Subaru Crosstrek’s Dark Past Was Just Fixed

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The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek needed a headlight upgrade, and it just got one. Check out how essential headlights are and why customers will have a well-lit path on the dark trail.

Subaru upgraded the all-new 2024 Crosstrek subcompact SUV with the latest safety technology, with advanced adaptive cruise control with lane centering capability, and it gets a significant upgrade in its headlights. I recently covered the new Crosstrek's improved safety scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The headlights are a substantial reason why. 

Customers no longer have to buy the top-trim Crosstrek Limited to get the best headlights. That was the case for the 2023 models. The Crosstrek Base and Sport trims had inferior Halogen headlights that could leave you dark on the trail.

If you care about safe driving, it's vital to consider headlights. According to the IIHS, about half of all fatal crashes in this country occur after dark, and more than 25 percent happen on unlit roads. IIHS says effective headlights are your first defense in nighttime accident prevention.

Subaru models score among the best models.

A recent report from U.S. News ranks cars with the best headlights. Their list includes the 2024 Subaru Outback, 2024 Subaru Forester, 2024 Subaru Ascent, 2023 Subaru Solterra, 2024 Subaru Legacy, and 2024 Subaru BRZ. But they should have included the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek but did not.

According to the IIHS, all 2024 Subaru Crosstrek trims have superior headlights. 

LED Steering Responsive Headlights (SRH) are standard across the Crosstrek lineup. All Crosstrek trims get LED steering responsive headlights with automatic height adjustment control and LED daytime running lights. 

The 2024 Crosstrek Premium Sport and Limited have LED fog lights. The new Crosstrek Wilderness comes with hexagonal-style LED fog lights. 

For 2024, the Crosstrek will be available in Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, and Wilderness trim levels and has a starting price of $26,290 (the same MSRP as the 2023 Base model equipped with the Lineartronic CVT automatic transmission).

The 2024 Crosstrek Premium has a starting price of $27,440, Sport ($30,290), and Limited ($32,190). Pricing includes destination and delivery fees ($1,225). The Premium trim price increased by +$70, the Sport +$1,070, and the Limited +$1,470.

What is the price of the Crosstrek Wilderness?

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness will be the most expensive Crosstrek trim level. The all-new Crosstrek Wilderness costs $33,290, including dealer destination and delivery fees ($1,295).

Headlights make a significant safety difference.

There is so much difference that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2024 Crosstrek with LED headlights an overall "Good" rating.

Around a curve, in IIHS testing, the LED Steering Responsive Headlights will project up to 300 feet, while the Halogen headlights only project a little over 200 feet. That could be the difference between seeing a deer jump into the road and being able to avoid hitting it.

The Halogen headlights were okay for urban driving but not the best on a dark mountain road or driving in the fog. Imagine being deep in the high country, hitting a deer, or worse, hitting an elk and having it go through the windshield. You could be stranded with no cell service until someone finds you the next day.

The IIHS says to qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ award in 2023, a vehicle must have acceptable or good headlights. The Crosstrek and Impreza now get a Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ award, respectively, by dropping inferior headlights. 

The redesigned 2024 Crosstrek and 2024 Impreza now come with "Good" rated headlights across the board, says IIHS. Previously, some trim lines of the Crosstrek had "Poor" headlights and some Impreza trims had "Marginal" ones.

When 2024 Subaru Crosstrek owners are far from the city lights on a dark trail, they'll see better, and it could prevent a severe accident with another car or a deer. 

Now it's your turn.

Will you be shopping for a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek? Do safety scores affect your decision when buying a new car? 

Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this Subaru Crosstrek report. See you tomorrow for my latest Subaru Report.

For additional articles related to the new Subaru Crosstrek, here are a few of my top stories you may enjoy. 

My Must-Read Top Picks

Check out the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek passenger-side small overlap IIHS crash test YouTube video

I am Denis Flierl, a 12-year Torque News senior writer with 20+ years of Subaru and automotive journalism experience. I enjoy bringing you, the Subaru fans and customers, the most up-to-date Subaru news, reviews, and new model information. You'll find the latest Subaru stories on the Subaru page. Follow me on my The Dirty Subaru website, Dirty Subaru blog, SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

I’ve got you covered! - I cover all Subaru all the time - It’s called the “Subaru Report.” Check back daily for my expert Subaru analysis!

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Photo: Subaru

Submitted by Gayle Aselta (not verified) on November 1, 2023 - 8:13PM

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I can't disagree more about the 2024 Crosstrek headlights. I just bought the car October 6, and once I got it home and drove it at night I felt very unsafe. There are 2 black spots from what looks like how the headlights are attached that float around and and move with the lights which shine too low on the road and there is a line between where the lights shine and it is totally dark above. There is no illumination to give you a full safe view of what is around you on a dark, rural road. The dealer adjusted the lights for me and it seems it only made it worse. Everyone who had driven with me at night can't believe how bad, unsafe and annoying this design is.

I also find the two black spots very annoying. The headlights appear to be aimed too low not giving you enough light ahead. It seems to be even worse when you’re in traffic. But the worst thing that I’ve had happened is snow buildup on the headlights to where you lose, almost all of, the light and have to pull over to clean the snow off several times which is a hazard to get out on a snowy night and clean your headlights because they will not melt the snow. I’m just shocked that these manufacturers are using LED lights without any type of heat source to melt the snow