New Subaru Crosstrek S:HEV Can Drive Nonstop For More Than 1,000 KM

Just recently, the BYD Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid made waves in the Philippine market due to its more than 1,000-kilometer driving range. Japan, however, won’t back down with its latest challenger, the 2025 Subaru Crosstrek S:HEV. The Crosstrek S:HEV’s nomenclature is due to its “Strong Hybrid” drivetrain, and was developed in-house by Subaru.

Finally, Subaru is making a true hybrid system unlike its previous e-Boxer system, which had a weak electric motor that mostly acted like a mild hybrid. This hybrid system mates a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder boxer engine that produces 160 hp and 209 Nm of torque along with your usual two-motor system–one as the generator and the other powering the wheels. The electric motor produces 88 horsepower and 270 Nm of torque and is juiced up by a 1.1 kWh lithium-ion battery that has vehicle-t0-load (V2L) capabilities.

This is a series-parallel hybrid system, just like what Toyota and Honda do. Therefore, it also gets an e-CVT, though it is still unknown if its a planetary gear system like in Toyota hybrids or a two-clutch system like in Honda’s implementation. Nevertheless, while total system output has not yet been revealed, its 63-liter fuel tank enables it to have a total driving range of more than 1,000 kilometers based on WLTP testing.

Of course, in traditional Subaru fashion, the Crosstrek S:HEV has the brand’s Symmetrical AWD system as standard. Unlike the RAV4 Hybrid with its electronic AWD system (in overseas markets), the Crosstrek S:HEV maintains its mechanical connection between the front and rear wheels.

Now, as for the aesthetics and features, the 2025 Subaru Crosstrek S:HEV only has minor differences from the standard model. Apart from the obligatory badging, the electrified Crosstrek gets 18-inch “shuriken-style” wheels, while in the interior, the range-topping version in Japan comes with a 12.3-inch fully-digital instrument cluster.

With the new electrified Crosstrek still not yet hitting Japanese dealerships, it will probably take a while before Motor Image Pilipinas, the official distributor of Subaru in the Philippines, to bring in the new Crosstrek S:HEV.