Subaru’s 2026 Crosstrek compact SUV is becoming almost as popular as its sister car, the mid-size Outback AWD SUV. And I’m seeing a lot of Crosstrek’s on the road. Retired friends recently traded their earlier model Forester for a Crosstrek, and our priest also drives one.
For 2026, the Crosstrek has been made even more attractive with a hybrid option. It’s offered in base Crosstrek, Crosstrek Premium, Crosstrek Sport, Crosstrek Sport Hybrid, Crosstrek Limited, Crosstrek Limited Hybrid (that we tested) and Crosstrek Wilderness.
If there’s one trait Subaru’s are noted for is their winter, snowy weather driving capabilities with their 8.7 inches of ground clearance coupled to AWD. My timing was great as the weeklong test I was privileged to have it, it snowed and I was able to experience it’s famed symmetrical AWD system that offered safe, confident, assurances that it can easily traverse slippery, snow-covered roads.
On its exterior, Crosstrek has Subaru’s familiar family smooth, slippery styling lines. And its interior is classy and workable with its huge, vertical eye-grabbing 12.3-inch touchscreen that serves a host of features and functions including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto connectivity, rearview and revolving view cameras, drive mode selections including an EV mode, HVAC selections and a hidden sensor atop the display for Subaru’s Driver Focus system. The system can detect driver eyes off-the-road that will give alerts to pay attention to the road ahead. This and more.
Residing on the console is a gear selector for the CVT automatic transmission that’s supplemented with paddle shifters. In front the gear shifter is a wireless phone charging pad.
Over on the digital gauge cluster, it includes a driver information display for alerts, features and functions, plus a gauge to show when the Crosstrek is operating in Charge, Eco and Power modes. Keeping the needle in Eco mode obviously provides the best fuel economy.
Heated/ventilated leather front seats are sofa soft and supportive with contrasting orange stiping on all edges. Of course a heated steering wheel rounds out wintertime driving comfort.
Then there’s Subaru’s X-Mode AWD system that offers Snow/Dirt, Normal and Deep/Snow/Mud driving modes. They’re selected on the vertical touchscreen. Since I was fortunate to have the Crosstrek during a recent snowstorm, I didn’t even need the snow modes as Subaru’s AWD system was sufficient to handle the two-inch snow depth.
This brings me back to the 1999 Outback we owned and during a substantial snow fall back then. As I ascended the alley that runs behind my home and that has an incline, a neighbor was nearby shoveling her bordering pavements. She looked at me and shook her head in disbelief that I would make it up the street. I did, and a few months later her husband and her bought a new Outback, a testament to the excellent AWD and ground clearance Subaru’s have.
With a low step-in of 18 inches, the rear doors open wide for easy ingress/egress. And the rear seats are soft and comfy for two adults or three youngsters. Leg room is surprisingly good unless the fronts are racked well rearward.
Back in the cargo area, with a manual opening liftgate, and with the rear seats upright, there’s 18.6 cubic feet of space that measures 31 inches deep, 41 wide and 26.5 high. Flip the rear seats and space expands to 50.6 cu. ft. for 62 inches of loading depth. That’s impressive for a compact car.
Beneath the cargo floor is a hard-plastic cover underneath of which is the EV battery and jack plus a tire inflator bottle. There’s no space though, to stow small items.
Crosstrek Hybrid gets its spunk from Subaru’s famed 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder Boxer engine with next generation series parallel hybrid system. Combined output with the electric motor is 194-hp. There’s certainly no want for power. Subaru says mileage estimates are 36 city and 36-highway mpg. Of course there’s the EV mode for short around town trips. Acceleration in EV mode is super quick.
Because of its size, Crosstrek parks easily with a turn circle of a short 35.4 feet. And Crosstrek rides exceptionally smooth and quietly around town and at highway speeds. It’s actually fun to drive as it’s very nimble and takes sharp turns with no body lean. It stays planted throughout.
Crosstrek Hybrid’s base price is a reasonable $34,995. Options include, premium Harmon Kardon audio, adaptive cruise control, lane centering, pre-collision braking w/throttle management, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert w/automatic braking, XM radio and much more. So equipped, Crosstrek Limited Hybrid bottom-lined at $38,015. In other words, Crosstrek Hybrid SUV is a lot of AWD car for the money. That’s why you’ll see a lot of them on the road. I was impressed, as you will be too.
