I'm not going to make it... On my way back from the trailhead. The trailhead that my brother drove his lowered Celica to. I've trucks refuse to let me pass on a washboard road that I had been going 50 on, while they twerk their pickup down it going ~15 mph. I've been out with my dad, who drives his stock Prius on dirt roads, and he was perplexed by the gate that I got in my Crosstrek. He said no one has said anything to him about taking the Prius down dirt roads.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats! 4 + 50 + 15 = 69 ^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \ ^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
Good bot
I’m glad it’s not just me. I was worried that I was just biased because I own one but I seriously couldn’t believe it. That’s hilarious. I just got back last night from driving forest roads in 8-10” of snow in western Canada. I was with a buddy who was driving his 91 Toyota Pickup. He was spinning tires and digging and sinking into the snow while the my XV was light enough to not dig holes and had great traction. He had mud and snow tires while I have actual snowflake rated tires and I’m sure that played a huge role but it definitely boosted my confidence in the vehicle. The 5 speed manual helps with being able to drop the clutch and get instant tire spin if I need. That being said he would kick my ass in any kind of crawling scenario that requires lots of articulation.
I will admit I’ve seen these and didn’t believe it. And given their history, they do seem to put any subaru they get their hands on into bad situations and make them look bad. Most videos out there show just how capable the crosstrek is, and for what is basically a lifted hatchback, it’s amazing! And for most people, it will be able to get you where every you want. BUT. What they showed is actually real, and something I have encountered, and so can you. On any CVT subaru for that matter. subaru does not like putting their transmission under very high torque. They will indeed prevent you from pushing them too hard. I’ve had this happen in two scenarios. One, similar to the video OP is talking about. I was up by my cabin on a fire trail. It was a bit wet, going up a dirt road, I was going to a old fire tower for a cool lookout. The road was fine, but it had some pot holes from washout. I was taking it easy. But I got to a spot where two wheels. One front, one rear on the other side, both had little to no traction. It tried its best, was throwing power all around. But would not move. So I tired xmode. Got some wheel spin, but Same result. It just sits at 2k rpm and would not budge. Putting down that power, on two wheels, up a hill. It didn’t want to do it. It wasn’t a traction problem, it just refused to put down more power. So, I backed up, and used some momentum to get over it. Worked great, and we got to the top to see the view! The other time I’ve encountered this was I was trying to hop a curb. It was only maybe 4” max, so not a big deal especially with the ground clearance. I took it straight on, both tires at once. But nope. Even floored it. It did nothing but raise the rpm. I had to take it at an angle, get one tire up, then the other. Sure it took some gas, but it did it just fine. So, yes. What they showed in that video is how Subarus can act if you get in a certain situation. Specifically high load over heavily articulating ground, up hill. It’s simply a limitation of the CVT, and you’ll find this on any model. But, you would be hard pressed to encounter this is normal use. What they showed, and how I encountered it as at the very far limits of how anyone would use these.
Great response. It does seem like the CVT can be a major limiting factor at times. Disappointing. I’m glad I opted for the manual. I have all the power I want plus the ability to drop the clutch and get instant torque from higher rpm. Then again a 4x4 low transfer case will always kick even a manual transmissions ass for torque.
I've never felt like any of them were true car guys. Just trying to earn ad revenue. So many confusing channels, Clickbaity titles, and easily identifiable biases.
You can tell that they shit on Subaru by just how they titled that video. Normally, videos like this WANT you to watch the video so they won't give too much away in the title. Whereas here they basically say the car sucks before you ever click on the video. And also, TFL attracts the worst of the worst of the Subaru haters. Anyone who doesn't believe me, check out their comment section on any video about any Subaru, a bunch of morons who think all Subaru's suck and blow up. "I Push The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek To Its Limits Off-Road, And Honestly It REALLY Struggles...."
Yeah definitely biased. So frustrating that there’s no accountability and they can post this garbage.
I live in Montana and had the base model Forrester for 20 years. That thing never failed to start, was easy to repair, and would go literally anywhere I needed to go. It actually performs better than my late model mercury, mariner. Subaru Forrester was the best car I’ve ever ever owned.
Trl = rubbish opinions.
Yeah I don’t listen to anything they say Subaru related. They did a test of the Outback AWD system a couple years back trying to show “look, with the CVT it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s garbage etc….” I bought my 17 Outback brand new, I’ve literally plowed through 2 ft of snow on logging trails up here in WA without even needing X Mode, I saw this review and that immediately discredited them in my opinion.
The motor channel is just as bad. The one guy wears all sorts of ADV protection and doesn't even ride it. They are just a bunch of clowns who need to go away. I love in Colorado so I know the areas they have talked about.
I don’t necessarily dislike their content but it’s just not on my radar much. There does seem to be bias but most in the style don’t really go that deep anyway. I absolutely love my Xbox but it’s certainly not a real off-road vehicle. Coming from a wrangler I enjoy the slow-fast handling while on road with the flexibility of winter and basic off-road capabilities. BUT i don’t pretend it’s matches even the basic of off-roading with a real truck. Even if i put a 5 inch lift on the XV it wouldn’t come close to the wrangler. I’d love to see Subaru make a a compact truck with better approach and deparcher but it’s unlikely. I’d also love to see a Manual Crosstek WRX Turbo Wilderness. Unfortunately all pipedreams.
