2026 Crosstrek Sport Hybrid Has Me Conflicted as a 5-Time Subaru Owner

The best Crosstrek Subaru has ever built, the 2026 Sport Hybrid, can’t come with me on my adventures. I have owned five Subarus over more than two decades, all purchased new. Two Outbacks, a Forester, a Legacy 2.5GT, and we presently have a 13-month-old Crosstrek Wilderness in our family fleet. Although the new 2026 Sport Hybrid is a fantastic Crosstrek that eliminates the model’s biggest shortcomings, it can’t be part of my fleet.

In dozens of reviews and articles, I have preached the holy trinity of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, ground clearance, and X-MODE to anyone who would listen. So when Subaru announced that a new-generation Crosstrek Hybrid was coming back for 2026 with a proper, non-plug-in, full-hybrid system, I was the first to lean in close. The fact that its hybrid system had a Toyota foundation was music to my ears. We also own a Toyota hybrid crossover. To my mind, a Crosstrek with a Toyota-based hybrid powertrain would be the ultimate matchup. What I found was a vehicle that is, in nearly every meaningful way, the Crosstrek I have always dreamed of owning. And yet, I cannot buy one. Because it has a missing safety and convenience feature I can’t live without.

Subaru Nailed the Hybrid Powertrain
Let me start with what Subaru got right, because what the company has done is genuinely impressive. The fundamental complaint about every Crosstrek has always been the same: the engine and transmission. The naturally aspirated 2.5-liter Boxer four-cylinder is barely adequate. On highway on-ramps, you press the accelerator and wait, watching the revs climb while nothing happens speed-wise. The CVT whirls and the engine sings, but you barely accelerate. Merging onto Route 2 West to escape Metro Boston feels like a safety hazard. Road noise pours into the cabin like an uninvited guest, and the 25 MPG we get with our Wilderness is a growing concern.

There’s another issue with the Crosstrek, and I’ve felt this negative sensation in my own Wilderness, service department loaners, and media test vehicles. Just after you start off, there’s a dead spot in the torque band. It’s a letdown, and S mode doesn't cure it.

The 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid Sport solves all of that powertrain negativity in one elegant package. Partnered with a boxer engine, of course, is an all-new hybrid system featuring two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery, conspiring to produce 194 peak horsepower. That is 34 more horsepower than the gas-only model, and, more importantly, the electric torque is immediate. It neatly fills in the gaps we owners have come to know and regret. The hesitation is gone. The car moves when you ask it to move. It is a very satisfying, if not punchy, powertrain.

We drove about 500 miles of rural New Hampshire roadways during our time with the Crosstrek Sport Hybrid. At no time did we feel that this vehicle was underpowered for its mission or its $36K price point. Quite the contrary, we can’t think of a crossover at this price that we’d prefer to be driving on a twisty mountain road with lots of swoopy elevation changes. The hybrid torque changes everything. While not thrilling, the Crosstrek Hybrid is finally fun, and the dead spots and weird CVT behaviors are gone.

We Exceeded the EPA’s Fuel Economy Number
The efficiency numbers for the 26 Crosstrek Sport Hybrid are reason enough to pay the $3,400 price adder. You’ll be ahead by year ten of your ownership, or perhaps sooner if the elevated fuel prices we are experiencing today stick around. Even better, we used S mode almost all the time we drove this vehicle, climbed hills and small mountains, had a lot of fun with the car, and still exceeded the EPA-estimated 36 MPG. We observed 38.2 MPG over the full week and just under 500 miles of driving, and it was higher at times. Of course, you can use Regular fuel. After our long trip, we still had over 100 miles of range remaining.

The hybrid powertrain is also notably quieter than the gas version, taming cabin noise, which is one of the many things loyal Subaru owners have come to accept. And because Subaru built this system around a fully mechanical connection to all four wheels, the legendary Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive character is completely intact. The Sport trim even has dual-function X-Mode with SNOW/DIRT and DEEP SNOW/MUD settings, giving backcountry drivers a useful tool for terrain beyond smooth, dry pavement.

At $35,810, including Destination and Delivery and special paint, the Crosstrek Sport Hybrid is a great deal in today’s market. We haven’t seen a Mazda CX-30 Turbo at this low of a price point in years.

The Safety and Convenience Tool Subaru Took Away
The problem for me as a two-decade Subaru crossover driver is that the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid does not come with a spare tire. Instead of putting the hybrid battery under the floor of the center of the vehicle, Subaru hangs it out past the rear axle, and it’s surprisingly high up in a vehicle that brags about its boxer engine lowering the center of gravity. You can actually feel it back there if you flick the vehicle into a corner on a dirt road. The rear rotates more than the non-hybrid Crosstreks I’ve driven. It’s a plus in that scenario, but will it be a plus in winter, on ice and snow?

Because Subaru chose to place the battery pack where a spare would normally go, a very important feature of the vehicle had to be removed. This is shocking to me. I’ve had two flats in one day in my Forester. We’ve punctured tires on stones that couldn’t be sealed with the can of gunk in the trunk. Losing that spare makes zero sense in a vehicle Subaru says can be driven “on or off-road confidently.” How can you confidently drive off-road if you don’t have a space tire?

I take my Crosstrek deep into central New Hampshire on dirt roads, logging trails, and remote mountain tracks where cell phone coverage is a long walk away, and the nearest tow truck may need to come from many miles away - if one is even available. A puncture out there without a spare is not an inconvenience. At best, it’s the ruin of a good day. A sealant kit cannot fix a sidewall gash from a sharp rock. It cannot help you if the tire has separated from the rim. And it cannot carry you to a tire shop or home. Will the sealant gunk even work at temperatures below 0°F?

Let me harp on this just a smidge longer. I understand that not every Subaru owner actually needs a vehicle with not one, but two mud modes. I get that not every driver relies on the Deep Snow setting. Factually, very few really need the “8.7 inches of ground clearance, more than many full-size SUVs,” that the Crosstrek Sport Hybrid boasts of having. Hardly any of them will use the Hill Descent Control. I use all that stuff. In fact, my Crosstrek Wilderness is not even my most capable vehicle. My Bronco Sport Badlands - with its full-sized spare - trumps it.

A spare-less Subaru BRZ coupe is a car I’d buy. It’s not an “off-road” adventure vehicle. It’s a pavement carver and one of the best ever made at that. I get that putting a spare into it adds about 25 pounds, and that, for some owners, that weight would matter when they read the 0-60 times at Car and Track. But the Crosstrek is all about leaving the pavement and using all that overlanding and adventure gear Subaru brags about well beyond where AAA can reasonably be expected to save the day.

So here I am, a five-time Subaru owner, standing at the edge of what should have been an easy decision. The 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid Sport is the best Crosstrek ever built. It is quieter, faster, more efficient, and better equipped than any version that came before it. I want one badly. But on the lonely and isolated dirt trails of Central New Hampshire hill country, having a spare tire is not optional. 

John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Images by John Goreham