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2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid First Drive Review | Finally, a Subie with a plug - updated

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Subarus are pretty good to drive — capable, comfortable, generally affordable, interesting — and with one exception, they all offer all-wheel drive. And they're a relatively green company. The active, outdoorsy and often socially conscious drivers appreciate things like Subaru's commitment to diverting waste from landfills. But there's a fact that's been nagging many of us who love to hug dogs, trees and the occasional Subaru: there's no electric option. Subaru, an automaker small enough to get by with an efficient fleet of conventional gas vehicles, has been able to do without building a compliance car. Still, an increasing number of Americans want to be able to plug in their vehicles. For loyal Subaru fans, brand love and eco-consciousness have increasingly difficult to reconcile. That changes now, and not because of any specific regulation, but because Subaru sees the demand. By the end of this year, Subaru will be selling its first plug-in vehicle, the 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid. While Subaru has sold a Crosstrek that was a conventional hybrid before, the new 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid is Subaru's first plug-in hybrid. Sales of the previous hybrid weren't great, though, since it was expensive. Customers didn't choose to pay a premium for a few mere extra miles per gallon. Subaru hopes the extra fuel efficiency of the plug-in will increase the appeal. Even so, like Chrysler did with the Pacifica Hybrid, Subaru opted not to put "plug-in" in the name for 2019. Despite an arguable opportunity missed to set the record straight with a new and more descriptive name, there's no mistaking this thing is a PHEV. There are "Plug-In Hybrid" badges on both front fenders and the tailgate, and the door covering the SAE charging receptacle – at the rear of the driver's side, on the opposite side of the gas fuel door – is stamped with the words "PLUG-IN" writ large. While this thing looks every bit a Subaru, even if you pop the hood to take a look at the 2.0-liter boxer engine up front, the 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid borrows its PHEV technology from Toyota – more fruit of the partnership that bore the Scion FR-S and the BRZ. It has the same 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack as the Prius Prime, but in the bigger, heavier Subaru it's only good for a modest 17 miles of all-electric range. If that figure is a little disappointing to you, you're not alone. We had hoped to see at least 20 miles of EV range in this thing.

Poor sales prompt Subaru to kill the Crosstrek Hybrid

The Subaru XV Crosstrek is a major hit. It's high off the ground, offers enough seating for five, and has Subaru's iconic all-wheel-drive system, which is exactly what modern consumers want. As we pointed out last year, Subaru posted impressive sales figures thanks to its crossover lineup, which includes the Forester, Outback, and XV Crosstrek. It turns out, though, that Subaru owners aren't interested in the hybrid variant of the crossover, as Subaru plans to axe the XV Crosstrek Hybrid, reports Cars Direct. The discontinuation of the XV Crosstrek Hybrid is due to the crossover's poor sales figures, claims Cars Direct. Subaru introduced its first-ever production hybrid, the XV Crosstrek Hybrid, in 2013 and after just three years the vehicle is being killed. As we pointed out in our review of the vehicle, the hybrid's larger price tag and marginally better fuel economy made it a tough choice over the non-hybrid models. The XV Crosstrek Hybrid starts – sorry, started – at $27,245, while the base 2.0i model has - had - a price tag of $22,445. That's $4,800 more for a vehicle that gets seven mpg better in the city and only three mpg more on the highway at 30 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. We reached out to Subaru for a comment, but haven't heard back yet. We'll update the story when we hear back from the automaker. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid: First Drive View 53 Photos News Source: Cars DirectImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Jonathon Ramsey Green Plants/Manufacturing Subaru Crossover Hatchback subaru xv crosstrek subaru hybrid discontinued subaru xv crosstrek hybrid

Subaru Cross Sport Design Concept is a BRZ with a backpack

Sports cars are a notoriously tough sell over the long-term. Like convertibles, sales of even the best sports cars tend to be front-loaded in the first couple of years, at which point they drop off like a stone. That may serve to explain this mysterious two-door wagonback concept from Subaru, dubbed Cross Sport Design Concept.
While details aren't exactly thick on the ground, at first blush, this appears to be a higher-riding BRZ with a more utilitarian backpack. Reports suggest the rear-wheel-drive sports coupe's chassis is riding underneath, despite the fact that the Cross Sport is 2.6 inches longer overall. Assuming the chassis itself is basically unmodified and the 2.0-liter, flat, four-cylinder engine is untouched, this could be a very effective way for Subaru to increase its return on investment in the BRZ's underpinnings while generating a very cool (if niche) shooting brake model.
With the exception of a few bits of concept car frosting (wood-lined cargo bay floor, overly-detailed steroscopic camera mounts, slivered side mirrors, etc.), this thing looks production ready, and that's just ducky with us.