Subaru Crosstrek: Hybrid L vs 2.0R

At around $40,000 the Crosstrek gives you a choice between two grades that cost almost the same but pull in opposite directions: the fuel-saving Hybrid L or the much better equipped 2.0R. Here is what each one gives up, and which is the smarter buy.

The bottom line

The Hybrid L and the 2.0R cost within about $900 of each other, but they are not the same offer. The Hybrid L is the base car with a hybrid badge, so it saves only about $200 a year in fuel and gives up heated power seats, the surround camera, the bigger alloys and the full LED lights. The 2.0R keeps petrol but adds all of that for around $900 more. Unless low running costs are the whole point, the better equipped 2.0R is the smarter buy.

Subaru

Crosstrek Hybrid L

From $40,090

Buy the Hybrid L if

low running costs matter more than features and most of your driving is short town trips, where the self-charging hybrid does its best work. It starts about $900 below the 2.0R and costs a little less to run, so it is the cheaper Crosstrek to own over the long run, but you go without heated power seats, the surround camera, the bigger alloys and the full LED lights.

View the Hybrid L

Subaru

Crosstrek 2.0R

From $40,990

Buy the 2.0R if

you want the Crosstrek that actually feels equipped. For about $900 more it adds heated 8-way power seats, a Panoramic 360 camera, 18-inch alloys and full LED lighting, and the hybrid's fuel saving of roughly $200 a year is not worth giving all of that up for most buyers.

View the 2.0R

The numbers

	Hybrid L	2.0R
Starting price	$40,090	$40,990
Engine	2.0L e-Boxer hybrid, 100kW	2.0L boxer petrol, 115kW
Fuel use	6.5 L/100km	7.2 L/100km
Fuel a year	~$1,950	~$2,160 (about $200 more)
Braked towing	1,270 kg	1,400 kg
Key equipment	Base kit: cloth, manual seat, no surround camera	Heated 8-way power seats, 360 camera, 18-inch alloys, full LED
Servicing	Much the same, Subaru capped-price	Much the same, Subaru capped-price

Running-cost figures are estimates for comparison only and will vary with your driving, fuel prices and state. They assume 15,000 km a year and petrol at $2.00 a litre. The Crosstrek hybrid is a self-charging hybrid, so it takes no plug and its saving shows up mainly around town, less on the highway. Prices are MRRP.

The verdict

Underneath they are the same small Subaru SUV, with the same standard all wheel drive, the same EyeSight safety and the same 5 star ANCAP rating. What splits them is the Hybrid L trades equipment for economy, and the 2.0R trades economy for equipment, at almost the same price.

On fuel the hybrid wins, but by less than the badge suggests. It uses 6.5 L/100km against the petrol's 7.2, which on our assumptions is about $200 a year, and because it is a self-charging hybrid with no plug, most of that saving comes in town. It is worth being clear that the Hybrid L is the cheaper car to own overall: it also starts about $900 below the 2.0R, so if the lowest long term cost is your goal it, not the 2.0R, is the one to have. The hybrid does make a little less power and tows 1,270 kg against the petrol's 1,400 kg, which only matters if you tow near the limit.

On equipment the 2.0R is in a different class. For about $900 more than the Hybrid L it adds heated 8-way power front seats, a Panoramic 360 camera, 18-inch alloys and full LED lighting, none of which the base-spec Hybrid L gets. For most buyers that is worth far more than a fuel saving of a couple of hundred dollars a year, which is why the 2.0R is our pick of the range.

See both grades in full

Both grades live on the one Crosstrek page, where you can switch between them and read the full specs and standard equipment for each.

See the Crosstrek

More guides

Last updated August 2026