Compare the2023 Lincoln CorsairVS 2023 Subaru Crosstrek

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Lincoln Corsair has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Corsair has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Crosstrek 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 Corsair offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Crosstrek only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Corsair has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Crosstrek’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Corsair has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Crosstrek and isn't available on the not available.

Both the Corsair and the Crosstrek 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Corsair is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

	Corsair	Crosstrek
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	36%
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	304 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	42 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	188/315 lbs.	252/363 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	102	122
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	36.3%	44.6%
Neck Stress	181 lbs.	195 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	220/169 lbs.	230/427 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Lincoln Corsair is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

	Corsair	Crosstrek
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	191 lbs.	196 lbs.
Hip Force	240 lbs.	346 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	97	303
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	58 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	824 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Corsair comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Crosstrek’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Corsair 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Crosstrek. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Crosstrek ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

The Corsair has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in long-term dependability. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

Engine

The Corsair’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 98 more horsepower (250 vs. 152) and 130 lbs.-ft. more torque (275 vs. 145) than the Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Corsair’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 68 more horsepower (250 vs. 182) and 99 lbs.-ft. more torque (275 vs. 176) than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Corsair Grand Touring’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 84 more horsepower (266 vs. 182) than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Corsair turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Subaru Crosstrek (automatics tested):

	Corsair	Crosstrek 2.0	Crosstrek Sport/Limited
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	9 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	16.9 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.4 MPH	80.8 MPH	87.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Corsair running on electricity gets better mileage than the Crosstrek:

			MPGe
Corsair
AWD	Auto	Grand Touring Electric Motor	83 city/72 hwy
Crosstrek
			MPG
AWD	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy

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

			MPG
Corsair
AWD	Auto	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	34 city/32 hwy
Crosstrek
AWD	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy

The Corsair Grand Touring can travel with zero emissions for 28 miles. The Crosstrek can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Corsair Grand Touring’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Regardless of its engine, the Corsair’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Subaru only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Crosstrek CVT.

The Corsair has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Lincoln Corsair comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Crosstrek.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Corsair	Crosstrek
Front Rotors	12.1 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	10.8 inches

The Corsair stops much shorter than the Crosstrek:

	Corsair	Crosstrek
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	169 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Corsair’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Crosstrek (245/45R20 vs. 225/60R17).

The Corsair’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Corsair Standard has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Crosstrek. The Corsair’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Crosstrek Limited.

Suspension and Handling

The Corsair offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Crosstrek’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Corsair 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 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Corsair’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Crosstrek (106.7 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Corsair is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Crosstrek.

The Corsair Reserve AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Crosstrek Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Corsair Reserve AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Crosstrek Limited (27.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Corsair uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Corsair uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Corsair has .1 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Crosstrek.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Corsair’s rear seats recline. The Crosstrek’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Corsair has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Crosstrek with its rear seat up (27.6 vs. 20.8 cubic feet). The Corsair has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Crosstrek with its rear seat folded (57.6 vs. 55.3 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Corsair’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Corsair has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The Corsair’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Crosstrek’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Crosstrek is only 1500 pounds. The Corsair offers up to a 3000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Corsair Grand Touring can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Corsair can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Crosstrek can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Corsair uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The Corsair uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Crosstrek 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 three different drivers share the Corsair, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Corsair’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Corsair offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning, turn signal and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Corsair’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Crosstrek 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 Corsair’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’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 Corsair the driver can close them all 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 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Corsair’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Crosstrek’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Corsair’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Corsair’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Crosstrek’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the Corsair’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Crosstrek’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Corsair has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Crosstrek has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Premium/Sport/Limited.

The Corsair’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited.

The Corsair has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited. The Corsair also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Crosstrek.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Corsair keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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

The Corsair Reserve/Grand Touring offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Crosstrek.

The Corsair’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 doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Corsair and the Crosstrek offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Corsair has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Crosstrek 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 Lincoln Corsair offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Corsair’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Corsair is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Corsair is less expensive to operate than the Crosstrek because typical repairs cost less on the Corsair than the Crosstrek, including $137 less for a starter and $95 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Lincoln Corsair and the Subaru Crosstrek, based on reliability, safety and performance.