Best Bike Rack for a Subaru Crosstrek

Britnee and I purchased a 2017 Subaru Crosstrek for our continuing travels throughout Utah. It offered just the right combination of off-road capability and good fuel efficiency to get us to remote parts of Southern Utah for frequent mountain biking trips.

Initially, we topped the Crosstrek with two Yakima FrontLoader bike racks—a solid option for anyone looking to haul bikes on the roof of their car. Unfortunately, with the Crosstrek’s eight inches of ground clearance, it was a stretch to load bikes and we constantly drove in fear of tearing our precious cargo off the roof at a drive-through.

So, after a year, we started seriously shopping for a pricier hitch rack that made no frame contact. We closely examined all options from Yakima, Thule, Rhinorack, and Kuat, testing them in stores and noting the pros and cons—and it quickly became clear which rack we wanted.

Kuat + CURT Hitch = Perfect Fit

You’ve probably noticed, Kuat racks feel far more stable and durable than all the competitors. They actuate more smoothly and with less effort than the rest. The security they provide is far greater and, let’s be honest, they just looked better than anything the other brands make. All those niceties come at a far greater cost, but keep reading and you’ll see it’s worth it. We delayed our purchase until REI member dividends were released to help reduce the price.

While we waited, Britnee and I shopped around for the right hitch to install on our Crosstrek. I wanted the clean look of an Torklift Ecohitch, which would hide behind our bumper and not affect our eight inches of ground clearance. However, since I ride an XXL mountain bike, the Ecohitch would have carried my bike too high resulting in extra drag. Another deterring factor was the high cost of the Ecohitch and the more complicated installation.

So, we opted for a standard and more affordable CURT hitch with a 2-inch receiver. With installation, the CURT hitch cost us nearly half what the Ecohitch would have. The one obvious downside was that we would lose 2-inches of rear-end ground clearance, but we soon learned some great benefits that validated our choice.

Then, we picked up a Kuat NV Base 2.0 bike rack. Given the long wheelbase of my XXL bike, it was one of few options we had. However, combined with the CURT hitch, it has turned out to be the best hitch and rack combo for our 2017 Subaru Crosstrek. Here’s some reasons why:

Bike Fit With the Right Hitch

With the Kuat NV Base 2.0 mounted on the standard CURT hitch, our bikes sit low enough in transport that there is less drag from components poking up over the Crosstrek’s roof. I ride an XXL mountain bike, so I imagine any smaller bikes would fit even better. Our wheels and tires do stick out just slightly from each side of the car, but not beyond our rearview mirrors.

That’s an XXL bike!

Crosstrek Backup Camera

We’d seen many hitch racks that looked massive on the backs of cars and we worried we would lose the use of our backup camera after installing the rack. After installation, I was thrilled to discover that our backup camera still provided a clear view when there were no bikes installed and the rack was folded up. We would have not had the same result with the Ecohitch, which would have raised the rack several inches higher and blocked the camera.

Trunk Hatch Clearance

When opening the trunk, our Crosstrek’s rear hatch clears the hitch rack with no bikes loaded and the rack folded up! We would have not had the same result with the Kuat NV 2.0, which has an additional bike maintenance arm that would have created an obstacle. This clearance saves us so much trouble when opening the trunk for groceries or any other cargo throughout the work week!

Stability and Security

On long hauls on the highway and then on bumpy dirt roads around Moab, out bikes have never looked more secure in transport—all with no frame contact! We used to listen to bikes swaying back and forth on the roof of our car and the creak of our Yakima racks when we navigated rough roads, but now there’s no noticeable sound from our hitch-mounted rack. Plus, the included hitch lock and bike cable locks give us piece of mind when popping into a restaurant post ride.

Improved Fuel Efficiency

Two weekends ago we drove to Hurricane, Utah, for a bike fest with my bike on the roof of our Crosstrek. On the long drive home on the interstate, I tracked our fuel efficiency that ended up at a dismal 18 miles per gallon. This was far from the 33 highway we were supposed to be getting as our rooftop cargo dragged like a sail.

Then, last weekend with our new Kuat hitch rack installed, we tracked an awesome 29.7 miles per gallon (in an all-wheel-drive vehicle) on the drive to and from Moab with some dirt road exploration in between. What a difference tucking the bikes behind the car has made!

What more can we say? If you’re shopping for a bike rack for your own Subaru Crosstrek, we hope this review will help you end up with the right fit like we did.

Yes, the Kuat NV Base 2.0 is not the cheapest bike rack on the market, especially when you add the cost of a hitch, but if you’re making weekly trips with your bikes and don’t want to deal with an obtrusive bike rack the rest of the week, it’s well worth it.

**UPDATE **

As of August 2019 we still love this bike rack. We’ve only faced one issue that is mostly our own fault: the locks freezing up after a whole winter of being showered with salt from the roads. I was injured in a bike crash in 2018 and wasn’t able to remove the rack and store it last winter. However, we’re hopeful an oil bath will fix this problem and if not, Kuat has offered to send us brand new locks!