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RIP, Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid

For what it's worth, Subaru promises another hybrid will soon take up the mantle.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
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When it debuted at the New York Auto Show back in 2013, the Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid was Subaru's first-ever production hybrid vehicle. Now, just three short years later, the Crosstrek Hybrid has been discontinued. Requiescat in pace.

Subaru says the XV Crosstrek Hybrid will not be built for the 2017 model year. With its hybrid setup mated to Subaru's all-wheel drivetrain and a continuously variable transmission, the Crosstrek Hybrid could achieve up to 33 mpg on the highway. And with 8.7 inches of ground clearance, it wasn't too shabby in the dirt, either.

It's important to note, though, that this isn't the end of Subaru's work with hybrid-electric vehicles. The company was quick to point out that it's working on a new hybrid, which will debut at an undetermined date. It will ride on the new Subaru Global Platform, which underpins the new 2017 Impreza.

Since the current XV Crosstrek was little more than a lifted version of the Impreza hatchback, just as the Outback is basically a lifted Legacy with a hatchback, it's fair to assume that a new XV Crosstrek is in the works, modeled after the latest Impreza. That's just my assumption, but based on Subaru's product portfolio, it's not exactly an uneducated guess.