Subaru Crosstrek vs Lincoln Corsair

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek embodied the adage “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Car shoppers flocked to crossovers for their rugged looks, available all-wheel drive (AWD), and tall driving positions, so Subaru decided to imbue its Impreza hatchback with those same characteristics. This strategy allowed the Crosstrek to do a reasonably good impression of an SUV, giving it more character than the base Impreza hatch. The Crosstrek featured black body cladding, model-specific 17-inch wheels, and a taller ride height that afforded 8.7 inches of ground clearance. The interior, virtually unchanged from the Impreza hatchback, was functional but somewhat plain-looking, with some questionable design choices like the clashing Plasma Yellow Pearl accents in the Sport trim.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair, introduced as a replacement for the Lincoln MKC, rode on the new C2 platform shared with the Ford Escape. Lincoln succeeded in making the Corsair feel different from its Ford counterpart, with a refined design featuring slab sides, blacked-out rear pillars, and straight belt- and rooflines. The cabin shared the flowing dash and floating center touchscreen with other Lincoln SUVs, but with more hard-touch materials. The Corsair offered trims like Standard, Reserve, and the new Grand Touring plug-in hybrid, each with a range of luxury features. Our Reserve test model included 19-inch wheels, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, and a 14-speaker Revel premium stereo system.

For 2021, the Subaru Crosstrek offered a new 2.5-liter boxer-four engine on the Sport and Limited trims, producing 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. The base and Premium trims continued with the 2.0-liter boxer-four, making 152 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque. The Crosstrek also featured a plug-in hybrid option. The boxer engine's lower profile provided a lower center of gravity, improving handling. A six-speed manual transmission was standard on Base and Premium trims, while a CVT was optional and standard on higher trims. All trims came with standard AWD, torque vectoring, and X-Mode for loose surfaces. Despite its SUV-like stance, the Crosstrek handled predictably with a comfortable ride and low wind noise. The new 2.5-liter engine offered adequate acceleration but was accompanied by CVT droning.

The base engine in the 2021 Lincoln Corsair was a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder unit, producing 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivered 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, providing strong acceleration. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the 2.0-liter offering FWD or AWD and the 2.3-liter exclusively AWD. The Corsair featured unique drive modes like “Conserve” and “Excite.” The 2.3-liter engine provided brisk acceleration and confident cornering, with a suspension designed to absorb deeper potholes. The Grand Touring trim added a plug-in hybrid powertrain, combining a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine with a CVT and electric motors, making 266 hp and offering 28 miles of pure EV driving.

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek offered the same front and rear legroom as the Impreza hatchback, with slightly more rear headroom. It provided 20.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place and 55.3 cubic feet with the seats folded. The Crosstrek was competitive in passenger space but lagged behind some rivals in cargo space. CVT-equipped models featured a rear-seat reminder, and the front included a handy cubby hole with USB and auxiliary ports. However, storage space was minimal, and the driving position, while higher than the Impreza’s, didn’t allow for towering over other vehicles.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair had a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and plenty of storage space. However, the pronounced lip when stepping in or out of the vehicle was a notable downside. The rear seats were reclining and sliding, providing impressive legroom for a compact SUV. The Corsair offered 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 57.6 cubic feet with the seats folded, average for its class. Standard features included a power liftgate, with a hands-free option available.

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek used Subaru’s Starlink infotainment system, with a standard 6.5-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility, and Bluetooth. Premium and Sport trims added WiFi, SiriusXM, and a single-disc CD player. An 8-inch touchscreen with navigation was standard on the Limited trim and optional on lower trims. The Crosstrek also featured a second screen above the main touchscreen for additional information. The 8-inch touchscreen was easy to navigate, and Subaru included large analog knobs and buttons for vital functions.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system running SYNC 3, with a logical menu layout and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The steering wheel was well-designed, with the voice control button easily accessible. Our Reserve test model included optional wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display (HUD) with crisp graphics.

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, with five stars in side crash tests and four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests. The IIHS awarded the 2020 model, virtually identical to the 2021, a “Top Safety Pick” with the highest ratings in all crash tests and for front-crash prevention tech. EyeSight driver-assist features were standard on CVT-equipped models, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warning. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. Our test model featured Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus, adding adaptive LED headlights, surround-view parking cameras, front parking sensors, speed-limit sign recognition, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking, and automatic parking assist. The Corsair was an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus when equipped with high-feature headlights.