Compare the2024 Volvo XC40VS 2023 Subaru Crosstrek

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
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 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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

Both the XC40 and Crosstrek have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 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’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 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 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 offers an optional 360-Degree Surround View 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 XC40 has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 XC40 has standard Cross Traffic Alert and Braking Intervention automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Crosstrek and its not available on the Base/Manual and the Crosstrek’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the XC40’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Crosstrek has a metal gas tank.

Both the XC40 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The Volvo XC40 weighs 563 to 850 pounds more than the Subaru Crosstrek. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC40 is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

	XC40	Crosstrek
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	36%
Neck Stress	209 lbs.	304 lbs.
Neck Compression	25 lbs.	42 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	31%	44.6%
Neck Stress	156 lbs.	195 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 Volvo XC40 is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

	XC40	Crosstrek
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	78	138
Abdominal Force	156 lbs.	196 lbs.
Hip Force	320 lbs.	346 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	119	303
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	58 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	411 lbs.	824 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Volvo XC40 is much safer than the Crosstrek:

	XC40	Crosstrek
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	129	245
Head Peak Forces	no contact	55 G’s
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.46 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.65 in	2.01 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	10 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	2.09 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.5 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	692 lbs.	825 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

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

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

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Crosstrek.

Engine

The XC40’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 95 more horsepower (247 vs. 152) and 113 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 145) than the Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The XC40’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 65 more horsepower (247 vs. 182) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 176) than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volvo XC40 is faster than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

	XC40	Crosstrek
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	16.7 sec	22.2 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.3 sec	8.2 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.6 sec	4.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.7 sec	5.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	88 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Regenerative brakes improve the XC40’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The XC40 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 Volvo XC40 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 XC40’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Crosstrek:

	XC40	Crosstrek
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	10.8 inches

The XC40 stops much shorter than the Crosstrek:

	XC40	Crosstrek
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the Crosstrek (235/55R18 vs. 225/60R17). The XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Crosstrek (245/45R20 vs. 225/60R17).

The XC40’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek’s standard 60 series tires. The XC40’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Crosstrek Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Crosstrek. The XC40’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Crosstrek Limited.

Suspension and Handling

The XC40 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 XC40’s wheelbase is 1.5 inches longer than on the Crosstrek (106.4 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Crosstrek.

The XC40 B5 Ultimate handles at .85 G’s, while the Crosstrek Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC40 B5 Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Crosstrek Limited (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The XC40 has 1.1 inches more rear headroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Crosstrek.

Cargo Capacity

The XC40 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Crosstrek with its rear seat folded (57.5 vs. 55.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC40 easier. The XC40’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.7 inches, while the Crosstrek’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40’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 XC40 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 XC40’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Crosstrek’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC40 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 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The XC40 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.

The XC40 has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The Crosstrek doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

Ergonomics

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

The XC40’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 XC40’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 XC40 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 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The XC40’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Crosstrek’s power window (except driver window) switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The XC40’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’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The XC40’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 XC40’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Crosstrek’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The XC40 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 XC40’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Heated mirrors cost extra on the Crosstrek and aren’t offered on the Crosstrek Base.

When the XC40 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’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC40 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited. The XC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Crosstrek.

On extremely cold winter days, the XC40’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 XC40’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 XC40 and the Crosstrek offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the XC40 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 Volvo XC40 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The XC40’s optional Park Assist Pilot can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volvo XC40 and the Subaru Crosstrek, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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