Subaru WRX Sportwagon to add Strong Hybrid: Latest fuel-saving system set to expand from Forester into performance passenger car
The all-new 2026 Subaru WRX Sportswagon will come next year powered by the brand’s Strong Hybrid powertrain tech for the first time as the car-maker transitions to a full line-up of electrified models.
Japan’s Best Car reports the next Subaru Levorg, as it’s known in Japan, will initially carry over both its current 1.8-litre and 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four-cylinder engines.
But for the first time it will also be offered with the brand’s most efficient 2.5-litre Strong Hybrid which has just debuted in Australia in the Subaru Forester SUV.
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According to media reports, just the lean-burn 1.8-litre and new 2.5-litre Strong Hybrid will initially be offered, allowing the electrified version gain traction in some markets.
The most powerful 2.4T will land later.
In Europe, it’s thought some markets will switch to an entirely all-hybrid line-up on account of the electrified 2.5-litre’s low CO2 emissions.
In the Forester, the Strong Hybrid produces as much as 146kW of power. Reproduced in the WRX Sportwagon, that will see it sit above the 130kW 1.8-litre and below the 202kW 2.4-litre turbo.
All versions will come with Subaru’s continuously variable transmission (CVT) and the brand’s famed symmetrical all-wheel drive.
Subaru Australia has yet to comment on reports of the new hybrid WRX Sportswagon, but it’s thought the introduction of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) could force it to bring it here.
The Strong Hybrid is also soon expected to be confirmed for Australia in the Crosstrek and new-gen Outback SUVs. The Uncharted and Trailseeker battery electric SUVs are also expected to go on-sale here, alongside an updated Solterra.
The WRX Sportwagon is currently sold in Australia in three specifications starting at $52,290 plus on-road costs. All three currently come with only the 2.4-litre boxer engine in Australia.
