One day I'm going to swap a FB25D into my MT.

 

The 2.0L is legit not enough for the Crosstrek, I can see why they got rid of it in the Premium and then the Base, it was probably dragging down sales of those trims.

BUT... the four non-Wilderness trims are now largely differentiated by cosmetic differences and a lot of dubious "upgrade" features.

 

For me a 'nice to have' would be the heated steering wheel. Not Available in the US until the MY26. But that alone is not enough for me to trade or sell MY24, or even spend the money to install and wire one. Still happy and makes me smile all along the 43K mile I have on it already. Same color they tested,

 

I smile every time I look at my 24 Sport.

 

Hybrid is a cool idea but too expensive when things go wrong. If you sell or trade in every couple years, you probably don't care. I have a tendency to keep my cars a decade.

I purchased this yesterday fully knowing the hybrid was coming soon. I'm okay with my choice. Lack of electronic features is what I really like about it. No sunroof, no liftgate motor, no power seat. Suits me fine as I also have a 2024 Outback with all of the features that will likely cost me a fortune in the future to fix.

 

If you wanted the Wilderness then waiting for the hybrid version might have been longer than next year, unless I missed an announcement.

 

Just going by what the dealership told me and a quick internet search backs that up

 

2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid | AWD Hybrid Compact SUV

Explore farther with lower emissions in the new 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, featuring an all-new hybrid powertrain, AWD capability, and advanced tech.

www.subaru.com

Hybrid will only be in Sport and Limited trims for 2026.

 

Sorry I think I confused the matter.

I never had a wish for a hybrid Wilderness, that is just silly. Car reviews online have already shown deficiencies of the AWD system on the hybrid compared to the standard motors.

 

36 mpg isn't that impressive for a vehicle that already gets over 30 mpg. Though 194hp is certainly impressive.

 

Yeah, I can't see the reason to add all that complexity for such a little gain.

 

2025 Premium is the 2.5

But neither engine gets 36 mph outside of a narrow band of 55-60 mph driving on level open roads.

Take a Crosstrek with either engine into a city, and the mph is going to drop quite a bit... and that's where the hybrid system shines, at least reportedly, keeping the mpg significantly higher than the pure ICE.

 

2025 Premium is the 2.5

But neither engine gets 36 mph outside of a narrow band of 55-60 mph driving on level open roads.

Take a Crosstrek with either engine into a city, and the mph is going to drop quite a bit... and that's where the hybrid system shines, at least reportedly, keeping the mpg significantly higher than the pure ICE.

Since most of my miles are highway miles, I presume it would not make much difference for me. Well, maybe around 3 mpg difference.

 

At least one more review is out.

 

Ok so dashboard is still dials, not screen.
Edit : no, it’s actually screen.

 

Ok so dashboard is still dials, not screen.
Edit : no, it’s actually screen.

Precisely why I would abandon Subaru if I had to buy a vehicle right now. Hopefully by the time I need to, Subaru will follow some of the other car makers who are going back to knobs and switches.

 

 

The Forester and Crosstrek hybrids retain their always-on mechanical all wheel drive setup, rather than an on-demand dinky electric motor at the rear axle, so that's part of why they don't get 42mpg highway.

The major benefit of the hybrid system on the Subarus is city mpg... the boxers seem to really struggle with efficiency in stop-start driving, and that's where the added electrical drive system really shines.