2019 Subaru Crosstrek plug-in hybrid gives up a lot for a few miles per gallon
Cars
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I'm actually a pretty big fan of Subaru's Crosstrek, having recommended the small but tall wagon-y crossover thing to a number of my friends.
But I don't think I'd recommend this one, the 2019 Super Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid specifically.
Stick around and I'll explain why.
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Now you can spot a Crosstrek hybrid in the wild by its charging port, plugging into a level two outlet for about two hours nets you about 17 miles of electric range before you switch to hybrid operation.
That's gonna charge an 8.8 kilowatt hour lithium ion battery pack underneath the cargo floor.
Or more specifically, protruding into the cargo space.
It costs you about five cubic feet of cargo space, which is a pretty significant amount.
Now you can leave the charging cable at home since it is a hybrid and you don't really need it on the road, but that still doesn't leave a whole lot of space underneath this flimsy cargo cover.
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Now losing about 25% of your storage space for a battery pack is a pretty big ask for a class of car like this, that people typically buy for their spaciousness and utility.
But is the trade-off worth making?
Well, at the business end, the Crosstrek's hybrid system features a two liter boxer four cylinder engine.
That, along with an electric motor, makes about 148 horsepower.
That's a couple of ponies short of the non-hybrid, the 152.
But there is an additional torque that you get from the electric motor.
So, off the line this thing does feel a little bit more responsive.
However, once you get up to speed, it does feel a lot like the same Crosstrek that we've already known.
There's about 500 pounds of extra battery hanging out there, so you do feel that on the corners.
And once the battery pack is depleted, it does start to feel a little bit sluggish especially when you're headed up hills.
That's the trade off to performance that I don't know a lot of drivers are gonna wanna make.
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For the trouble, the Crosstrek returns around 35 miles per gallon combined when operating in hybrid mode Which isn't that much more than the non hybrid but for those first 17 electic [UNKNOWN] you're looking at [UNKNOWN] which will help you pull that average up.
And I'm averaging around 36 miles per gallon with daily recharging which isn't great.
But if you drive less than I do and recharge more, well, your mileage may vary considerably
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Other than the hybrid system and the compromises that come with it, this feels a lot like the same Cross Trek that we knew before, including the same safety checks, starting with the eyesight camera system which is standard and the [UNKNOWN] dashboard tech which we talk about in a separate video.
But there is one more compromise that We need to talk about.
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Of course the final straw is the price.
You see a well-equipped non-hybrid Crosstrek tops out at around $29,000.
But this bad boy starts at 35.
That's a $6,000 price premium before options.
You're looking at a $39,000 car right here.
That's a bit ridiculous, when you consider it comes with a number of compromises, and only the potential, not not necessarily the promise, or better fuel economy.
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