2024 Subaru Impreza to skip hybrid power in Australia – again

The hybrid version of the Subaru Impreza is poised to remain off-limits to Australia for the second time when the new-generation small car reaches local showrooms between October and December 2023.

Australian government approval documents seen by Drive show all variants of the new Subaru Impreza – now a five-door hatchback only, as the sedan has been dropped – will be powered by a familiar 2.0-litre petrol engine.

The 2.0-litre 'e-Boxer' hybrid available the Japanese version – and in the related Crosstrek (formerly XV) SUV in Australia – appears to again not be available locally.

Hybrid power was introduced to the Subaru Impreza in Japan mid-way through the old model's life cycle – with the mid-life styling update in early 2020 – but it was never sold here.

It is despite high demand for the Crosstrek Hybrid in Australia, which saw wait times hit six months as the first cars hit showrooms earlier this year – even though it uses the same hybrid technology from the old XV/Impreza, which independent testing by Drive and other media outlets has found to deliver negligible fuel savings, despite a $3600 price premium.

The e-Boxer system combines a 110kW/196Nm 2.0-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine with a 12.3kW electric motor for claimed fuel use of 6.5L/100km in the Crosstrek Hybrid – compared to 7.2L/100km for the petrol version, which uses the 2.0-litre engine without the electric motor.

The Impreza hybrid would have been a rival for the top-selling Toyota Corolla Hybrid hatch and sedan, plus the upcoming Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid due later this year.

The new Impreza is set to share the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine matched with a continuously-variable automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive.

The 2.5-litre engine available in the US will not initially be available here.

Government approval documents show there will be three models in the new Impreza range: the base 2.0L, mid-grade 2.0R and top-of-the-range 2.0S.

Prices are yet to be confirmed, however the current Subaru Impreza costs $5700 less than the just-superseded Subaru XV it was based upon.

Given the new Crosstrek petrol is priced from $34,990 to $41,490 plus on-road costs, the new Impreza could be priced from approximately $29,000 to $36,000 plus on-road costs (rounded figures).

In Japan the top-of-the-range Crosstrek costs 14 per cent more than an equivalent Impreza, with similar features, the same engines and all-wheel drive. Applying this difference to Australia would suggest a price range of $30,500 to $36,000 plus on-road costs.

The current Subaru Impreza hatchback range is priced from $27,490 to $32,790 plus on-road costs in five-door hatchback form.

As previously reported by Drive, the new Subaru Impreza will drop the four-door sedan body style globally in favour of a single five-door hatch body style – and as before, the Crosstrek (XV) remains a high-riding Impreza hatch with black plastic body cladding and taller suspension.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza is due in Australian showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2023 (October to December). Click here for more details from its unveiling in the US last year.