- The third-gen Subaru Crosstrek gets a hybrid version this fall.
- The 2.5-liter flat four and two electric motors make 194 hp combined.
- Pricing and further info will come at launch.
Both previous generations of Subaru Crosstrek have offered hybrid drivetrains, and coming this fall the new, third-gen Crosstrek will get its hybrid.
Aimed at a bit more efficiency than performance, the combined system output peaks at only 194 hp, using a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle flat four mated to two e-motors: an electric motor generator and an electric traction motor. Electricity is stored in a smallish 1.1-kWh battery.
Subaru calls it a series-parallel hybrid. That means the system can power the car via electric motors-only for short distances, with internal combustion plus hybrid, and, depending on conditions such as state of charge, power demand, etc., on ICE alone.
"Effectively, it's a starter-generator (MG1) and electric traction motor (MG2) in a new transaxle we're building, sandwiched between the BOXER engine and existing Symmetrical AWD system," said a spokesperson.
Competitors like the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, and Kia Sportage all make significantly more horsepower but use up more of it getting power to the wheels.
Subaru routes its power and torque somewhat more directly—straight out the back of the transmission to the rear wheels and more or less straight to the fronts after a single gear set. It can easily adjust torque front and rear depending on conditions.
All Crosstreks come with AWD—or as Subaru calls it, Symmetrical AWD, meaning there are fewer powertrain loses due to the straight-ahead layout of the drivetrain. So maybe it doesn’t need as much power as those competitors? (Comment on that at the end of the story.)
Even though Subaru’s transmission is better than most, and even though it has a cool name—Lineartronic—the Crosstrek Hybrid comes with a CVT (sad trombone). But so do many competitors in this age where any gain in mileage makes a big difference to corporate average fuel economy numbers. If the incoming Trump administration is less focused on CAFE, maybe we can go back to step-gear automatics?
All trim levels of Subaru’s new hybrid will get X-Mode, which uses individual wheel braking to route power to the wheels with the best grip. If you have X-Mode, the corresponding counterpart to that is Hill Descent Control, which gets you back down whatever you just climbed up.
All hybrid trim levels will also get 8.7 inches of ground clearance, which is helpful getting to all those off-road sites you see in the Subaru advertisements.
The Crosstrek hybrid also gets the latest version of EyeSight Driver Assist Technology—literally a pair of forward-facing cameras near the rearview mirror that identify pedestrians, bicyclists, moose, and whatever else you shouldn’t crash into, and it applies the brakes if you don’t. It’s part of a suite of driver-assistance safety features too long to list here.
But we’ll list one more: The Crosstrek Hybrid even includes Emergency Stop Assist to save you if you have a heart attack or a seizure while using advanced adaptive cruise control, and you stop responding to its plaintive pleas to hit the brakes.
ESA will stop the Crosstrek for you, activate the hazards, unlock the doors, and call emergency services.
Inside the new Crosstrek Hybrid is a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster with navigation and Apple Maps and, above the center console, an 11.6-inch multimedia display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, among other infotainment features.
More information, including pricing, will be out closer to the car’s on-sale date of “fall 2025.”
Is the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid worth the wait? Or are competitors better? Let us know below.
Mark Vaughn grew up in a Ford family and spent many hours holding a trouble light over a straight-six miraculously fed by a single-barrel carburetor while his father cursed the Blue Oval, all its products and everyone who ever worked there. This was his introduction to objective automotive criticism. He started writing for City News Service in Los Angeles, then moved to Europe and became editor of a car magazine called, creatively, Auto. He decided Auto should cover Formula 1, sports prototypes and touring cars—no one stopped him! From there he interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show and has been with us ever since.
