I Looked At the 2025 Subaru Crosstrek and Walked Away Because of the Touchscreen, I’m Test-Driving a Car, Not A Laptop

What even is this clickbait? You try to show someone experience and it’s just they don’t like it with no extra context. Wow great news. Glad I clicked it. Would clickbait again

I agree. I have been driving Subarus for many years, and had the option to get a brand new one when I went car shopping recently. But I absolutely hate the large computer screen and the lack of any physical controls. It seems both aesthetically unappealing and an unsafe distraction. I love to drive and I want an unfettered view of the road. For various reasons, I decided to lower my car purchase expenses and got a 2020 Subaru Forester instead to tide me over. It has a modestly sized screen with good visibility (not too much glare, like the back-up view screen on older models with the screen by the windshield), and I have actual knobs for things like temperature control and ventilation. Subaru has lost me in new car purchases until they roll back the tech to a more reasonable size and bring back a few knobs.

Just purchased took me ten days to get comfortable with technology, screen, sight lines. Happy with my purchase, it's a smaller vehicle by choice than my previous rides, optimistic.

My mother and I just bought a 2025 Crosstrex and absolutely love it for all the conveniences from the large touchscreen to the ability of her being able to get in much easier than the four runner she used to own. Note she’s 87 but thinks she’s 45. I would definitely recommend this vehicle.

It's so funny all these folks are saying this. My husband bought a crosstrek specifically for the huge screen and my sister in law is buying a forester for the same reason. I've driven the crosstrek on 3 road trips in the year we've had it for a total of 3k miles. The large screen makes looking at the google/waze/apple map so easy and if you're playing music or a recorded book, you can switch back and forth between apps easily and quickly.
I highly recommend it. I'll be looking to replace my car at the end of the year and Subaru is at the top of my list.

I have a 2020 Outback that has two smaller touchscreens. I purchased the base model to avoid the larger touchscreen. The smaller touchscreens are also slow and distracting. But the rest of the Outback is great, so I will continue to drive until the hybrid version becomes available.

I recently had the new Outback for a week as an owner loaner and have to agree. I hated the touchscreen! It was actually a distraction from driving. My current vehicle is a 2019 Ascent. I love it, best of both worlds. Screen for phone and music, dials for climate and fans. Wonderful!

Seriously, you know nothing about cars and touch screens. My wife and I have owned 33 vehicles, including several Subarus. Our 2923 Subaru Ascent has the 11.6" touchscreen and it's one of the best and most intuitive Ive seen and some important controls are still knobs. I doubt you're automotive expertise.

Ted

I have the 2025 Crosstrek and I am not a big fan of the touchscreen. The screen is slow and definitely has a lag time. I would rather the climate controls are knobs/button and separate from the screen. Too complicated and unsafe to change heat/AC while driving. I try to set up everything before I drive off. That being said, I do love my Subaru crosstrek, very liable, safe and great pick up on the highway.

And the worst part is things will get more and more complicated if that's possible, the only solution is to buy an older vehicle but depending on what it is parts availability is the problem, as it is even new models from all manufacturers are facing problems obtaining replacement parts,

Couldn't show a picture?

I purchased a new subaru crosstrek 2 months ago. Happy with its fuel economy. Not happy with the auto stop start and cannot disable it . Also touch screen is so big and unnecessary causing a distraction when needing to change climate control. Knobs are better. Overall a nice car to drive.

The first-gen iPad is not impressed with being compared to a laggy interface. They must be saving hundreds of pennies, there.

Then dont do a tesla. Everything is controlled by the screen

we have 2018 subaru crosstrek orange color. first my wife doesn't like that color that much, but while she park at Walmart parking lot many people knock on her window and said it's beautiful car and some older people asked her what car is this. many these incidents made her love that orange subaru crosstrek. last June it's has almost 89000 miles so we decided to get a new crosstrek. so we went subaru dealership. they told us they stopped making orange color crosstrek. very disappointing news. but they have some things similar color. it's called sunrise orange. not that bright and many new things. but we didn't like that big screen at first. but it's driving comfort is very good. after one week driving we get used with that new big screen. now it's don't bother at all. great car..great on snow and ice..

Nobody that really knows how to drive likes these massive touch hazards. Fine for radio and phone connection but THAT IS IT. The ONLY positive seems to be navigation (again for people that don't know how to actually navigate). But even that is a negative because hint...mindlessly following a blue line is NOT navigation. Some people who actually used to know how to navigate decided to abandon their skill and knowledge willingly...its insane and I'm guessing part of the grand scheme to eventually ban the personal vehicle. We have insane laws about using a phone while driving, ( done almost everywhere in the world with no problem since eyes are still on the road), yet we facilitate the mandatory removal of eyes from the road for every single interior comfort action possible. Humanity (at least in the west) has truly gone insane. This will be the shortest lived civilization in human history.

