What Happens When You Lease a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek and Modify It? Dude, I Love (Or Hate) My New Ride!

Is this Crosstrek a true off-road monster?

Meet the smallest BFGoodrich KO2s you’ve seen.

The 2019 Subaru Crosstrek is a capable vehicle out of the box, thanks to its symmetrical all-wheel drive system and 8.7 inches of ground clearance. It will see you through tough weather like snow, but what if that isn’t enough for your liking? Then you can do like our friend Joey Henderson did here, and modify your Crosstrek to make it more capable off-road.

2019 Subaru Crosstrek

In this episode of Dude, I Love (Or Hate) My New Ride, Joey takes us through buying and owning his Cool Gray Khaki Crosstrek. On top of that, we learn more about the modifications and those are like to live with. Off the dealer lot, the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek has a 2.0-liter horizontally opposed engine. That powerplant produces 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed manual or a CVT.

This particular 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Limited cost Joey $30,275. That figure includes $430 for remote start and $603 for a trailer hitch. The 2019 Subaru Crosstrek is rated to tow up to 1,500 pounds.

2019 Subaru Crosstrek. [Photo: Subaru]
The Subaru Crosstrek is also available in Sunshine Orange, if that’s your thing. [Photo: Subaru]

Modifying a leased car?

Instead of buying his 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Limited outright, Joey decided to lease the car instead. On that $30,275 price tag, he ended up leasing the car for about $340/month. That raises the question, however, of whether it’s a good idea to actually modify the car while it’s under the terms of the lease. In addition to the 12,000 annual mile allowance, leases restrict what you can actually do to the vehicle while it’s in your care. After the three-year term is up, you’re supposed to buy the car from there or turn it over.

That said, Joey went as far as he could without voiding the terms of his lease. He fitted a new set of 15-inch wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich KO2 tires — a far cry from the stock 18-inch wheels that come on the Limited model.

But all things considered, is it a car that you can be happy with? Is it something that’s worth keeping for the long haul? Check out the video above to find out!

If you live in the Denver area and would like to be featured in an episode of Dude, I Love (Or Hate) My New Ride, reach out to us at info@tflcar.com!