Compare the2023 Volvo XC40 RechargeVS 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 Recharge have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The XC40 Recharge’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 Recharge and Crosstrek Hybrid have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 Recharge has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The XC40 Recharge has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The XC40 Recharge Plus/Ultimate has a standard 360-Degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Crosstrek Hybrid only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the Crosstrek Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Volvo XC40 Recharge weighs 1024 pounds more than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The XC40 Recharge comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC40 Recharge’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 Recharge for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Crosstrek Hybrid.

Engine

The XC40 Recharge’s standard electric motors produces 254 more horsepower (402 vs. 148) than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

The XC40 Recharge can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 223 miles. The Crosstrek Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 17 miles.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC40 Recharge higher (10 out of 10) than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid (6 to 7). This means the XC40 Recharge produces up to 12.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Crosstrek Hybrid every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC40 Recharge’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Crosstrek Hybrid:

	XC40 Recharge	Crosstrek Hybrid
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	11.2 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 Recharge has larger tires than the Crosstrek Hybrid (F:235/50R19 & R:255/45R19 vs. 225/55R18).

The XC40 Recharge’s standard 235/50R19 front and 255/45R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series front and 45 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s standard 55 series tires. The XC40 Recharge’s optional 235/45R20 front and 255/40R20 rear tires have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 Recharge has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Crosstrek Hybrid. The XC40 Recharge offers optional 20-inch wheels.

Suspension and Handling

The XC40 Recharge has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC40 Recharge’s wheelbase is 1.5 inches longer than on the Crosstrek Hybrid (106.4 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 Recharge is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Crosstrek Hybrid.

Passenger Space

The XC40 Recharge has .6 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear hip room and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Crosstrek Hybrid.

Cargo Capacity

The XC40 Recharge has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Crosstrek Hybrid with its rear seat folded (46.9 vs. 43.1 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40 Recharge’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the XC40 Recharge’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Towing

The XC40 Recharge’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 Recharge uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The XC40 Recharge uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Crosstrek Hybrid uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the XC40 Recharge, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer a memory system.

The XC40 Recharge’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Crosstrek Hybrid has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The XC40 Recharge’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the XC40 Recharge the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Crosstrek Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The XC40 Recharge’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC40 Recharge to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC40 Recharge offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the XC40 Recharge is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC40 Recharge’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Crosstrek Hybrid offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the Crosstrek Hybrid have standard heated front seats. The XC40 Recharge also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Crosstrek Hybrid.

The XC40 Recharge’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the XC40 Recharge and the Crosstrek Hybrid offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the XC40 Recharge has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 Recharge offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XC40 Recharge second among small premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Crosstrek Hybrid isn’t in the top three.