Compare the2022 Subaru Crosstrek HybridVS 2021 BMW i3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW i3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Crosstrek Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The i3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The i3 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Crosstrek Hybrid has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The i3 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Pre-Collision Braking optional in the Crosstrek Hybrid as “Superior.” The i3 scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Crosstrek Hybrid has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The i3 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Crosstrek Hybrid has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The i3 doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Crosstrek Hybrid’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The i3 doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Crosstrek Hybrid’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The i3 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Crosstrek Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The i3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Crosstrek Hybrid and the i3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid weighs 408 to 745 pounds more than the BMW i3. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Crosstrek Hybrid is safer than the i3:

	Crosstrek Hybrid	i3
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Restraint Design	GOOD	GOOD
Distance Below Top of Head	-4 mm	-4 mm
Dynamic Test Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Seat Design	Pass	Fail
Torso Acceleration	10.2 g’s	13.3 g’s
Neck Force Rating	Low	Low
Max Neck Shearing Force	0	5
Max Neck Tension	329	561

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The i3 is not even a standard “Top Pick.”

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Crosstrek Hybrid 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the i3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the i3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 81 percent more Subaru dealers than there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Crosstrek Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Crosstrek Hybrid’s reliability 32 points higher than the i3.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 4 places higher in reliability than BMW.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek Hybrid lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The i3 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Crosstrek Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the i3 running its gasoline engine:

		MPG
Crosstrek Hybrid
	2.0 flat-4 Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy
i3
	REx Electric Motor	30 city/31 hwy
	REx Electric Motor	30 city/31 hwy

The Crosstrek Hybrid has 10.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the i3 Range Extender (13.2 vs. 2.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Crosstrek Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the i3:

	Crosstrek Hybrid	i3
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Crosstrek Hybrid has larger tires than the i3 (225/55R18 vs. 155/70R19). The Crosstrek Hybrid’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the i3 (225/55R18 vs. 175/55R20).

The Crosstrek Hybrid’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the i3’s standard 70 series front and 60 series rear tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Crosstrek Hybrid has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Crosstrek Hybrid flat and controlled during cornering. The i3’s suspension doesn’t offer stabilizer bars.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Crosstrek Hybrid’s wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the i3 (104.9 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek Hybrid has standard seating for 5 passengers; the i3 can only carry 4.

The Crosstrek Hybrid has 17.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the i3 (100.7 vs. 83.6).

The Crosstrek Hybrid has .2 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 4.8 inches more rear legroom and 6.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the i3.

Cargo Capacity

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek Hybrid. The i3 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Crosstrek Hybrid has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The i3 has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The Crosstrek Hybrid has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The i3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Crosstrek Hybrid’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. BMW does not offer a locking feature on the i3’s standard power windows.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek Hybrid’s exterior PIN entry system. The i3 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Crosstrek Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the i3 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the i3’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Crosstrek Hybrid detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The i3 doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Crosstrek Hybrid has standard extendable sun visors. The i3 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

On extremely cold winter days, the Crosstrek Hybrid’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The i3 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Crosstrek Hybrid has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The i3 doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Crosstrek Hybrid owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Crosstrek Hybrid will cost $2580 to $3650 less than the i3 over a five-year period.

The Crosstrek Hybrid will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Crosstrek Hybrid will retain 53.08% of its original price after five years, while the i3 only retains 23.25% to 28.45%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid will be $20478 to $25660 less than for the BMW i3.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the BMW i3 by over 75 to one during the 2021 model year.