If a normie asks me what kind of car they should get, I almost always say a Subaru Crosstrek, which starts at $23,645, to which many people reply that it isn’t very fuel-efficient, and then I say fine get a Crosstrek Hybrid, which starts at $36,845, and then they say the Crosstrek Hybrid is too expensive, and then I say fine just get a Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which starts at $24,050. Getting a Corolla has been the right answer for about 30 years now, and you already knew it anyway, and stop bothering me while you’re at it, I’m busy. But really a Crosstrek is also a perfectly fine choice of vehicle, an opinion that, now, it seems a record number of people in the U.S. agree with me on.

That is, if you believe “sales numbers.” :

In September, Crosstrek was the top performer by volume and achieved its best month ever, with 16,092 (surpassing record set in August 2019 with 15,860) sales and a 35.6 percent increase compared with the same period in 2021. The Outback saw a 20 percent increase compared to September 2021, while the Ascent increased by 18 percent. Year to date, the Crosstrek posted a 14.2 percent increase, while the Ascent SUV posted an increase of 6.9 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

“The Subaru Crosstrek had its best-ever month, pointing to car buyer preference for vehicles that are as safe as they are fun to drive,” said Jeff Walters, Senior Vice President of Sales.

This Jeff Walters fellow should probably get out a little more if he believes that the Crosstrek is “fun to drive,” though I understand that he has a job to do, which is to sell Subarus. Because another persistent knock on Crosstreks is that they are underpowered, a slander spoken of by the haters and sinners who lust for more than 152 horsepower.

The truth is that 152 horsepower is perfectly fine for a car that weighs a little under 3,200 pounds. The truth is that the Crosstrek comes in a few colors that aren’t shades of gray, and you can get a manual transmission. The truth is that . The truth is that it seems a lot of people in the States have become “woke” to the appeal of the Crosstrek, which could end up having the effect of making Crosstreks monumentally uncool but not yet. There is still time to get in. Or buy a Corolla Hybrid! No one cares! Except maybe Jeff Walters, but he’s too busy having fun driving a Crosstrek.