Subaru XV Cross Trek Hybrid

[cruiserfred]

Has anyone gotten any feedback on the new Hybrid CrossTrek from Subaru

Fred

 

[Sleeping Dog]

They have not hit the dealers yet in NE. The cargo floor is a bit higher and the EPA combined city-highway rating is about 30mpg. The way they will be optioned will be distinct from the gas only Crosstrek making a price comparison difficult.

 

[haven]

Subaru flew a bunch of auto journalists to Iceland to introduce the new CrossTrek Hybrid. The extra battery pack and electric motor adds 300 lb to the weight of the vehicle, and takes about 1 cu ft away from storage. EPA mpg estimates increase from 25 city, 33 highway and 28 mpg combined to 29 city, 33 highway and 31 mpg combined. So the electric boost is most helpful in city driving.

The new Hybrid costs about $3000 more than a similarly equipped gas engine Crosstrek. Even assuming a driving pattern that includes much city driving, it will take Hybrid owners many years to recoup the difference.

The combined mpg rating for the CrossTrek Hybrid is a little higher than similarly equipped crossovers, including the MINI Countryman All4, and the new Jeep Cherokee with 4 cylinder engine and AWD. Off-road driving is most like city driving (relatively slow speeds, plenty of starts and stops), so the hybrid should help in many overland travel scenarios.

photo by Subaru

The trip to Iceland turned out to be more of an adventure than Subaru planned. Snow, 90 mph winds, and low temperatures made this a real test of the CrossTrek. Monster Toyotas, Land Rovers and a Ford E-series van were on hand to pull the journalists out of the ditch.

Read more on Autoblog
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/11/11/2014-subaru-xv-crosstrek-hybrid-review-first-drive/

Here's Motor Trend's web entry
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1311_2014_subaru_xv_crosstrek_hybrid_first_drive/

Automobile Magazine has a web page about the experience
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1311_2014_subaru_xv_crosstrek_hybrid_review/

And here's the Yahoo Motoramic web post about the trip
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motora...d-iceland-experience-motoramic-221547436.html

 

[WMDunkin]

Thanks for that article, it is amazing to see that XV do that water crossing.

 

[haven]

Here's a Youtube video about the trip. Too bad it's running at 3x normal speed. There's some interesting rough road action at the 1:30 mark, and again at 2:15. The crossing of the ice-filled pool is captured at 3:00.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5JtGwYWR3o

 

[thebrassnuckles]

3k more for 5 mpg city?:Wow1:

 

[haven]

To make room for the battery pack, the hybrid's spare tire was removed. The journalists' reports mention how the sharp lava rocks caused punctures and sidewall cuts in several tires, forcing the Subaru staff to scramble to keep all the test vehicles mobile. Run-flat tires are not a good choice for overlanding.

From the reports, it appears one reason the Subarus got stuck on the snowy roads was high-centering in the deep ruts left by the monster support trucks. A heavy vehicle on 44 inch tall tires leaves deep tracks.

 

[Laxaholic]

I like these little things, interesting. Especially because you can get them with manual trans.

 

[Haf-E]

I think the hybrid is only available with the CVT...

Wish they still offered the hi/lo lever though - I did notice on Subaru's site that they offer it still with a 1.6 liter engine and a 5 speed (somewhere)?

There are 1 inch lift kits which look pretty good on the Crosstrek's too.

 

[E.J.]

The 1.6 is a turbo diesel IIRC.

 

[Laxaholic]

They aren't all hybrids though.

I think the hybrid is only available with the CVT...

Wish they still offered the hi/lo lever though - I did notice on Subaru's site that they offer it still with a 1.6 liter engine and a 5 speed (somewhere)?

There are 1 inch lift kits which look pretty good on the Crosstrek's too.

 

[UK4X4]

Stupid subaru......still don't get this Hybrid **** when diesels already do higher milage

The UK diesel version does 41 urban 56 motorway and 50 combined

With no lithium disposal issue and same price as the petrol

 

[Laxaholic]

Stupid subaru......still don't get this Hybrid **** when diesels already do higher milage

The UK diesel version does 41 urban 56 motorway and 50 combined

With no lithium disposal issue and same price as the petrol

I agree 100%. If it came diesel, manual trans, along with symmetrical AWD...i'd be sold immediately.

 

[Haf-E]

I think that the MPG numbers you quoted are using "imperial gallons" - here is the numbers for the subaru diesel from subaru's global website:

http://www.subaru-global.com/2014xv_rr_spec.html

Urban 6.8 l/100 km - 34.5 US-MPG
Extra-urban 5.0 l/100 km - 47.0 US-MPG
Combined 5.6 l/100 km - 42.0 US-MPG

Still much better than the regular and hybrid versions - I would rather have a diesel than the hybrid for sure...

The subaru has nickel-metal-hydride batteries - not lithium - and both can be fully recycled and are not disposal problems.

 

[JKMikey]

I just picked up a Plasma Green like the pictures. I test drove both the Sport and the Hybrid. The hybrid gives a little more kick accelerating, and I like the Start/Stop nature of it in traffic. Yes it costs a little more, but it also feels more upscale than the Sport's (at least in Canada). In Canada, there is only one trim level for the hybrid, whereas the states has more trim levels.

I'm still in the break-in period, so I can't really give feedback on mileage. I'm getting (currently) 8.0l/100km in Canada. I think the rating on it is 6.5 l/100km combined (6 highway, 6.9 city)

If you got any questions, let me know.