Blog Archives - Hybrid Auto

I am a proud and happy owner of a Subaru Outback and the vehicle has served me and my family well over the years. As I started looking into the hybrid and EV market, I was curious about Subaru hybrids and wondered if Subaru made a hybrid Outback. Let me share with you what I found. There is no Subaru Outback. Subaru makes hybrids, specifically a plug-in hybrid, also known as PHEV. Subaru has released the Subaru Forester Hybrid and Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid is available in the US. Subaru Forester Hybrid is available in Australia but it is not available in the US. Subaru also has announced plans to electrify their entire lineup of cars by 2035. The new Crosstrek hybrid is a series-parallel PHEV and will use two motor generators. Although Subaru currently makes and sells many Partial zero-emission vehicles(PZEV), Subaru stopped making hybrids a few years ago. The company decided to halt hybrid production since sales numbers were disappointing. This was a result of a bad fuel economy and had a high starting price. Similar to other Subaru cars, the Crosstrek hybrid is an all-wheel-driveHas a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engineHas an electrified plug-in-hybrid modelCan run on electricity for up to 17 milesHas an 8.8 kW-hr lithium-ion battery. There are many reasons to admire or want a Subaru Crosstrek hybrid, but the burning question on my mind was when will the Subaru Crosstrek hybrid be available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwOMn2kvRP0 Most other Subaru models are PZEV. I have written about PZEVs. You can read an introduction to PZEV here. There will be more articles in the future, so please make sure to check back. If you are new to the world of hybrids, I have researched and written many articles. You can start here on PHEV vs FHEV. Subaru CrossTrek Hybrid You can view the official Subaru CrossTrek Hybrid Video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KuVEMXDyUk Subaru hybrid crosstrek mpg According to US News, Crosstrek Hybrid gets EPA-estimated 90 MPGe combined city/highway. Crosstrek hybrid also has all-electric rage of 17 miles. Regular Crosstrek gets 35 MPG. https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/42292.shtml How does Subaru Crosstrek hybrid work? 2020 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid is second generation hybrid, and it is a plug-in hybrid or PHEV promising about 17 miles of range from battery Here are other features of the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid All wheel driveCosts more than regular Subaru Crosstrek Has 2 motorsFirst Subaru PHEVHas 8.8 kWh battery packRear-mounted battery packGenerates 148 HP Combined (compared to 152 HP on regular)240 Volt Level 2 charger charges in 2 hours8.7 inches of ground clearance You can read my other article about Subaru Starlink here. It uses a system called StarDrive that includes 2 electric motors named MG1 (Motor Generator One) and MG2. Caranddriver says this “Motor Generator One (MG1) sends juice to the battery pack and acts as a starter for the 2.0-liter flat-four engine. The cleverly named Motor Generator Two (MG2) provides 118 horsepower and 149 lb-ft of torque to actually propel the Crosstrek; it works alongside the boxer engine in most circumstances. “ CarandDriver found that Crosstrek hybrid is not quick, and if you go too fast gas engine will be engaged. There is no “EV mode” switch that you might find on a Toyota Prius. Like most hybrids and EVs, Crosstrek uses regenerative braking. I will write more about regenerative braking in a future post. Stay tuned for that as well. If you know Subarus, you know about the boxer engine that is in use in all Subarus. Crosstrek Hybrid combines the boxer engine with MG1& MG2. MG1 acts as an engine starter. MG2 powers vehicle for EV driving mode, and chargess battery while brkaing using regeneratie braking. StarDrive is Subaru’s way of ele ctricfying vehicles according to insiders. StarLink is also available, and read more about it on our future article. Read Subaru’s Press kit here: https://media.subaru.com/newsrelease.do?id=1371&mid=156 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Vs Subaru Crosstrek So as a driver, what is the difference between the hybrid and regular Subaru Crosstrek? Hybrid gets 148HP combined, 152 HP for regular CrosstrekMPG hybrid is around 90MPGe vs 27 for regular CrosstrekHybrid Price is $35345 while Subaru Crosstrek is around $22000 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Rating Cars.com rating is 5, Caranddriver gave it a 8/10 rating. Edmunds suggests a price of about $33k. Notably, we picked the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek Plug-In Hybrid as one of Edmunds' Cheapest Electric Cars for 2020. - Edmunds.com “ Other Subaru Hybrids Subaru outback is not available as a hybrid. Subaru Forester is available as a hybrid at least in Australia. Subaru has released a hybrid model of Subaru’s popular mid-size SUV, the Forester, costing $3000 more than its regular/gas model. That makes the cost of Forester hybrid to be around $45k. You can watch a review of the Subaru Forester hybrid here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDseK-b2i1A 2020 Subaru Forester and Crosstrek Hybrid have luanched in Australia. Most other Subaru models are available as a PZEV. We have an article here about PZEV, please read that here. Future : Will Subaru make hybrids? Although I cannot predict the future, according to released information from Subaru, there are no current plans for hybrids. However, Subaru has announced e a new BEV named Evoltis. If some auto magazines are right, we may be able to see Subaru BEV in the market as early as 2022. Subaru has worked with Toyota, who owns 20% of Subaru, on hybrids and EVs, and so you see a lot of technology overlap between these vehicles. Frequently Asked Questions Is the Subaru Crosstek hybrid a plug in? Yes, Subaru Crosstek Hybrid is a PHEV or a plug in hybrid. 2020 model is available in the US. What Suabru models are hybrid? Crosstrek and Forester. Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid is a hybrid. Subaru Forester also has a hybrid option. But, Forester hybrid is not available in the USA. Both Crosstrek and Forester were released in Australia. Does Subaru make a hybrid Outback? No, Subaru Outback is currently available only as a PZEV, not a hybrid. Although there has been speculation online about a Subaru Outback hybrid, there has been no official announcement. Does Subaru make a hybrid Forester? Yes, Subaru Forester Hybrid costs around $45k and seems to be available in Australia, and I could not find an option to buy one in the USA. Is there a subaru forester hybrid? Technically, yes, there is a Subaru Forester Hybrid. But it is not released in the USA, but it is released in Australia. Subaru Forester e-boxer hybrid