We just ordered a new car that’s perfect for environmentally-friendly living in Oregon... it’s not quite a Prius Prime, but almost... the Subaru Crosstrek Plug-in Hybrid! How can it “almost” be a Prius Prime? It’s because Subaru took their 2.0 liter pancake engine, and modified the crankshaft and timing to support the Atkinson cycle. Then, they replaced the Subaru transmission with the Prime’s transaxle, along with Toyota’s inverter, charging system, and battery. The entire plug-in hybrid system is straight out of the Prime, albeit with full-time four wheel drive. The car arrives sometime later this month, and we can’t wait. I bought a used GE WattStation on eBay and I’ll have it wired up before the car arrives.
Good for you, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The used GE wasn't needed though, the supplied OE Level 1 EVSE can operate at L2 / 240 volts continually because it's actually a dual voltage unit. Rob43 PS, I remember your NEMA question, I wish we had this info before your purchase because it would've given you the chance to moll things over...
If you read the specs carefully, you'll see that the motor is the same as the Camry hybrid and RAV4 hybrid, not the Prius. Which is good because the Prius motor would not be enough for a bigger, heavier, AWD vehicle. I wonder where the rumor came from that the entire hybrid system is the same as the Prime? I had heard that too. The battery is definitely the same at least.
I've been interested in it too, and if it had come out earlier, that's probably what I would have got. I'll be really interested to see what kind of gas mileage and miles per charge you get!
It’s ok, I bought the WattStation for under $200. The portable charger that came with my Prius Plug-in is thrashed after five years. I want a wall-mounted 220V unit in the garage. Then, we can bring the portable cable in the car is we want. For a while, I’d charge at home and then being the cable in the car, but it got filthy and it was just very inconvenient. Back then, 220V chargers cost $800+, but for $200, it’s an easy choice.
Congrats! Looking forward to any owners review or updates (if you wish, of course). I think down the road, there will be threads when used car shoppers are cross shopping the Prime and Crosstrek PHEV. It can be useful to point them to a thread with some owners experience. I was very briefly considering it but ultimately turned it down due the short range. It would’ve been a good alternative to the Outlander PHEV if the range was a bit longer (and same price)... say closer to 20-22 miles. But 17 is a good start. Edit: well the Crosstrek hybrid isn’t available in Canada.
Of course! I was nervous about her choice of the Subaru, because I know they have little experience with hybrid technology. When I learned that all of the hybrid components, including the transaxle, are Toyota, my confidence soared. I thought the RAV4 hybrid would be a better, more reliable car, but she feels that it’s too big. It’s her money and her decision. It’s funny how I was one of the first Prius Plug-in owners in the country and now I’ll be one of the first Subaru Plug-in owners. Of course I’ll get the service manual and dig into as many details as I can.
Wow..I really hope they are vastly under reporting the 35 MPG number...because, frankly, that sucks. Does the full time (mechanical) AWD really affect the MPGs that much? If so, I think Toyota's e-AWD system is much better.
With quite a favorable history on our OutBack, the Crosstek plug-in was definitely on the shopping list back in the spring when I ultimately got a Honda Clarity. Being only a compliance vehicle and sold in only a handful of states which didn't include mine was a deal breaker and quickly dropped it from the list. Secondly, the EV range wouldn't be much of an improvement over the Energi we already have. I'm still genuinely interested in it so keep the reports coming!
I was genuinely excited about the hybrid Crosstrek. However, the 35 MPG number is quite disappointing to me. Not sure what I was expecting though.
It is 6 mpg better than the 29mpg on the regular Crosstrek. Yes it does. Subaru has made strides to reduce the mpg impact of their AWD systems (comparing the Impreza to the Civic or Corolla for example). As seen in the HiHy/RX first gen and the Prius AWD-e, the impact is much smaller with an AWD-e System.
"Up to 17 miles" electric - I imagine in winter time it would be more like 10-12. Good if it works for you.
Almost bought one, but none of local dealers had any in stock. It had to be ordered directly from manufacture at MSRP. I decided to buy used hybrid SUV (Nissan Pathfinder) instead. So how is real world mpg on your almost new "Prius Prime"?
