2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.
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After over 2 years on the market, Subaru is finally introducing a Hybrid version of the current Crosstrek, their best seller.
Unlike the previous generation Crosstrek Hybrid, this is not a PHEV. Just a regular good old hybrid. Which means you will save a few bucks on your gas bill, but will still pollute the atmosphere while driving.
We only get a few numbers from Subaru. Like has a 194HP rating from the 2.5 Liter boxer engine. Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD Drive system is still mechanically coupled to the front and rear wheels. Preserving that “special Subaru feeling”.
2 new colors are available and the wheel design is also new. Besides all this, I cannot tell if anything else is different from the current Subaru Crosstrek. Since most of the car is hidden under that ghastly black plastic crap all over.
This is quite an early preview since the 2026 Crosstrek is going on sale in the fall. or almost a year from now. I guess that’s Subaru’sway of telling potential customers to wait and not buy something else.
The new Hybrid is rumored to get around 40MPG. Currently, the 2.5 Liter Crosstrek is rated at 33/27MPG. I guess that means a 30MPG average. The 2.5 Liter model starts at $27,060 for the premium model (The base version gets a 2.0 Liter engine).
A 10MPG advantage (at best) might not be worth the premium price for the Hybrid model. That will all depend on how much Subaru chargers for it…
“Just a regular good old hybrid. Which means you will save a few bucks on your gas bill, but will still pollute the atmosphere while driving.”
Vince, really? How you ever been to Mexico, Guatemala. Honduras? Those are just countries not that far from us. There’s no pollution control on any vehicles. The buses and truck produce huge amounts of black and pure pollution. What about places on India, some days you cannot even see the sky. Yes, that much pollution. We are one of the cleanest countries. Hybrid is the way to go for now. Yes, there is pollution in out vehicles but let’s start cleaning all that pollution in those countries beginning with china first. As far as the Crosstrek Hybrid, its an old Toyota powertrain, not their latest one but decent one. The same powertrain currently being use on the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid model.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE with that Crosstrek and the rest of the Subaru line up is that horrible tablet. It takes forever to start. No manual fan speed controls.
The worst part is that Carplay only work wireless, NO HARDWIRED. Sometimes your phone will not connect at all. I had the same issue with an Outback and two 2025 Subaru Foresters. Rigth now my 2025 Forester is being in the shop for almost a month. They said that the head module is bad and they have no ETA on the wireless control unit either. Crazy.
2025 Subaru Forester and the Crosstrek are such a safe vehicles during a crash and great AWD system. But at the same time so dangerous when the drivers keep trying to connect their phone to the tablet while driving. It keeps disconnecting for no reason at all. You have to delete the phone and install it again and again. Sometimes, the tablet takes about 60-90 seconds or longer to start up after the vehicle is running. And during this time you cannot use none of the controls. You gotta wait almost 3 minutes. And if you are in a hurry you might have to take your eyes off the road and trying to connect Carplay.
Subaru forums are plagued with that problem. I’m ready to take my loss and get something else. Subaru needs to fix that dangerous issue ASAP. I was ready to buy a Crosstrek for my kid but after that huge safety issue, NO MORE. I ended up buying a Honda HR-V.
Hopefully with Toyota involved, this hybrid will be better than Subie’s last hybrid. Now, lets see if Toyota can pry off those awful everything-screens from the center console.