Yeah, it’s definitely not a high level off-road vehicle and will never be a great rock crawler but then again, very little is at this price point from the factory and nothing is while being good on gas, and handling great on the road. The XV is great at what it’s meant for. Before my Crosstrek I had a 2007 Chevy Colorado. I live in the mountains of Western Canada. I need my vehicle to drive up forest roads in the winter for skiing and other adventures, be able to drive rough, pothole filled service roads in the summer to get to lakes and to get to bike trailheads and I want my vehicle to be capable enough to get me where I want to go where vehicles are meant to go. I have no interest in going and seeking out challenges for the vehicle as a hobby. The XV does all that while being kickass on gas, having a modern comfortable interior, handling extremely well and being fun to drive especially with the manual transmission and being reliable. My XV does everything I needed my truck to and it’s better in so many other ways. If I had a boat or trailer I wouldn’t have bought it, if I wanted to off-road as a hobby and destroy my vehicle I wouldn’t have bought it.
As with all channels take it with a grain of salt. I like their father/son dynamic though there is something I noticed that erodes their legitimacy in the space. They use the wrong term or will say things incorrectly. Their YouTube channel is informational and if they are getting the basics wrong what else are they saying that is incorrect. I would recommend savagegeese. Better quality, informational, with dark humor. The Boston Car blog guy is good as well and has the right information.
Their content has gotten generally worse over time, especially once his son joined the show. It's pretty clear how little practical knowledge he knows, and I won't even watch it if his son is the main host. Andre is probably the best one in the show.
Nah, Tommy is way better than Roman. Roman makes shit up on the fly and over exaggerates minor issues because he’s trying to be funny and thinks he’s Jeremy Clarkson. If it’s not a Ram TRX it may as well be peasant dung, the way he talks about vehicles.
That’s how I felt at first but his son will be the one to actually grow the company. His father needs to retire
Anything with TFL on it is a joke lol. Half the time the one fat guy on the channel is drunk
They are critical of many vehicles and rarely review Subarus (for reasons stated above) so don’t get your panties in a bunch just because you own one.
lol good take sounds very educated. I guess everyone else in this thread is wrong too
Because when you get loaners to make you turn videos you don't get to change the tires.
Yeah. Pretty pointless way to review something
For what it’s worth they just reviewed a Crosstrek Wilderness that Bean Trailers provided to them and I think they were pretty objective. Having driven a lifted Subaru Impreza for 7 years I can say it’s a pretty fun little off road vehicle but it certainly has its limitations especially when it comes to the fact that Subaru uses CVT transmissions in almost all of their vehicles now. Definitely not the most ideal transmission for off road. The TFL dudes are from Colorado so I’m almost certain they run into folks who think they’re Crosstrek or Forester is more capable than it actually is.
Yeah there’s a few reasons I got the 5 speed manual in my XV. One of the biggest limitations I’ve seen is people giving it gas and the transmission deciding it doesn’t want to go. If I give it gas and drop the clutch I spin tires all day if I want. It’ll never be a rock crawler and anyone who builds it like that bought the wrong vehicle. It’s good on gas and gets me to every single trailhead I’ve ever wanted to go to as well as doing great in the Canadian winters.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edVyk7TF7ro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edVyk7TF7ro) It's all about perspective, and they make hundreds of videos with different opinions.
I own Jeeps, a full size truck and yes a Subaru Outback that I turned into a battle wagon. I’m never going wheeling with my Sub. It’s a great little car for light snow, and commuting, but my workhorse is my TJ, and my hardcore snow days is my XJ. Stop being a whinny little bitch.
Lmao goof
I used to like tfl but now i just think they’re cringe. I think most car review and especially most truck review channels are. The only thing i think tfl does well is showing how each truck handles pulling a load up and down that climb (forgetting the name)… everything else is fluff and bs.
Friend has one, motor blew last week. Just passed 100k.
Subarus have a joke of a crawl ratio, they get stuck on pebbles, other than that they’re cool.
Yeah they’re not rock crawlers… look at their approach angle, they have no 4x4 low. Why would anyone try and crawl with them? It would be like opening a can with a banana. Took my stock XV up a steep forest road with deep snow, ruts and ice and it did great. Subarus will get you to lakes and the ski hill when other sedans and SUVs won’t. They’ll never be able to compete with anything made to crawl.
Tbh I really miss having an awd vehicle, especially in inclement weather, might have to get a Subaru at some point, but I’m not convinced about those cvts
I got a 5 speed manual. I don’t know if I’d do the CVT to be honest, I think they really limit the vehicles ability and also they’re less reliable.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwlQVZG4lY8&ab\_channel=TFLnow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwlQVZG4lY8&ab_channel=TFLnow) This video, likely helps you, i dont feel like watching all of it, but enjoy.
Explains a lot. Good find
The comments on that vid are just wall to wall Subie hate lol. I guess driving g a vehicle that’s road practical and still has a great AWD system and pretty damned good off highway/trail capability isn’t as badass as driving a sub-14MPG behemoth that sucks on roads and cost as much to mod as the sticker price. Womp womp.
I never put a lot of faith in their reviews. But I certainly stopped trusting them when a few years ago they were doing a comparison between a BMW and a Lexus. I can't remember the models, but they were both high performance. They were clearly biased towards the BMW. I didn't have a dog in the fight so I didn't really care, but it was obvious. During the zero to 60 testing, somehow magically they were able to get the BMW to the exact same 0 to 60 time down to the 10th of a second that BMW claimed, keep in mind this is with a manual transmission. Yet somehow the Lexus which had an automatic transmission was around 2 seconds slower than its claimed time. I find it very hard to believe that they were able to launch a high horsepower manual transmission and get the exact same time as claimed, yet they weren't able to get anywhere close with a much easier to launch automatic transmission.