Sourcing from the best: Subaru Crosstrek to pick up hybrid tech from Toyota Corolla Cross as soon as this year with Forester hybrid to follow in Japan | Report

Toyota and Subaru’s technological partnerships continue to grow following the introduction of second-gen GR86/BRZ and first ever electric models the bZ4X and Solterra.

Subaru’s sixth-generation Forester, already on sale in North America, will use a Toyota hybrid system from 2025 and there’s suggestion the Crosstrek small SUV will also use the so-called ‘strong hybrid’ as soon as 2024.

A report from Japanese newspaper Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun suggests Subaru could implement a Toyota hybrid system in the current Crosstrek this year, as it targets a hybrid sales share of 70 per cent in Japan by 2030 – with the remainder to be EV. 

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This does go against Subaru’s global commitment to roll out strong hybrids from 2025, however the report might be suggesting the technology will be unveiled later this year before '25 production.

The new Forester is expected to be the first Subaru sold in Australia with a Toyota-sourced battery along with other high-voltage electric components allied with Subaru’s signature flat-four ‘boxer’ engine layout. Exact details are still to be determined. 

"We're very excited about that - I've always said with next-gen Forester it's our number-one selling model in Australia, so we need to put our best foot forward - we believe that strong hybrid technology will be a big shot in the arm", Subaru Australia Managing Director Blair Read told CarsGuide in March.

The Subaru Forester will get a 'strong hybrid' in 2025.

The second-gen XV/Crosstrek was sold in Australia with Subaru’s 107kW e-Boxer mild-hybrid system, which is effectively unchanged for the current small SUV. 

The e-Boxer mild-hybrid technology isn’t able to compete with Toyota’s efficiency. The Crosstrek hybrid’s ADR combined consumption rating is 6.5L/100km compared to 4.4L/100km of an equivalent Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid. 

In road tests, CarsGuide has found Subaru’s system to be less efficient in the real world than Toyota’s, with greater gulfs between rated and returned consumption figures.

The Subaru Crosstrek hybrid is rated at 6.5L/100km.

The rumoured Crosstrek hybrid wouldn’t be the first of its kind with the rare North American market Crosstrek plug-in hybrid offered from 2019 with the PHEV system from Toyota’s Prius Prime. It was sold in certain states with strict emissions regulations, including California, as a compliance car. 

Other brands plan to, or are already using Toyota hybrid tech, including Mazda with its CX-50 and China’s GAC that will launch in Australia next year.

Subaru Australia said there was currently no more information to share on future hybrid models yet. The Crosstrek – previously XV – launched locally in May 2023 with a mild-hybrid option.

Other future changes for the small SUV include a ‘big block’ 136kW/239Nm 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder and tougher Wilderness variant, though a more efficient hybrid is most enticing with Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) looming.