@Ganymede Yeah, I did a whooooooole lot of research before contacting Costco about their discounts. The Crosstrek is basically just the Impreza with a slightly altered suspension that commands an extra 3.6" of ground clearance, which is better for off-roading (which I do not) and taking shitty East Coast back roads in the snow (which I do). It also commands about an extra $2K-$3K in price, primarily based on the popularity of these raised models. If that's important because of how you're going to use the car? Worth it. If you're going to be driving around Houston or something in it, save your money and just get the Impreza.
The CX-5 can be snapped up with 4WD as an additional option on some of the lower trims, as well as some of the shiny features that come in the higher trims being available as an add-on package that costs significantly less than moving up a trim level. The difference between the Touring and the Grand Touring is about $3K, but you can get the preferred package added onto the Touring for about $1600, making the primary difference basically.... do you want LED foglights? At least, that's as far as I can tell.
Both have very good ratings on reliability from Consumer Reports and, believe it or not, their rankings for size and driveability (why is this a word?!) are almost identical. The Crosstrek loses a point in driver seat position, but has better visibility. Should room is different by half an inch in both front and back. Head room by an inch to an inch and a half (and I'm 5'3", so I only care for the sake of my husband). Leg room in the rear seat of the Crosstrek is actually two inches better. Their trunks have a difference of.... three cubic feet. (Compare this to, say, the Hyundai Kona, which they rate in the same class as the Crosstrek. It has 8 less cubic feet than the Crosstrek and ten less than the CX-5. The Crosstrek is weird and lives kind of between a compact SUV and a subcompact SUV, which is kind of one of the things I like, being a city-dweller who often has to parallel park.) The Crosstrek actually gets better tested gas mileage, weirdly enough. The CX-5 has slightly better safety ratings (by like, one star, and even those are four star ratings).
The thing is, all of that is stuff that's on the books. I can -- and have -- read until I'm blue in the face. I've lived with neither vehicle, and will be changing from a 2007 four-door coupe. It's a big change, and what I'm mostly interested in are all the weird, finicky little details you notice over the long-term life of the car. 'Cause obviously, I drive my cars until they're on their very last legs. (Almost-RIP, Lucille. You've been a great little machine.)
