All-New Subaru Crosstrek Sport Is Coming Soon With More Power And A 2.5L Engine

There has been one complaint with the second-generation Subaru Crosstrek; it needs more power. Subaru is listening and it’s official, a new 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport model is coming with a more powerful 2.5-liter Boxer under the hood. It’s been confirmed by Subaru of America CEO Tom Doll who was speaking at a National Automobile Dealers Association meeting this week.

According to Automotive News (by subscription), the news leaked out from the meeting when Doll said, “One of the things that our customers are telling us about the Crosstrek is that it’s a little underpowered with the 2.0-liter engine. The 2.5-liter engine will solve that problem.”

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Tom Doll was also reported to say a new Crosstrek Sport trim will be offered with the 2.5-liter Boxer along with the top-of-the-lineup Limited model getting the same engine. This is most interesting because Torque News wrote a piece just three weeks ago, asking why Subaru doesn’t bring a new Crosstrek Sport for customers?

We also know why Subaru is offering the Crosstrek (in 2021) with a more powerful engine option. Demand has softened for the second-generation Crosstrek as it’s seen a drop in sales for three straight months. The last month the subcompact was up in sales was October 2019. Crosstrek was down in November 2019 (-2.30%), December (-10.2%), and January 2020 (-1.30%). Three months is now a trend, and Crosstrek finished last year down -9.2 percent.

Demand for the subcompact SUV is softening

Tom Doll told Motor Trend a year ago, customers wouldn’t see a sportier Crosstrek model because the demand for the new-generation Crosstrek subcompact SUV was high and selling too well. Well, that has changed and Subaru Corporation is ready to bring a Sport trim with additional power. Subaru knows Crosstrek needs a little help from a new powerplant.

The new Crosstrek Sport and Limited models will likely get the same 2.5-liter Boxer engine that powers the 2020 Subaru Outback and Forester models with the same specifications. They both come with 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque which is considerably more than the 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque from the current Crosstrek’s 2.0-liter engine.

We do know the new 2021 Crosstrek Sport will not get the EJ25 turbocharged Boxer engine from the performance-tuned WRX STI. That’s not even a consideration and you can forget that idea right now. The new Crosstrek Sport and Limited 2.5-liter trims will also come mated with a CVT Lineartronic automatic and not likely be coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

When will Subaru officially announce the new Crosstrek Sport? Subaru of America is not saying anything more at this point, but the Japanese automaker could uncover the new 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport and Limited with a 2.5-liter Boxer at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2020. Stay tuned.

2021 Subaru Crosstrek will get a Sport trim with a 2.5-liter engine

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!

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