Ever since Subaru of America CEO Tom Doll let slip back in February that the super-popular Crosstrek was slated to receive a bigger engine, two questions have ticked the back of eager Subie fans seeking an improved compact off-road-ready hatch: how much more power will it make, and when will it show up?
Based on common sense and the EPA’s own figures, we can hazard a fair guess as to the answer for the first: it will almost certainly be the naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four found in the Outback, Legacy and Forester, likely making the same 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet it does in those models. Now, thanks to Subaru, we know the answer to the latter: June 9th.
Subaru announced the date on a new page for the 2021 Crosstrek, as well as hinting at some other upgrades. “We redesigned the 2021 Crosstrek to make it even more exciting and capable,” Subaru’s page reads, “with upgrades that deliver more horsepower, style, and safety while keeping the efficient gas mileage, standard Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, and legendary Subaru reliability you’ve come to expect.” That leads us to believe the more powerful version will also benefit from a mild aesthetic facelift, along with some of Subie’s newer active safety features, like the 180-degree widescreen front camera and the (slightly annoying) DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System.
But perhaps the biggest twist wasn’t in the text, but in the picture above it: based on the logo seen on the back of the car, the more potent version will go by the name Crosstrek Sport. Longtime Subaru fans and previous owners may recognize the name; before the lifted Crosstrek served as the crossover-like model of the Impreza family, the toughest Imprezas went by the name of Outback Sport. (Those models were more of an appearance package than a true soft-roader, however; while the Crosstrek benefits from the same 8.7 inches of ground clearance as the current Outback, the earlier Outback Sports rode just a couple tenths of an inch higher.)
That said, there’s still one burning question we didn’t mention above: how much will it cost? Presumably, we’ll find out tomorrow.
