Plug-In Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Debuts With 17-Mile Range
Subaru has just revealed a Crosstrek Hybrid. The newest plug-in on the block uses Toyota’s system with a Subaru engine and delivers a 17-mile range.
The Crosstrek was introduced to the U.S. just six years ago but has quickly become the brand’s third-best-selling vehicle. The automaker hopes to build on that with the latest plug-in hybrid model.
Called the Subaru StarDrive system, the drivetrain uses a 2.0L direct-injected boxer four, Lineartronic CVT, and a pair of electric motors. One motor works as a starter-generator and the other supplies forward motion to the crossover. The second also handles regenerative braking duties when coasting or slowing. It’s not the first time this car’s gotten a hybrid version, though the last one was a much milder option that packaged a 13-hp motor integrated into the transmission.
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To help take advantage of the plug-in system and increase range, Subaru has added some new features to the Starlink Connected Services system. That includes remote climate control and remote battery charging timer. The first lets you cool or heat your car using the app while it’s still plugged into the wall. 10 years of the service is free with purchase.
Subaru says that the Crosstrek Hybrid has an 8.8 Kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that gives it an all-electric range of up to 17 miles. Top speed in EV mode is 65 mph. Total system output is 148 hp and 149 lb-ft of torque. Not big figures, but Subaru says it should get from zero to 60 miles per hour about a second quicker than its conventional sibling.
The Crosstrek Hybrid maintains Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel drive system. It gets 8.7 inches of ground clearance and has the brand’s X-Mode off-road powertrain mode and hill descent control. It’s also able to tow up to 1,000 lbs.
The EPA rating for this one is 90 MPGe, with 35 combined once the battery gets flat. Cargo space takes a hit, with 15.9 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 43.1 with them folded, compared with the non-hybrid’s 20.8/55.3. At the scales, the electric bits make the Crosstrek about 500 lbs heavier than before.
The Crosstrek Hybrid will make its official debut at the LA Auto Show next week. The $34,995 price tag when it goes on sale puts it about $7,800 more than a loaded gas-only Crosstrek, but it won’t come loaded. There’s a $2,500 option package that adds some comfort bits like a heated wheel, power moonroof, navigation system, and a Harman Kardon audio system. Subaru’s EyeSight with pre-collision braking, radar cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keeping, and responsive headlights are included as standard.
From HybridCars.com
Evan moved from engineering to automotive journalism 10 years ago (it turns out cars are more interesting than fibreglass pipes), but has been following the auto industry for his entire life. Evan is an award-winning automotive writer and photographer and is the current President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. You'll find him behind his keyboard, behind the wheel, or complaining that tiny sports cars are too small for his XXXL frame.
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whoa, Subaru and Toyota gettin' in deep with each other. Now, if we can get Subaru to add .2L of displacement to their FA20 and make an FA22 to put into the BRZ/86 to help with the torque, that would be wonderful; think of it like when Honda added .2L to the S2000 (AP2) and improved the daily drive-ability of that car. This car will probably sell well as the 90mpge will play into the conservation aspect of the company; however, one must live with and endure the CVT.