We drove a $38,000 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid for a week and discovered its best features

Benjamin ZhangMay 28, 2019, 22:25 IST

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

Subaru's much loved Crosstrek crossover is now available as a plug-in hybrid.
The Crosstrek is an entry-point into Subaru's formidable lineup of crossovers and SUV that now includes the Forester, the Outback wagon, and seven-passenger Ascent.
The base 2019 Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i starts at $22,895 while the 2.0i Premium trim adds $1,000 to the price tag. The more luxurious 2.0i Limited trim starts at $27,195 while the top-of-the-line Hybrid starts at $34,995. Including options and fees, our Crosstrek Hybrid came with an as-tested price of $38,470
We were impressed by our Crosstrek Hybrid test car's fuel economy, standard safety features, and more perky acceleration. However, the Hybrid was held back by its steep price tag and limited cargo space.
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Since its debut in 2013, the Subaru Crosstrek has developed into somewhat of a cult favorite for those in the market for a no-nonsense, fuel efficient, all-wheel-drive crossover.

With a starting price of just under $22,000, the Crosstrek is an entry-point into Subaru's lineup of crossover SUVs that now includes the Forester, the Outback wagon, and seven-passenger Ascent.

In 2018, Subaru rolled out a new second-generation variant of the Crosstrek. A year later, the Japanese automaker followed up with a plug-in hybrid version of the Crosstrek for the 2019 model year- the first vehicle of its kind in Subaru history.

Recently, Business Insider had the chance to spend a week with a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid clad in a brilliant Lagoon Blue Pearl paint job.

In our review, we noted the more hybrid's more enthusiastic driving dynamics and great efficiency while lamenting high asking price and the loss in cargo space due to the placement of the battery pack behind the rear seats.

"The Subaru Crosstrek is a really likable and capable little crossover," we said in the review. "With the addition of the hybrid drive system, the Crosstrek is now more efficient and significantly more peppy to drive."

The base 2019 Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i starts at $22,895 while the 2.0i Premium trim adds $1,000 to the price tag. The more luxurious 2.0i Limited trim starts at $27,195 while the top-of-the-line Hybrid starts at $34,995.

Including options and fees, our Crosstrek Hybrid came with an as-tested price of $38,470.

Here's a closer look at its coolest features:

See We drove a $38,000 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid for a week and discovered its best features >>

1. Hybrid drive system: Most Crosstreks are powered by a 152 horsepower, 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. The Crosstrek Hybrid gets a detuned version of the engine with 137 horsepower that mated with two electric motors and an 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The total system output of the hybrid is 148 horsepower.

The hybrid drive system features two electric motors. One is used as a starter motor and as a generator to recharge batteries. The other helps power the car itself while providing charge for the battery pack during regenerative braking.

The 8.8 kWh battery pack can be fully charged in two hours using a 240V plug or five hours using a 120V plug. According to Subaru, the Hybrid can drive 17 miles using only electricity and up to 480 miles in hybrid mode.

The battery pack is stored under the rear cargo floor.

2. Standard safety tech: All Crosstreks come standard with Subaru's EyeSight suites of driver's assistance technology that includes adaptive cruise control, automatic pre-collision braking, lane departure warning, and sway warning with lane keep assist. The system, which uses a pair of cameras located on either side of the rear-view mirror, worked really well and is a major selling point for Subaru.

Our test car also came with blind spot detection with lane change assist along with rear cross traffic alert.

3. Good looks: The Subaru Crosstrek is based on the company's attractive Impreza hatchback.

The Crosstrek's styling is punctuated by increased ride height, a pronounced front overhang, and aggressive body cladding.

4. Standard all-wheel-drive: All Crosstreks come standard with Subaru's superb Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system.

5. Interior ergonomics: The Crosstrek's interior is virtually identical to the Impreza hatchback on which it is based. In fact, it will instantly feel familiar to anyone who's been in a Subaru. Fortunately, the cabin is well-designed with intuitively placed switchgear.

6. Quality interior: Much like the other Subaru's we've tested recently, the material quality is impressive. The leathers and plastics used may not have been the softest or the most refined, but they all gave you feeling that it was built to survive the rigors of life.

7. Strong infotainment system: Our tester came with an eight-inch touchscreen running Subaru's Starlink infotainment system. Lower trim levels come standard with a 6.5-inch unit. Starlink has become one of our favorite mass market infotainment systems. Its simple, no-nonsense design and high feature content really impressed us.

The system features a built-in navigation system, a slew of media sources, satellite radio, as well as Pandora and Aha app integration.

8. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.

9. Secondary infotainment screen: The Crosstrek's smaller secondary screen is located atop the primary screen and is controlled using the "Info" button on the left side of the steering wheel, is just as useful.

It offers readouts of the vehicles trip computer, radio, the status of its various advanced safety systems...

... secondary gauges, ...

... navigation,...

...weather information, and...

... hybrid drive system status.

10. Back up camera.

11. Optional moonroof: An optional moonroof helps bring added light into the cabin, but we do wish the Crosstrek could be had with the Forester's panoramic glass roof.

12. Ground clearance: The Crosstrek delivers a stout 8.7 inches of ground clearance, the same as the larger Forester SUV.

13. Easy-use-use driver controls and gauges: In front of the driver is a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls for everything from the audio system to the drive mode selector. The buttons are clearly labeled and thoughtfully placed.

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