Having been on the US market for just over a year now, Subaru's XV Crosstrek didn't necessarily need an appeal-boosting new version or improvements at this very moment, but the Japanese automaker has decided that the 2013 NY motor show is the perfect venue to launch a hybrid version of the crossover.
It is actually a very important car, as it is Subaru's first ever hybrid and it has therefore got to prove itself.
Subaru's hybrid system uses the firm's proven 2.0-liter flat-four, which puts out 148 hp. The hybrid part stems from the fact that inside the casing of the CVT transmission fitted to the XV Hybrid, one will find a 13.4 hp (~10 kW) electric motor, which is seamlessly integrated into the powertrain.
That means the green XV can get a combined figure of 31 mpg, or 7.6 l/100km, and as much as 34 mpg (6.9 l/100km) on the highway.
Inside the XV Crosstrek Hybrid, one will find a new blue-backlit instrument cluster, as well as the customary center stack-mounted display, to track how much power is being used and how much is going back into the battery courtesy of the regenerative braking system the car is fitted with.
Last, but not least, is the vehicle's ability to travel in electric-only mode at low speeds (Subaru fails to give specifics here), and the gasoline engine is fired up once speed reaches a certain threshold or a burst of acceleration is needed.
By Andrei Nedelea