I have a new 2025 Outback with the big screen. Just a couple of more physical AND dedicated digital buttons would have been perfect for me. More problematic, I have had to learn how to restart the infotainment unit/screen twice now. As an IT worker, I am okay with this. I am concerned that most everyone else will not be okay with this, though.

We are on our 4th outback, a 2013, and upgrade to a newer one around every 7 - 10 years so we have been driving them a long time. Not looking forward to the large laptop style touchscreens in the future. Have been in cars that have them. I prefer to have all navigation features directly in front of me. Trying fiddle with flat screen controls while driving when driving seems hazardous. I would prefer controls that I can feel while keeping my eyes on the road.
On a different subject, I must say that I am disappointed in the newer subaru's (2013) ability to be repaired. All our other old subaru's had parts available when needed. This one had a transmission failure and no parts or replacement transmissions were available. Had to get one out of a wrecking yard. I love the car with its 6 cylinder engine but the dependability seems less than the older ones. As we move forward I hope that changes for the better. And not looking forward to the touch screen in the future.

Still you are concerned with the 'laptop' and just about the least relevant thing in a vehicle. You are as stupid as you look.

I live in Ottawa,Ontario, Canada. I’m retired. Subaru is the only car I’ve ever owned since the days of the BRAT. I’ve owned Crosstrek's since 2013, As well as a 2020 Outback. I’m looking at the new 2926 Outback Hybrid when it’s available. I love the display and the size and ease of use.
I looked at a Tesla(before the now Musk situation). Wouldn’t touch one. Screen is to big and to cumbersome
Cheers

I love my new 2025 Subaru Crosstrek. My only problem is the trunk/the boot in Aust.is a bit small otherwise my Crosstrek is almost perfect everything is good 💯%

Have a 2022 Outback with the same screen. There will always be a few Luddites who reject innovation. I embrace it even at 77 years old. Had no trouble mastering the infotainment screen, especially since it was updated several times to make it more functional and improve the layout based on customer response.

I don’t own a Crosstrek but a 24 Ascent. I agree, the touchscreens are a huge distraction and an accident waiting to happen. You have to look at it whenever you want to do something, taking your eyes off the road. Bring back the knobs/push buttons especially for the heat/ac.

I’ve a 2023 WRX, and have to 100% agree, the touch screen is absolutely terrible, even after the “software upgrade”. it’s nothing but a giant, reflective pain in the ash. Subaru could have mounted the screen with a 10 degree angle towards the driver, and it would have done wonders for it. the glare is the worst. the interface isn’t much better. any bumps while trying to use the screen, and you punch something else that you don’t want. I’ve Prime music, it NEVER LOADS my albums list. i get the first 8 or 10 and that’s it. i’ve been told “oh you have to go a cache clear and blah blah blah”… i should t have to do anything. I’ve done the suggested fix, but it’s hit or miss and it’s never permanent.

love my car, hate that F-ing screen.

I too was hesitant getting a vehicle with such a large screen where a lot of the controls are done via a touch screen. I heard all the complaints about a laggy experience with the infotainment screen. I've now owned a 2024 Subaru Outback for a year, with the huge screen.

Climate Control:
besides switching between where the air comes from, the controls to adjust the speed of the air flow are quite easy to use and you are able to adjust quickly. I almost never even look at the screen when I do this. Temperature control has physical buttons on both sides of the screen.

Infotainment System Lag:
People need to realize that these infotainment systems aren't the analog systems of yester years. They are digital computer systems and they need time to boot up from off. If it's colder it's going to be slower, if it's hot it may jitter. Your phone and computer at home will do the same thing. The complaints people have with the infotainment system mostly have to do with them starting the car and expecting that they can start pounding buttons right away. I've driven several vehicles with these new infotainment systems that have bluetooth connections to your phone for android auto. It takes time to start the software for the infotainment, then connect to your phone, then load android auto. At most it's about 30 seconds. This is the same for the other vehicles I've driven (2024 Toyota Rav4, 2021 Lexus NX, 2021 Mercedes GLC 300, 2023 BMW X3, 2024 Ford Escape). All require this sequence. All off them will give you a laggy response if you just start pounding buttons on the screen. If you turn on your computer, even with a Solid State Drive, it will be "slow" until it finishes it's start sequence. If you let any of these systems wait until the boot has finished, it works nearly seamlessly.

Also the volume control is all knobs and buttons on Subarus (including crosstrek). Not sure what they are talking about here. One set on the steering wheel and knob on the left of the screen.

I went from a 2023 Forester to a 2025. Of course, 25 is when they went to the Redesign - with the big screen.
I notice a lot of comments about the lagging functions of the big screen, which I agree to when it first turns on, after a few seconds, it straightens out and works just fine. I mostly miss the rotary controls for the temperature,
fan.
I like the upgrade.