2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Tested: It’s Electrified, Not Transformed
The new hybrid model’s driving range opens your eyes, but performance gains are a mixed bag.
Pros
- Impressive driving range
- Good fuel economy
- Same lovable pocket off-roader
Cons
- Barely quicker than the gas model
- Powertrain needs refinement
- Braking performance at the limit
The Subaru Crosstrek is one of MotorTrend’s favorite subcompact SUVs for its blend of comfort, quality, and off-road capability, but the company’s smallest SUV has always been more about adventure than adrenaline. The new 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid aims to change the balance, at least a little. With its first proper hybrid system in nearly a decade paired with Subaru’s familiar 2.5-liter four-cylinder boxer engine, the latest Crosstrek promises more power, better efficiency, and the same go-anywhere confidence that’s made it a favorite among outdoorsy types. (The second-gen Crosstrek did feature a plug-in hybrid option.)
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Does electrification make it any quicker, though, or just less thirsty? To find out, we broke out our test gear and put the new Crosstrek Hybrid through the same gauntlet as its gas sibling. What we learned reveals both the progress Subaru’s made and the limits it’s still bumping up against.
Is the Hybrid Quicker Than the Gas Model?
Eventually, yes, but not by much. Despite feeling a bit livelier, the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid’s acceleration isn’t actually quicker than the gas version in MotorTrend’s testing. Both hit 60 mph in 7.9 seconds. Over the quarter mile, the Hybrid just barely edged ahead by 0.2 second, though it crossed the line at a slower 87.1 mph compared with the gas model’s 88.6 mph.
The Hybrid’s extra weight, about 299 pounds more than the gas Crosstrek, helps explain the modest results. That added mass comes from its motor and battery pack. It’s also roughly 250 pounds heavier than one of its main rivals, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, which makes only 2 hp more yet reaches 60 mph 0.5 second quicker and completes the quarter mile 0.2 second quicker at a faster 87.9 mph.
The Crosstrek Hybrid’s acceleration is perfectly adequate, much like the gas version. It’s no stoplight sprinter, but the motor does provide some useful assistance for highway merges or climbs, tasks that once challenged the now-retired 2.0-liter base engine. One downside: The gas engine still gets loud when you floor it, and the transition between electric and gas power feels rough occasionally, noticeable enough to mention even if it doesn’t happen all the time.
Limit Averse
In everyday driving, the Crosstrek Hybrid behaves much like its gas-powered sibling, offering decent body control, a comfortable ride, and light, accurate steering, even if feedback through the steering wheel is minimal.
Push it harder, though, and its composure starts to fray. In Sport mode with stability control off, braking midcorner at speed proved tricky due to the system’s sensitive and aggressive antilock brake calibration, which also led to noticeable front-end dive under heavy braking.
Sudden straight-line stops inspired even less confidence. We experienced vibrations, steering wheel tugging, and “whirring” noises (possibly from the motor) along with clunks from the wheelwells. Under especially hard braking, the Crosstrek Hybrid even felt like it was skipping from side to side.
Testing shows the hybrid needs 5 more feet than the lighter gas model to stop from 60 mph. But it’s also the quickest of the three through our racetrack-in-a-bottle figure-eight track and carries a higher g load (the gas model took 28.4 seconds at an average of 0.60 g).
Stay within its limits, and none of this handling drama shows up. The brake pedal feels firm, with strong, easy-to-modulate stopping power that suits normal driving just fine.
Crosstrek With the Most Range
The 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid may offer only a modest power bump, but its real win comes at the pump. Compared with the gas model, it delivers a substantial 10-mpg improvement in city driving and an extra 3 mpg on the highway.
That’s still shy of the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid’s substantial 45/38 mpg city/highway, helped by its smaller gas engine and rear electric motor. The Crosstrek Hybrid uses a less efficient mechanical permanent all-wheel-drive system, which is better for off-roading (a core Subaru value).
That said, the Subaru counters with a major advantage: range. The Crosstrek Hybrid retains the gas model’s generous 16.6-gallon fuel tank, giving it an estimated driving range of up to 598 miles. The Toyota’s smaller 10.6-gallon tank limits it to about 445 miles, making the Subaru the better long-haul companion.
Is It Worth It?
Hybrid powertrain aside, this is the same Crosstrek we know well, and that’s mostly a good thing. The ride remains composed and comfortable, visibility is excellent, and Subaru’s hallmark capability still shines where the pavement ends. What the Hybrid adds is meaningful efficiency: the best fuel economy in the lineup, a generous driving range, and slightly smoother drivability thanks to its electric assist. Around town, it can even glide in near silence on electric power alone, ideal for creeping through traffic or parking lots.
Of course, not everything is perfect. The infotainment screen still feels dated and sluggish, the gas engine gets noisy when pushed, and the battery pack trims a bit of cargo space. But those trade-offs are small compared with what you gain in efficiency and refinement.
Like we said about the hybrid in the Forester range, the new Crosstrek Hybrid could easily become the sweet spot in Subaru’s entry-level SUV lineup. Our well-equipped Limited tester stickers for $38,410 with a few extras, putting it near the price of larger hybrid SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4. Skip some of the spendy options, like the flashy Citron Yellow Pearl paint, 360 camera, and reverse automatic emergency braking, and you can bring the price closer to the top Corolla Cross Hybrid. At that point, the Crosstrek Hybrid makes a compelling case for itself, offering Subaru loyalists—and maybe even a few Toyota converts—a well-rounded, long-range hybrid that still feels every bit like a Crosstrek.
My dad was a do-it-yourselfer, which is where my interest in cars began. To save money, he used to service his own vehicles, and I often got sent to the garage to hold a flashlight or fetch a tool for him while he was on his back under a car. Those formative experiences activated and fostered a curiosity in Japanese automobiles because that’s all my Mexican immigrant folks owned then. For as far back as I can remember, my family always had Hondas and Toyotas. There was a Mazda and a Subaru in there, too, a Datsun as well. My dad loved their fuel efficiency and build quality, so that’s how he spent and still chooses to spend his vehicle budget. Then, like a lot of young men in Southern California, fast modified cars entered the picture in my late teens and early 20s. Back then my best bud and I occasionally got into inadvisable high-speed shenanigans in his Honda. Coincidentally, that same dear friend got me my first job in publishing, where I wrote and copy edited for action sports lifestyle magazines. It was my first “real job” post college, and it gave me the experience to move just a couple years later to Auto Sound & Security magazine, my first gig in the car enthusiast space. From there, I was extremely fortunate to land staff positions at some highly regarded tuner media brands: Honda Tuning, UrbanRacer.com, and Super Street. I see myself as a Honda guy, and that’s mostly what I’ve owned, though not that many—I’ve had one each Civic, Accord, and, currently, an Acura RSX Type S. I also had a fourth-gen Toyota pickup when I met my wife, with its bulletproof single-cam 22R inline-four, way before the brand started calling its trucks Tacoma and Tundra. I’m seriously in lust with the motorsport of drifting, partly because it reminds me of my boarding and BMX days, partly because it’s uncorked vehicle performance, and partly because it has Japanese roots. I’ve never been much of a car modifier, but my DC5 is lowered, has a few bolt-ons, and the ECU is re-flashed. I love being behind the wheel of most vehicles, whether that’s road tripping or circuit flogging, although a lifetime exposed to traffic in the greater L.A. area has dulled that passion some. And unlike my dear ol’ dad, I am not a DIYer, because frankly I break everything I touch.
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