Posted Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 10:35pm

First Drive: Subaru Quietly Built Its Most Capable Little Hybrid Yet

Subaru isn’t shouting about it, but maybe it should. The Crosstrek Hybrid is back for 2026, quietly returning after slipping out of the lineup a few years ago. Back then, Subaru’s hybrid experiment barely moved the needle: decent on paper, short on payoff. This time, the brand’s smallest SUV comes back swinging, combining more power, smarter tech, and the same all-terrain DNA that made the Crosstrek a cult favorite (a nice little money-maker for the Japanese brand).